The 2017 NBA Draft is now just a few short weeks away on June 22, and teams are now starting to plan workouts with the draft's top players. As such, the rumor mill is kicking into high gear. Here are all the latest rumors you need to know:
Pistons looking to trade No. 12 pick
The Detroit Pistons are trying to trade the No. 12 overall pick for a veteran player that can help them win now, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.
NBA Draft scuttle: Hearing Detroit is open to discussing trades for its No. 12 overall pick in hopes of acquiring more of a win-now veteran.
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) May 30, 2017
Detroit likely won't be able to trade the pick until draft night, when other teams know which players are available at that selection. In my latest mock draft, I have the Pistons taking Arizona's Lauri Markkanen with the No. 12 pick.
Nets "sold" on Rodions Kurucs
The Brooklyn Nets are looking to draft a high-upside prospects with their first-round picks, and have their sights set on Latvian shooter Rodions Kurucs with the No. 22 pick, according to Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders.
An interesting tidbit of information I got during the last week: the Nets are “sold” on Latvian Rodions Kurucs, who has joined Frank Ntilikina as the foreign prospect who’s been watched most. Heading into the draft process, Kurucs was thought to have a shot to slip to the Nets at No. 22, but I am hearing that he could go as early as No. 15 to Portland.
The 6-foot-8, 190-pound Kurucs averaged 9.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game for Barcelona this season. Unfortunately for Brooklyn, I have him going No. 21 to the Thunder in my latest mock draft.
RELATED: 76ers Looking To Trade Down, Select Monk?
Lakers may pass on Ball at No. 2
The Los Angeles Lakers have been heavily linked to take UCLA PG Lonzo Ball with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft ever since they were awarded the pick in the lottery, even putting D'Angelo Russell on the trade block later that same night. However, it appears that they may not be as high on Ball as we all think.
Ball is scheduled to do a solo workout with the Lakers on June 7, and unless he absolutely overwhelms everyone, they are expected to go in a different direction with the pick, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.
With reports surfacing that the LA Lakers and former UCLA guard Lonzo Ball have finalized the details of a workout and face to face meeting in LA next week, there is a growing sense that unless Lonzo absolutely blows the doors off, he may not be the Lakers’ guy.
The Lakers are weeks away from needing to make their final decision, but there are many that believe the Lakers could go after both Kansas forward Josh Jackson and Kentucky guard De’Aaron Fox (who made my Mock at 2 this week) with the second overall pick. It’s become so real that Ball’s camp, which started the process saying he’d only meet with the Lakers, have expressed a willingness to meet with the Philadelphia 76ers and possibly the Sacramento Kings depending on how things go with the Lakers. Neither are expected to get a workout out of Ball, but both may get a chance for a face to face meeting.
Los Angeles has expressed a very strong interest in Fox, and wanted to get a head-to-head workout between him and Ball. If the Lakers do indeed pass on Ball, Fox figures to be the slight favorite over Jackson.
The 6-foot-6, 190-pound Ball averaged 14.6 points, 7.6 assists and 6.0 rebounds per game while leading UCLA to a 31-5 record this season.
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