NBA Rumors: Latest Speculation on Brandon Ingram, Magic Coaching Search and More
As the NBA rumors market gathers momentum, it becomes difficult for fans to ignore.
It's sort of like the Oklahoma City Thunder right now after Kevin Durant and Co. eliminated the San Antonio Spurs (sorry, Spurs fans).
All kidding aside, the rumors market deals with every level of the Association. There's draft chatter, workouts and even head-coaching drama to fill the conversation, with undoubtedly more free-agency nuggets right around the corner.
As the league takes another step toward the draft and conference finals Friday, let's step back and look at the latest rumblings.
Timberwolves Interview Key Prospect
It's a new era in more ways than one for the up-and-coming Minnesota Timberwolves heading into Tom Thibodeau's first offseason as head coach.
Minnesota already has a strong core in place with Ricky Rubio at the point and Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns manning their respective slots. After a surprisingly strong season, though, Thibodeau and Co. cannot afford to sit on their hands.
According to 1500ESPN's Darren Wolfson, the Timberwolves have an interest in North Carolina product Brice Johnson:
Talk about a smooth fit. The senior enters the draft after posting averages of 17 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. At 6'9" and 209 pounds, Johnson is an incredible athlete who can help protect the rim and make headway on the offensive end of the court inside the three-point line.
Johnson might not have the biggest upside of any prospect in the draft, but he's young enough to mesh and grow well with the current Minnesota roster while providing key depth. His skill set gives observers a peek at what the Timberwolves want to do this summer.
Celtics in on Big Name at Combine
The NBA Draft Combine being underway means plenty of reports about which player visits which team, who says what and so on.
The Boston Celtics are getting involved with Duke's Brandon Ingram, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com: "CSNNE.com has learned that the Celtics were among the handful of teams at the NBA combine to interview former Duke star forward Brandon Ingram, projected as the first or second overall pick in the NBA draft on June 23."
It's not a surprise to hear so many teams in on Ingram. However, the Celtics only have a 15.6 percent chance to land the top selection.
This might seem like Boston doing its due diligence—but things are never so cut-and-dried with president of basketball operations Danny Ainge.
Ainge not only has a playoff roster, but he also sits on the league's most notable stockpile of draft picks, all of which won't make the final roster. Is his moving up to get a talent like Ingram out of the realm of possibility? No way.
Ingram is one of the best prospects to come out in years, a scoring forward at 6'10" and 196 pounds who does it all, distributing the ball, hitting shots from range and slashing to the basket to make plays.
It should go without saying Boston would love to have him on board to complement the duo of Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley, so don't wave off the alleged meet as simple draft normalcy.
Magic Coaching Search Begins
One of the most memorable coaching summers got another dosage of crazy injected Thursday with Scott Skiles unexpectedly resigning from the Orlando Magic.
Now the Magic—a team with a young core looking to continue to at least build through the draft, if not add a notable free agent or two—need to find a new leader in a hurry before the major candidates come off the market.
As CBSSports.com's Ken Berger noted in his report about the split, the Magic already took a liking to one candidate on the market:
"The Pacers also are believed to be strongly considering former Suns coach Jeff Hornacek, who has emerged on the short list of early candidates for Orlando, according to two people in the coaching industry. Hornacek impressed the Magic front office in interviewing for the team's vacancy that went to Vaughn in 2012.
"
If Orlando already has a "short list," it should tell fans how quickly it wants the next guy in place, which makes sense considering Skiles stepped down during the combine, a critical component of a team's future.
Jeff Hornacek isn't the only name, though, with Berger mentioning current assistant Adrian Griffin as well as James Borrego, Patrick Ewing and Frank Vogel. The clock's ticking with most of these names, as notables such as the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers continue hunts on the market as well.
The right person for the job has to be ready for a rebuild while helping young prospects such as point guard Elfrid Payton and forward Aaron Gordon develop. In a perfect world, it's a leader who can do so while also helping the Magic look like a strong free-agent destination.
It's asking a lot, but Skiles has left the Magic backed into a corner and seeking a way out, making for one of the most interesting non-draft storylines available.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
