Hoops Rumors

There are some eye-popping numbers coming out of the NBA’s virtual draft combine, such as Tyler Bey‘s record-breaking vertical for forwards, which we detailed over the weekend. However, the format of this year’s combine has resulted in some leaguewide skepticism about the results being reported, according to reports from Sam Vecenie of The Athletic and

Count veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon among those who are enthusiastic about the Pacers‘ decision to hire former Raptors assistant Nate Bjorkgren as their new head coach. Appearing on ESPN’s The Jump on Thursday, Brogdon said he’d had lunch with Bjorkgren earlier in the day and is looking forward to getting to work with the first-time

The Pistons‘ new G League affiliate will be known as the Motor City Cruise, the team announced today in a press release. The club, which will have its inaugural season in 2021/22, will play its games at Wayne State University. The Grand Rapids Drive are Detroit’s current NBAGL affiliate and will continue to hold that

October 29th 2020 at 8:59pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum Danny Manning may join the bench of new Pacers head coach Nate Bjorkgren, sources have informed Marc Stein of the New York Times (Twitter link). Manning, a former two-time All-Star power forward, most recently served as the head coach for the Wake Forest men’s team from 2014-2020. Bjorkgren,

Alabama’s Kira Lewis Jr. is generating some buzz among teams in the top half of the first round, according to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, who hears that Lewis has worked out in person for the Magic, Knicks, Pistons, and Bulls within the last week. A previous report indicated that Lewis has had multiple virtual

The Pistons can be reasonably certain about five prospects who won’t drop to them at the No. 7 overall pick, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. From the way the draft is shaping up, Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman, LaMelo Ball, Obi Toppin and Deni Avdija — in no particular order — will be off the

October 27th 2020 at 11:48am CST by Luke Adams Kevin O’Connor’s latest update to his 2020 NBA mock draft at the Ringer includes several intriguing tidbits about which way certain teams might be leaning and which players are generating interest at certain spots. We’ve already passed on a couple of those notes, relaying word that

October 23rd 2020 at 7:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder Despite travel restriction and protocols due to the pandemic, the Raptors remain hopeful they’ll play in Toronto next season, Josh Lewenberg of TSN tweets. The organization has discussed several contingency options but it is not interested in moving games to Louisville, refuting a report earlier this

The Pistons may be rebuilding, but they don’t expect it to be a long process, writes Keith Langlois of NBA.com. There’s optimism throughout the organization that Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose will both be healthy when training camp opens, giving the team a veteran foundation to guide its young players. Griffin underwent knee surgery in

Coming off a down year in which he was limited to just 18 ineffective games due to a knee injury, Pistons forward Blake Griffin is owed $36.8MM in 2020/21, with a player option worth nearly $39MM for ’21/22. As a result of that onerous contract, he’s not expected to be the most popular player on

The Pistons and Bulls are among the teams expected to have interest in free agent Heat swingman Derrick Jones this offseason, a source tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Jackson also identifies Atlanta as a potential suitor for Jones, which is something we’ve heard before. Shams Charania reported last week that Jones is expected

Pacers guard Victor Oladipo is a candidate to be traded this offseason, but ESPN’s Tim Bontemps is somewhat skeptical that a deal will get done before the 2020/21 season begins. Appearing on Brian Windhorst’s Hoop Collective podcast on Monday, Bontemps suggested that Oladipo’s lengthy recovery from a leg injury and his up-and-down play upon returning

The odds of several free agent bigs returning to the Pistons appear to be diminishing, according to James Edwards of The Athletic. The most prominent of the group, unrestricted free agent Christian Wood, seems like a 50-50 proposition to come back. Wood has positioned himself to be one of the most intriguing players on the

Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s decision on a supermax extension will have a wide-ranging effect on this offseason and the summer of 2021, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Several teams that are saving cap space to make a run at the two-time MVP next year would be more likely to spend right away if he accepts an offer

The Lakers talked to the Pistons about a Derrick Rose trade before the February deadline, and a deal is more likely now that the offseason has arrived, according to Sean Deveney of Heavy. The teams never got close to reaching an agreement, Deveney adds. L.A. offered Alex Caruso and a draft pick, but Detroit was

The NBA’s new pre-draft rules aren’t popular with several teams, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN, who states that at least half the league is considering not having executives attend workouts and may have just a “minimal presence” at pro days. Givony says many front offices don’t believe it’s worth making a trip to watch

October 15th 2020 at 8:16pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum The Pistons currently hold the seventh pick in the 2020 draft, but like many teams may consider trading back to add future draft equity. James L. Edwards III of The Athletic examines several hypothetical deals Detroit might make. Although guards Killian Hayes and Tyrese Haliburton have

Former Kings head coach Dave Joerger is under consideration to join Doc Rivers‘ coaching staff with the Sixers, according to Frank Isola (Twitter link). Joerger, who also coached the Grizzlies, interviewed for the Pacers’ head-coaching vacancy earlier this month. As things stand, Rivers has not finalized his coaching staff in Philadelphia. Derek Bodner of The

October 13th 2020 at 7:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder Forwards Joe Harris and Jae Crowder are free agents the Bucks might pursue with their mid-level exception, Eric Nehm of The Athletic speculates. Harris would provide another offensive threat, while Crowder is a defensive stalwart. If the Bucks pursue cheaper options, Josh Jackson, Wesley Iwundu, Gary Clark

The Heat lost just three games during the first three rounds against their playoff opponents in the East en route to an NBA Finals appearance this year, eliminating three of the top four seeds in the conference in the process. However, Miami’s impressive postseason run hasn’t made the team the favorite to come out of