NBA Draft Rumors: Latest Buzz Around the League
While the NBA's biggest news right now is the Eastern and Western Conference Finals, the other 26 teams in the league are busy preparing for the draft next month.
The league is abuzz with rumors and unnamed sources coming out of the woodwork, so here's a list of the NBA's top rumors heading into next month's draft.
Deron Williams Wants out of Brooklyn
1 of 5Can't really say I blame the guy. First he has to play in New Jersey and now Brooklyn?
In all seriousness, league sources have told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports that even if the Nets, and their 7.5 percent chance of gaining the first pick in the draft, select Anthony Davis, Williams wants out.
The source who has spoken with the disgruntled Net, told Wojnarowski, "It's Dwight Howard or bust."
Whether the Nets can swoon Howard out of Orlando is a whole issue in it of itself for the franchise, but they'd have to do it in order to keep their big-name point guard.
If the Nets cannot reach a deal with the Magic for their best player, Brooklyn will move into their new city without No. 8.
Golden State Warriors GM Doesn't Believe in Lottery Fixing Conspiracies
2 of 5Considering the way Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals was called by the referees, the talks of "is the NBA rigged?" has come up once again, but new Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers doesn't believe the draft lottery is fixed.
Myers told Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle:
"I don't think anyone within our organization believes in the NBA draft lottery conspiracy theories, but if we lose our pick, we might change our minds.
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Myers received his new position with the organization last month, so one wouldn't expect him to start pointing fingers and crying conspiracy; but TNT analyst Charles Barkley told Simmons a different opinion regarding the lottery system:
"I'm going to be very leery if Anthony Davis ends up in Brooklyn. You know, I'm going to be very leery because I know the NBA has a lot riding on that new arena, especially if Deron Williams leaves (the Nets) and they didn't get Dwight Howard...so I believe in conspiracies.
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Whether the Barkley and the conspiracy theorists have a point or not, the NBA is often accused of rigging the draft and it's interesting that the conversation has reared it's head yet again.
Washington Wizards Looking to Move Rashard Lewis and Andray Blatche
3 of 5According to Michael Lee of the Washington Post, multiple league sources say the Washington Wizards are not only hoping to land the No.1 pick in the draft, but also unload veterans Rashard Lewis and Andray Blatche before the event.
Lewis has done very little other than get injured during his short stint with the Wizards, and he'll be the second-highest paid player on the roster next year unless management can move him during the offseason.
Blatche, while not as costly as Lewis, will cost Washington $23 million over the last three years of his contract if he stays with the team for that time period.
The Wizards are a young squad, and while both aforementioned players certainly bring experience to the squad, it appears Washington has decided that swapping the two for draft picks or younger position players is the way to go.
Warriors and Jazz Trade Talks Have Ended
4 of 5According to ESPN's Chad Ford, the Golden State Warriors were attempting to get a deal done with the Utah Jazz in order to ensure their team would have a lottery pick for the upcoming draft.
Currently, if the ping-pong ball gods don't allow the Warriors to be picked within the first seven drawn, the team will forfeit the selection to the Jazz due to the terms negotiated during the Deron Williams trade.
Word from Marcus Thompson of the Contra Costa Times is that the aforementioned trade talks are now dead according to what he's heard from a league source.
Ford reported this past Saturday that the Warriors were "prepared to sacrifice a trade asset or two" according to a league source, but it appears that wasn't enough for Utah's liking.
Jeff Van Gundy Says Charlotte Bobcats Tanked Last Season
5 of 5During a media conference call with Charlotte Observer writer Rick Bonnell this past Tuesday, ABC and ESPN basketball analyst Jeff Van Gundy said the Bobcats tanked last season:
"I don’t think the players and the coaching staff [tanked]. I think the organization did by not getting the best roster...What they’re doing, most [front office] people would do. But it’s by design.
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Accusing bad teams of tanking the regular season in order to better their draft lottery chances is nothing new, but it is an issue that the league has appeared to ignore for far too long.
Teams are going to continually lose games if it means they could land the next Chris Paul or Tim Duncan, and until the NBA makes rule changes to prevent this, it's going to keep happening.
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