Rumor Roundup: Could Garland Go Before Barrett? Hawks Looking to Move Up, Bulls Could Move Down, Kawhi, Beverley, More

With the draft only two days away, things are really heating up on the rumor front. In fact, it’s starting to feel like NBA news and rumors are breaking every hour. So let’s hurry and get this information out before we have to do this all over again!

RUMORS:

• Yesterday, Jonathan Givony reported that the Bulls were among the (roughly five) teams that’ve been to Los Angeles to watch Darius Garland workout. And today, he reported that the New York Knicks can be added to the list. Normally, that wouldn’t be anything more than business as usual, but the Knicks hold the No. 3 pick in the draft … which has almost unanimously been reserved for R.J. Barrett until now:

Darius Garland will conduct a last-minute workout in Tarrytown with the New York Knicks tomorrow, a source told ESPN. Garland is in serious consideration for the No. 3 pick. Minnesota, Boston, Chicago are teams looking at potentially trading up to No. 4 with Garland in mind.

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 18, 2019

• If the Knicks were to select Garland at No. 3, Duke’s RJ Barrett would fall to No. 4, which makes that pick, which has already been traded once, all the more valuable. And with a number of teams already rumored to be interested in trading for the No. 4 pick (the Bulls included), this would vastly increase the acquisition price of that pick and probably decrease the likelihood of the Pelicans trading it all together. This could just be the Knicks’ attempt at creating some buzz around Garland to catch other teams into a trading trap… so let’s hope the Bulls don’t fall victim.
• Speaking of the Bulls and Garland though, NBC Chicago Sports’ Mark Strotman brought up a good point:

OK, so this just got interesting. The Bulls reportedly had a private workout with Garland but….didn't post pics of it on the team website like they did Culver and Doumbouya? https://t.co/tcV39sn0rd

— Mark Strotman (@markstrot) June 18, 2019

• The Bulls not sharing information about this workout is relatively suspicious. The team could be trying to keep their interest under wraps, but it’s been rather unsuccessful when you consider their name is in every “team who could trade up for Garland” discussion – so, yeah, I’m not sure why the Bulls would be doing this.
• Moving on (sorta) …. The Hawks have reportedly been all over a potential draft trade, one that could mean trading up to the No. 3 pick.

Source: The Atlanta Hawks have been aggressive exploring trades packaging the No. 8 and 10 picks to move up in the draft. Their offer to the Knicks for the No. 3 pick was apparently rebuffed. The Pelicans are considering the possibility of trading the No. 4 pick for 8+10.

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 18, 2019

• Apparently, the first proposed deal to the Knicks wasn’t strong enough, but the interest there is real. Plus, a team like Atlanta being interested in trading up to No. 3 could be another reason why bringing in Garland and flaunting his workout around could be a good idea. Still, the general consensus should be that the No. 3 pick in the draft will be RJ Barrett.

• The idea of the Hawks trading with the Pelicans at No. 4 could have the strongest implications for the Bulls. With all the recent Garland hype, the Pelicans could always consider taking Garland just to trade him, but it would seem likely that a team like the Hawks would trade up to try and grab a player like Culver/Reddish/Hunter, thus potentially dropping Garland and White further toward the Bulls at No. 7.
• Of course, if it turns out the Bulls can not land a point guard with pick No. 7, they may feel more willing to trade down (especially in such a top-heavy draft). Atlanta owns six picks in this draft (8th, 10th, 17th, 35th, 41st, 42nd), and the Bulls could target two of their first rounders for the No. 7 pick. I’ve brought up the idea in the past before here and NBC Chicago Sports has also given it some more thought.
• Switching gears from the draft, we talked about Kyrie Irving potentially signing with the Brooklyn Nets in our last round-up, but that has gained more traction here lately. We wrote about why all of this could open the door for the Bulls to swoop in and make an offer to Russell last night:

Nets Reportedly Unlikely to Retain D’Angelo Russell If Kyrie Irving Signs – Could Bulls Swoop In? https://t.co/HAp2uGPvmA pic.twitter.com/Dhwo8v0C5P

— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) June 17, 2019

• Free agent point guard Patrick Beverley is getting quite a bit of interest around the league. He put together a very strong season where he helped lead the Los Angeles Clippers into the playoffs. Known for his facilitating and defensive prowess, Beverley posted a productive 3.8 assists per game and 5.0 rebounds per game as he played alongside guards Lou Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. We talked about his newfound interest in the Lakers this morning and that he will plan to meet with five teams to discuss free agency. The Lakers seem like the Bulls biggest threat, but a report from 247sports’ DallasBasketball.com said Beverley will plan to schedule a meeting with the Mavericks on June 30th as well.
• Milwaukee announced yesterday that Ersan Ilyasova and Tony Snell are on the trading the block. The team will offer draft compensation for an organization to take on one of the player’s contracts. Milwaukee is looking to maintain its top status in the Eastern Conference but has plenty of business that has to get done this offseason. The team looking to open up more cap space could demonstrate an interest in having enough money to bring back point guard Malcolm Brogdon (All-star Khris Middleton is also a free agent who is up for a max contract and an assumed priority). The Bulls have been put in many conversations about whether they could offer Brogdon, a restricted free agent, this offseason.

Milwaukee is offering draft compensation this week in hopes of finding a team willing to take on the contract of Tony Snell or Ersan Ilyasova via trade, league sources say, as the Bucks seek to create added flexibility to retain elite status in the East

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 17, 2019

• Kawhi Leonard celebrated his NBA Finals victory yesterday at Toronto’s massive parade and rally. Great. Now it’s time to focus on what the heck he is going to do. Leaving the Raptors feels a bit cold, especially when considering how good the team was this past season, but leaving to go back home makes sense. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, it’ll probably be between the Clippers and Raptors. Not a lot of Bulls impact here, but if he chooses to leave, the Raptors could drop significantly in the Eastern Conference standings:

Kawhi’s focus is on the Clippers if he leaves Toronto, not the Lakers, per @wojespn:

“The idea of him being a third wheel on a team trying to create a superteam, that has not been Kawhi’s M.O.” pic.twitter.com/BVWzYWDT5S

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 18, 2019

• Meanwhile, these two guys declined their player options and will hit free agency…

Boston Celtics center Al Horford will not exercise the $30.1M option on his 2019-20 contract and become an unrestricted free agent, league sources tell ESPN. Horford and the Celtics both have interest in working toward a new deal in July, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 18, 2019

Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes is declining his $25.1M player option and becoming an unrestricted free agent, his agent, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports, tells ESPN. Barnes, 27, and Kings are open to exploring a new deal together this summer, sources said.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 18, 2019