NBA Rumors: Latest Draft and Trade Buzz from Around the League
There are a maximum of three games left in the NBA season, and then the offseason will really start to heat up. The draft is June 25, and there could be a flurry of action leading up to the draft or on draft day itself.
With that in mind, let's round up the latest rumors flying around the NBA. We'll cover where players may end up being drafted and trades that could happen that could shake up the draft.
We'll start with a potential landing spot for one draft prospect. According to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders, LSU big man Jarell Martin could have a promise from a team in the first round and may stop the rest of his workouts.
Martin, a 6'10" forward, spent two years at LSU. In his second year, Martin averaged 16.9 points and 9.2 rebounds on a Tigers team that went 22-11 and 11-7 in the SEC. He also shot 51 percent from the field, and he was third in the SEC in both scoring and rebounding.
Martin has the prototypical size and athleticism to succeed in the Association. He runs the floor well for a player his size, and he can handle the ball well enough in transition. But either with or without the ball, he can finish strong at the rim on the run.
He doesn't have a great shooting touch (27 percent from three his sophomore year) but he has shown he can knock down shots when he is open.
As far as potential landing spots for Martin, Kennedy mentioned he could have a mid-first-round promise. Some teams to keep an eye on based on their need for big men could be the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors (more on them in a moment) and Portland Trail Blazers.
Each team here could use an infusion to its frontcourt, and Martin could be just the man for the job. After the Bucks traded Ersan Ilyasova to the Pistons, they have more room for a forward. And if the Blazers lose LaMarcus Aldridge in free agency, they would probably scoop up Martin in a second if he is still on the board at No. 23.
The Raptors, however, may not need to draft Martin. Via Josh Hill at FanSided, NBA writer Chuck Myron said the Denver Nuggets may be shopping Ty Lawson and/or Kenneth Faried.
"I think they’ll try, absolutely. The Nuggets haven’t hidden the idea that major changes are on the way. The Raptors, with former Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri in place, make sense as a suitor for Kenneth Faried, and perhaps the Kings, too.
"
The Raptors and Nuggets have a connection, as Toronto GM Masai Ujiri used to hold the same position in Denver. You could make a case that that would make it easier or harder for the two sides to work out a deal.
The key, as Hill points out, is whether the Raptors would have to include their first-round pick in a potential deal for the Manimal. If the Raptors can land Faried and retain their first-rounder, it would be an impressive coup by Ujiri.
However, prying a player like Faried from a rebuilding team would be difficult to do without including a high draft pick. But if Denver lands someone like Kristaps Porzingis at seventh overall, they could deem Faried expendable.
Either way, the Nuggets seem to be in rebuild mode and could be active in the days heading up to the draft. Look for them to extract maximum value from both Faried and Lawson.
