Tag: 2024 NBA Draft

Rumor: Thunder could trade up for Donovan Clingan in 2024 NBA draft

Rumor: Thunder could trade up for Donovan Clingan in 2024 NBA draft.

The Oklahoma City Thunder sit at the No. 12 slot of the 2024 NBA draft, but that doesn’t mean they can’t move up. Considering their trade assets and draft capital, OKC has the funds to aggressively move up the board if it chooses to do so.

A possibility is UConn center Donovan Clingan, per ESPN’s draft expert Jonathan Givony. He released his player rankings for the 2024 NBA draft, where he had the 7-foot-2 center at No. 3.

The Thunder are one of several squads who could move up the draft to select the 20-year-old. He’d provide OKC with another rim protector and rebounder.

“Clingan isn’t expected to drop past the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 7, whom he just visited for a private workout as well. He is being discussed among teams as a possible target for the likes of Chicago, Memphis, Oklahoma City or Utah, who all might explore trading up for a player in his mold.”

A frontcourt with Clingan and Chet Holmgren suddenly gives OKC serious size. He’d also be a lob threat for the Thunder. He averaged 13 points on 63.9% shooting, 7.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks last season as the Huskies won back-to-back championships.

Clingan is seen as one of the best players of this year’s class and will likely be a top-five selection. This means the Thunder will have to give up some serious assets to move up from the No. 12 spot.

Only time will tell how serious the Thunder’s interests are with Clingan. It’s June, which means the rumors and reports have skyrocketed as smokescreens will be utilized by both franchises and prospects.

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Rumor: Spurs high on Providence guard Devin Carter ahead of draft

Carter could be a potential target of the Spurs, as the organization is said to be interested in him.

Former Providence guard Devin Carter is projected to be drafted in the lottery, and the Big East Player of the Year is drawing interest from several teams near the top of the draft board.

Carter, the son of former 13-year NBA veteran Anthony Carter, averaged 19.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.8 steals on 47.3% shooting from the field in 33 games. He led the conference in scoring and finished 10th in the country in defensive rebounds (253).

The 22-year-old emerged began the year viewed as a potential second-round pick. He has since improved his draft stock following a strong junior campaign and showing at the combine and even reportedly received a lottery promise from a team.

Carter could be a potential target of the San Antonio Spurs, as the organization is said to be interested in him, according to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report.

Sources say the San Antonio Spurs are high on Devin Carter, who just completed workouts with the Sacramento Kings and Chicago Bulls.

The Spurs have two lottery picks (Nos. 4 and 8) this year and have been linked to several prospects. They have even been rumored to want to package those two picks to move up and go after a player ranked higher on their draft board.

Carter was considered one of the top defenders in the country and was named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year watchlist in February. He ranked 10th in the country in defensive win shares (2.7) and 14th in defensive box plus-minus (plus-4.9).

The 6-foot-3 guard expanded his offensive game this past season by improving his 3-point percentage from 29.9% to 37.7% on 6.8 attempts per game. He projects to fill several needs for teams in the first half of the draft and could develop into an impactful player at the next level.

The 2024 NBA draft will take place June 26-27 in New York City.

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Report: France’s Tidjane Salaun to have predraft workout with Thunder

Report: France’s Tidjane Salaun to have predraft workout with Thunder.

The calendar has flipped to June, which means NBA teams are intensifying their predraft process and hosting players for workouts and visits. The 2024 NBA draft will take place from June 26-27.

The Oklahoma City Thunder enter this year’s class with a sole draft pick of the No. 12 selection. OKC was gifted the free lottery pick via the Houston Rockets.

This means the Thunder will host several meetings with draft prospects in the coming weeks. France’s Tidjane Salaun is the latest player who will reportedly work out for OKC.

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman reported that Salaun will hold a predraft workout with the Thunder. He’ll be in the range of the No. 12 spot.

The 18-year-old played overseas with the LNB Pro A’s Cholet. He averaged 9.7 points on 40.6% shooting, 3.9 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 54 games last season in France. He shot 31.6% from 3 on 4.4 attempts.

At 6-foot-9, 212 pounds, Salaun has good size for a wing. He’s viewed as a long-term project.

A full list of 2024 NBA draft prospects that have worked out or visited the Thunder in the predraft process can be viewed here.

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Bleacher Report suggests a Josh Giddey for Deni Avdija trade

Bleacher Report suggests a Josh Giddey for Deni Avdija trade.

As the 2024 NBA Finals start, only a handful of games remain for this season. This means the start of the offseason is near. Teams will get a chance to improve their rosters and trades are one route to do that.

Bleacher Report writers Dan Favale and Grant Hughes recently cooked up an offseason trade for the 28 teams not in the NBA Finals. This includes the Oklahoma City Thunder — fresh off a first-seed and second-round exit.

The Thunder’s trade involves shipping Josh Giddey and a pair of first-round picks to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Deni Avdija. The full trade details are below:

  • Thunder receive: Deni Avdija
  • Wizards receive: Josh Giddey, the No. 12 pick in the 2024 draft and a 2025 first-round pick (via MIA; top-14 protected)

The trade gives Thunder a young wing fresh off a career season where he featured an outside shot more often. Meanwhile, the Wizards get a pair of quality first-round picks for their rebuild and a potential starter.

“Giddey’s spot in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s first unit is the one most in need of an upgrade, even if that’s largely by default. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren are deservedly entrenched there.

Avdija is two years older than Giddey at 23, which suggests he has slightly less room for growth, and much of his play prior to last season featured some of the same shortcomings that have dogged Giddey—namely errant outside shooting and minimal self-created offense.

Last season saw Avdija change in key ways, as he upped his three-point hit rate to a tantalizing 37.4 percent while assuming a larger share of playmaking duties. His averages of 14.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists were all career highs, and the burly 6’9″ forward was even better than that after the All-Star break.

Giddey has made steady strides as a shooter, hitting a career-best 33.7 percent from deep last year. But he’s nowhere near Avdija’s level on defense, and despite similar size on the wing, fails to play with any noticeable downhill force.

The Thunder have the picks to spare, and the rebuilding Wizards should be in the market for as many lottery tickets as possible. Avdija is a better player than Giddey today, but he’s already on his second contract, and Giddey’s youth gives him two extra years of upside ahead.”

It’s an expensive price to pay, but that comes with the territory of adding someone like Avdija. If the outside shot is sustainable and not just a one-year wonder, he’ll be a massive get for OKC. He makes more sense as a fit with the Thunder than Giddey. He can be an off-ball threat who can space the floor and keep the offense moving. He’ll also help out on the glass.

Avdija is also on a team-friendly deal. He is set to begin a four-year, $55 million contract next season. He’ll be on a bargain price for the foreseeable future.

For Giddey, it allows him to return to a comfortable role of being the lead playmaker and ball-handler. He’ll have the keys to the offense and get a chance to be a traditional point guard — something he strived away from in OKC last season.

The draft compensation might be a tough pill to swallow, but that’s the price of looking to make immediate upgrades on the roster with starting-caliber players. Overall, this seems like a solid deal for both sides.

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Harrison Ingram suffers minor setback in 2024 NBA Draft preparation

Harrison Ingram suffered a minor injury setback ahead of 2024 NBA Draft.

Former North Carolina Tar Heels forward Harrison Ingram made the decision to go the professional route and keep his name in the NBA draft pool. The wing is projected to be a second-round pick and has already worked out for some teams in the process.

But now he’s hit a minor setback in the predraft process.

During a workout with the Orlando Magic, Ingram took an inadvertent elbow to the face. The injury forced him to miss the rest of the workout plus a workout he had with the Indiana Pacers later in the week.

Ingram still did meet with the Pacers, however. He was just on the sideline watching the workouts.

“It was my first time to not be in the workout,” Ingram said. “It was fun seeing some of my friends, like Reece (Beekman), play well and everybody competing. It is fun to be here. This is our dream and we’re traveling around for a month city to city playing basketball. I mean, what else would I want to do?”

The injury isn’t expected to keep Ingram out for long and he should be back with workouts soon enough.

In his lone season with the Tar Heels, Ingram started 36 games averaging 12.2 points and 8.8 rebounds while shooting 43% from the field and 38.5% on threes.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Does it make sense for the San Antonio Spurs to trade for the No. 1 pick?

Is there really a player in this draft worth dealing up for?

Ever since the news broke that the San Antonio Spurs would be trying to use their two lottery picks in the 2024 NBA draft, speculation has abounded on what the Spurs might want to do with the Nos. 4 and 8 picks in their possession. Will they end up using them outright? Trade one or both for an established player?

Or could they end up dealing both to get the top overall pick from the Atlanta Hawks? This latter idea has found some currency among San Antonio fans, but what could it end up looking like if they do? Is there really a player in this draft worth dealing up for?

The host of the “Locked On Spurs” podcast, Jeff Garcia, took some time in a recent episode with guest Rudy Campos of the “Sweep The League” podcast.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say about such a prospect.

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What does Nikola Topic’s ACL tear mean to the San Antonio Spurs’ draft plans?

Will Topic be on the board at No. 8?

The San Antonio Spurs might get multiple cracks at drafting coveted Serbian point guard Nikola Topic with picks at Nos. 4 and 8 in the 2024 NBA draft. But the reason why that may be the case could also be a good reason to pass, pending how the Spurs’ front office sees his medicals after news broke that Topic has a partially torn ACL.

Evidently the same knee that had Topic sitting out for four months while he was playing overseas, the news will likely make the projected top-five draft pick slip in his 2024 cohort. Would it be enough to slip to No. 8 and let San Antonio use their No. 4 pick on a player like UConn’s Donovan Clingan?

Of course, this depends on how that knee looks, but this is an intriguing development should the best outcome of this being a minor injury as far as ACL tears can be, and the folks behind the “SSPN: A San Antonio Spurs Podcast” YouTube channel took some time to talk it over on a recent episode.

Check it out above!

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Keisei Tominaga to skip NBA Summer League to represent Japan in Olympics

Tominaga will reportedly skip the NBA Summer League to play for Japan in the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Former Nebraska guard Keisei Tominaga will reportedly skip the NBA Summer League to play for Japan in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France, according to Robin Washut of Husker Online.

Tominaga was among 24 players named to Japan’s preliminary roster for training camp, which began this week. He is expected to join the team in Tokyo after recently completing predraft workouts with the Chicago Bulls, LA Clippers and Sacramento Kings.

He has represented Japan at the senior level three times, most recently in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup alongside Yuta Watanabe, Yuki Kawamura and Josh Hawkinson, among others. He averaged 11.4 points as Japan finished as the top Asian team to clinch its Olympic berth.

Japan will open the Olympics in Group B, along with France, Germany and a team still to earn a berth from a qualifying tournament. The team will play its first game against Germany on July 27 and then face France on July 30 before wrapping up the group phase on Aug. 2.

The group will play five exhibition games ahead of the Olympics, beginning with two matchups against Australia on June 22-23 in Hokkaido. The team will play Korea twice in Tokyo (July 5-7) and Germany in Berlin (July 19) in its final tuneup.

Japan has qualified for the Olympics eight times, most recently in 2020 as the host nation. The team finished 11th that year and has never medaled in the Games.

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UConn guard Cam Spencer wants to improve defensively ahead of draft

Spencer helped the Huskies to their second straight national title, averaging 14.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.5 steals.

Former UConn guard Cam Spencer is a potential second-round pick in the 2024 NBA draft, and the 24-year-old is working hard to improve his stock in workouts and interviews.

Spencer helped the Huskies to their second straight national title, averaging 14.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.5 steals on 44% shooting from 3-point range. He scored at least 20 points eight times, including a season-high 25 points on Nov. 14.

The 6-foot-4 standout was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team after posting 13.3 points, seven rebounds, 3.5 assists and two steals in six games. He produced 11 points and eight rebounds in the national championship game against Purdue.

He named the area this week that he is working to improve most.

I think, defensively, coming in. Obviously, it is a different game, the NBA and college. There is more space and less gap help, so I think to be able to get on the floor especially come playoff time, everybody needs to show they can defend. (I’m) watching a lot of film and going over my technique on the defensive end to try to get better. That has been the main focus.

Spencer established himself as a tremendous shooter in college, leaving after converting 41.7% from beyond the arc in five years. He excelled as a cutter to get open in catch-and-shoot and on-the-move situations and could also get into the paint and finish.

He projects to be a floor-spacer at the next level who can step in off the bench. His exact role will likely be determined by how quickly he can defend consistently and handle the physicality at the next level after weighing in at 201 pounds at the draft combine.

Spencer recently worked out with the Indiana Pacers and has also visited the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets and Charlotte Hornets, among others. He will be looking to continue to showcase himself at a high level in his upcoming workouts ahead of the draft on June 26-27.

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Report: Former USC guard Bronny James had his draft workout with the Suns

Former USC guard Bronny James was reportedly among the prospects who worked out with the Suns on Wednesday.

Former USC guard Bronny James was reportedly among the prospects who worked out with the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, according to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic.

Joining James in the workout were Villanova guard Mark Armstrong and West Virginia guard RaeQuan Battle, among others. The team reportedly put the group through various on-court drills during the session and focused on shooting.

The Suns have the 22nd pick in the 2024 NBA draft.

James, the eldest son of LeBron James, averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists on 36.6% shooting from the field in 25 games with the Trojans. He scored in double figures three times, including a season-high 15 points and three assists on Dec. 30.

The 6-foot-1 guard is expected to be selective with his draft workouts. He reportedly only scheduled visits with the Suns and Los Angeles Lakers, while other teams could be considered ahead of the draft on June 26-27.

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