NBA Rumors: Rui Hachimura Didn't Meet With Wizards Prior to Draft
It's draft day at last, and the New Orleans Pelicans are on the clock, with all signs pointing to the selection of national player of the year and Duke forward Zion Williamson at No. 1.
There is expected to be a flurry of trade activity up to and during the draft, as all eyes will be on the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Pelicans traded the No. 4 pick to the Atlanta Hawks just before the official start of the draft. The Hawks plan to pursue Virginia's DeAndre Hunter with the pick.
The Pelicans also sent Solomon Hill, the No. 57 pick and a future second-round pick to Atlanta. The Hawks traded the No. 8, 17 and 35 picks in this year's draft and a Cleveland heavily protected first-round pick in 2020 to the Pelicans in exchange.
This year's free agency frenzy starts June 30 at 6 p.m., after which point injured superstars Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson as well as NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and guard Kyrie Irving will determine their paths forward. Those who have player and team options have until June 29 to exercise them, with potential restricted free agents having a June 24 deadline.
Keep up with the NBA draft and every selection here.
News and Rumors
• Thursday, 9:07 p.m.: Rui Hachimura didn't meet with the Wizards or speak with anyone within the organization prior to being selected. (Ben Mehic, SB Nation)
• Thursday, 8:29 p.m.: The Thunder have spoke with multiple teams about moving back in the first round from the No. 21 pick. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
• Thursday, 8:24 p.m.: The Pelicans continued to discuss trades with the No. 8 pick in the draft. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
• Thursday, 8:07 p.m.: The Timberwolves considered trade propositions despite being on the clock at No. 6. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
• Thursday, 7:52 p.m.: The Cavaliers are discussing trades involving the No. 5 pick. Cleveland is also discussing separate deals to unload JR Smith's partially guaranteed expiring contract that could absorb a bad contract into the Cavs' cap space attached to another first-round pick. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
• Thursday, 7:36 p.m.: The Timberwolves are engaged in multiple conversations involving the No. 6 pick they acquired from the Suns earlier. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
• Thursday, 7:07 p.m.: Lakers GM Rob Pelinka and Pelicans GM David Griffin, following completino of the Anthony Davis deal, agreed that if a third team was looped into the trade, the teams would finalize on July 6. No third team wanted to wait until late July, but once Atlanta was brought into the fold, Pelinka was already on board. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
• Thursday, 6:50 p.m.: Cavaliers GM Koby Altman is still entertaining offers for the No. 5 pick. Cleveland has heard from Minnesota, Chicago and Boston, but the price has not been right. (Chris Fedor, Advance Ohio)
• Thursday, 6:20 p.m.: Minnesota has traded the No. 11 pick and Dario Saric to the Suns for the No. 6 pick in the draft. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
• Thursday, 6 p.m.: The Hawks have acquired the No. 4 pick fom the Pelicans for picks No. 8, 17 and 35. Pelicans are sending Solomon Hill, the No. 57 pick and a future second-round pick. Hawks GM Travis Schlenk is pursuing Virginia's DeAndre Hunter with the pick. Atlanta is also sending a Cleveland heavily protected first-round pick in 2020 to the Pelicans. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
• Thursday, 5:45 p.m.: ThePacers still have $31M in cap space after the Warren trade and will try to target Ricky Rubio in free agency. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
• Thursday, 5:30 p.m.: The Indiana Pacers have traded for Phoenix's TJ Warren. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
• Thursday, 5:30 p.m.: The top three picks in this year's draft are set, with Williamson headed to New Orleans, Morant to Memphis and Barrett to New York. (Shams Charania, The Athletic)
• Thursday, 4:10 p.m.: While Myles Turner's name has come up often in scenarios, but it is unlikely that the center will be moved. (J. Michael, IndyStar)
• Thursday, 3:40 p.m.: The Knicks have been approached by at least one team offering a second-round pick for point guard Frank Ntilikina. (Ian Begley, SNY)
• Thursday, 3:30 p.m.: The Pacers are also interested in trading for TJ Warren, who is under contract for three more seasons. (Tim MacMahon, ESPN)
• Thursday, 2:30 p.m.: The Knicks could trade Frank Ntilikina and Dennis Smith Jr. if they draft a point guard during Thursday's draft. (Steve Popper, Newsday)
• Thursday, 1:25 p.m.: The Knicks will select R.J. Barrett with the No. 3 pick if they don't trade down during Thursday's draft. (Ian Begley, SNY)
• Thursday, 1:20 p.m.: The Mavericks are interested in trading for Suns forward TJ Warren. Phoenix could also trade foward Josh Jackson. (Ian Begley, SNY)
• Thursday, 1:00 p.m.: The Spurs are "linked" to Georgian center Goga Bitadze. San Antonio has the No. 19 and No. 29 picks on Thursday night. (Jeremy Woo, Sports Illustrated)
• Thursday, 12:15 p.m.: The Pelicans will pick up Jahlil Okafor's option for 2019-20. (Malika Andrews, ESPN)
• Thursday, 11:20 a.m.: The Knicks hosted North Carolina point guard Coby White for a workout. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
• Thursday, 10:40 a.m.: The Grizzlies will have to be "blown away" by a trade offer to deal the No. 2 pick in Thursday's draft. (Ian Begley, SNY)
• Thursday, 10:10 a.m.: The Wizards have "no intention" to trade shooting guard Bradley Beal. (Jeff Goodman, Stadium)
• Thursday, 10:05 a.m.: Golden State has acquired the No. 41 pick in Thursday's draft, sending $1.3 million and a 2024 second-round pick to Atlanta. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
• Thursday, 9:30 a.m.: The Cavaliers are targeting Virginia forward De'Andre Hunter with the No. 5 pick. (Jeremy Woo, Sports Illustrated)
• Thursday, 8:55 a.m.: The Warriors could engineer a sign-and-trade with Kevin Durant is he seeks a five-year contract but with a new team. (Brian Windhorst, ESPN)
• Thursday, 8:45 a.m.: The Celtics have sent Aaron Baynes into salary cap space, now holding roughly $23 million in cap space if they don't re-sign Kyrie Irving and Al Horford. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
• Thursday, 6 a.m.: The Brooklyn Nets may stop pursuing Kyrie Irving if they can't get Kevin Durant to join him. (Brian Lewis, New York Post)
• Wednesday, 11 p.m.: The Milwaukee Bucks are sending guard Tony Snell and the 30th pick in Thursday's draft to the Detroit Pistons for forward Jon Leuer. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN.com)
• Wednesday, 9 p.m.: The Minnesota Timberwolves are aggressively trying to move up from the No. 11 spot and have discussed acquiring the No. 4 pick from the Pelicans. (Marc Stein, New York Times)
• Wednesday, 6:51 p.m.: The Celtics held last-minute workouts with Darius Bazley, Jalen Lecque, Tremont Waters, Jordan Bone, Chris Clemons and Jared Harper. Boston is expected to be active during Thursday's draft. (Jake Fischer and Jeremy Woo, Sports Illustrated)
• Wednesday, 5:31 p.m: The Hawks have traded a second-round pick, No. 44, to the Heat for a 2024 conditional second-round pick and cash considerations. (Chris Vivlamore, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• Wednesday, 5:01 p.m: Vanderbilt guard Darius Garland worked out with the Knicks on Wednesday, but the Knicks remain locked on selecting Duke’s R.J. Barrett with the No. 3 pick on Thursday. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
