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Former Tennessee forward Nate Ament named four pre-draft workouts during a SportsCenter interview, and the Dallas Mavericks were not on the list. The 6-foot-10 freshman said he had worked out for the Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Los Angeles Clippers ahead of Tuesday’s NBA Draft, where he is widely projected as a lottery pick after one season at Tennessee. The omission carries weight for Dallas, which holds the ninth pick and has been tied to interest in Ament. A team showing interest does not always work out a prospect, but Ament’s own account of his pre-draft circuit did not include the Mavericks, and his comments came days before the franchise goes on the clock with the No. 9 overall pick.
The reporting that ties Dallas to Ament comes from Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, who listed the Los Angeles Clippers (No. 5), Brooklyn Nets (No. 6), and Mavericks (No. 9) among the teams that have shown interest, with some rival executives viewing the Milwaukee Bucks at No. 10 as Ament’s floor. Fischer also linked the New Orleans Pelicans, who do not own a lottery pick, as a team interested in trading to gain positioning to select Ament. Two of the four teams Ament named, Brooklyn and the Clippers, also appear on Fischer’s list of interested suitors. Dallas does not appear among Ament’s stated workouts, even as it has been tied to interest at No. 9. Interest reported by league sources does not always translate to a completed workout.
The Nets continue to befuddle the league relatively, and I’ve heard a lot of what will likely turn out to be misinformation regarding their plans. That’s partly because the Nets have engendered a belief league-wide that they evaluate draft prospects differently than many other teams. I’ve heard all the guard prospects in this range for them. The Ament buzz has quieted down in the last week. A couple of sources continue to mention Aday Mara as an option.
I’m going with Brown over Acuff [for the Nets] as sources have indicated that the team has done a significant amount of legwork on him. Brown has impressed teams throughout the pre-draft process, convincing teams that his struggles with efficiency last season at Louisville largely stemmed from his back injury. Teams I’ve spoken with have cleared Brown medically and seem to have no concerns about that injury.
For now, though, let's say that the Bucks do stay at No. 10. We've already written about Milwaukee's interest in the top guards on the board … everyone from Darius Acuff Jr. to Keaton Wagler to Mikel Brown Jr. after flying down to Orlando to meet with Brown. I've since been told that a Milwaukee contingent including general manager Jon Horst and new head coach Taylor Jenkins also traveled to New York recently to visit with Nate Ament during this pre-draft process. Now the Bucks are being looked at by some rival teams as the absolute floor for the Tennessee forward. Sources say Ament has drawn interest as high as the Clippers at No. 5, Brooklyn at No. 6 and ranks as a strong contender to emerge as Dallas' ultimate pick at No. 9.
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With Charlotte considering a starting-caliber center upgrade, other centers besides Sabonis are on their radar, including Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton, league sources told HoopsHype. In addition, it’s worth noting that the Nets have expressed interest in Hornets free agent guard Coby White in the past when he was on the Chicago Bulls, sources said. In other Hornets news, assistant coach Zach Peterson is a candidate to become the franchise’s next head coach of their G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm. DJ Bakker, who’s been an assistant coach for the Hornets and head coach of the Swarm in the G League, is a candidate to join Sean Sweeney’s staff as an assistant coach with the Orlando Magic, league sources told HoopsHype.
Ultimately, there’s a strong belief within league circles that if the Lakers offer Austin Reaves close to or the full max, he’ll stay in Los Angeles. However, if the Lakers submit a low-ball offer, Reaves will consider other offers, and the possibility of a sign-and-trade could also emerge. Brooklyn has Reaves on their radar and has the clearest path to offering a max contract outright in free agency with cap space.
On the other hand, Duren is only 22 and coming off an All-Star regular season, and cap-room teams like Brooklyn and Chicago will be circling with offer sheets if the Pistons get cold feet. A five-year, $200 million deal would value him at $40 million a year and keep him in Detroit through much of his prime; that feels like a potential endpoint.
Amid a belief in some corners that the Nets are open to trading their pick while playing host to the draft itself at Barclays Center, sources say that they have indeed shown particular interest in Brown that would appear to run counter to any moving-down suggestions. I'm told that the Nets have visited Central Florida to audition Brown on his turf and then also hosted him last Thursday for Brown's first in-person visit in this draft cycle.
Elliot Clough: Bennett Stirtz tells me he will be attending the NBA Draft at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York next Tuesday. Coach Ben McCollum will join Stirtz and his family in the green room. So far, Stirtz has worked out with the following teams: Charlotte Hornets Chicago Bulls Dallas Mavericks Memphis Grizzlies Oklahoma City Thunder Toronto Raptors He'll also workout for the Golden State Warriors prior to the draft.
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Up until a week ago, Dybantsa and his camp hadn’t heard anything from the Washington Wizards, who have the No. 1 pick, or the Utah Jazz at No. 2. Dybantsa has been very busy since the combine week in May. He was in Boston for his older sister’s graduation from Boston College, then Dybantsa and his father, Ace, flew to Paris for the French Open and continued training sessions with Zack Gonzales (the same trainer who went through the pre-draft process with Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Denim last year).
Knicks fans were heaving half-court shots to reach San Antonio ahead of New York’s potentially championship-clinching showdown with the Spurs after stormy weather canceled flights Friday. Orange and blue-clad New Yorkers were ready to invade the second-rate Texas city for Saturday night’s Game 5 of the NBA Finals, but travel plans were thrown into chaos thanks to a raging thunderstorm that swept through the tristate area. Brooklyn resident Toby Hyde was supposed to board a 5:33 p.m. flight to San Antonio from JFK Airport with a layover in Dallas until the plane was grounded, sending him scrambling for a backup plan.
Carmelo Anthony addressed his “ridiculous” remark, saying that Jeremy Lin deserved for the Knicks to match his offer from Houston instead of letting him walk over luxury tax concerns. “You got to think from my perspective, everything kind of came and went so fast and now I’m not on the Knicks anymore,” Lin said on the “7PM in Brooklyn,” a Wave Original. “And after that, I hear publicly a coach saying something and three teammates saying stuff publicly about like, ‘Oh, Linsanity didn’t vibe with everybody in the locker room.’ And so I’m like, ‘You got to think, Melo, I’m hearing this and I’m trying to piece together the story.’”
