Monday Insider

[Admin]

In reply to:

---

Trade talks continue to muddy the picture as we get closer to the draft. It isn't so much figuring out who likes whom anymore, it's more who's drafting where.

The Magic are talking to the Grizzlies and Nuggets about a trade that would give them the No. 4 or No. 5 pick for Mike Miller and the No. 18. Chris Wilcox and Nene Hilario are their two primary targets.

The Suns are talking to the Grizzlies and Cavs about a trade that would give them the No. 4 or No. 6 in return for the No. 9 and the No. 22. The Suns are itching to get their hands on either Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Chris Wilcox or Nene Hilario. The Cavs like Caron Butler, but think he'll be around at No. 9.

The Grizzlies are talking to the Clippers about a No. 4 for No. 8 and 12 swap. That would allow Jerry West to move down a notch or two and grab Jared Jeffries and Curtis Borchardt. The Clipps are apparently enamored with Nene Hilario. The Knicks are also talking to the Clipps about the No. 8 and No. 12, but with less ammunition at No. 7.

And the Lakers are watching the fall of Qyntel Woods very closely. If Woods slips to No. 14, don't be surprised to see the Pacers talk about a package of Austin Croshere and Woods to the Lakers for Robert Horry. The deal would get Croshere's bad contract off the books and bring in another veteran to help the young players through a title run. The Lakers got Kobe at No. 13 in 1996. Will it be Woods at No. 14 in 2002?

As far as players go, Chris Wilcox, Jeffries, Amare Stoudemire, Melvin Ely, Jiri Welsch and John Salmons continue to watch their stock rise while Borchardt, Dajuan Wagner and Woods could be in for a big draft-day slide.

It's ugly folks. Here's Insider's feeble attempt at a fourth mock draft.

Suns may deal for higher draft pick

Bob Young / Arizona Republic

Second-round stepchildren

Second round. Second place. Seconds from the NBDL . . .

They rarely even get their own mock drafts these days. The second round is almost impossible to predict and until recently, was considered a worthless endeavor anyway. Most second-rounders, the thinking went, were busts anyway, so why bother?

It's tough being in Round 2. While pick No. 29 gets all of attention and a three-year guaranteed deal, pick No. 30 is given a pat on the back an invitation to the NBA summer league. If he survives training camp, he'll be rewarded with a minimum, non-guaranteed contract.

Still, it isn't as bad as you think. Some agents actually prefer their guy to slip into Round 2 in certain situations. "If you have a client who's very talented, but has slipped for whatever reason, it may be in his best interest to slide out of the second round," agent Bill Duffy told Insider. "If he goes to a very good team, he won't get playing time and the likelihood that he signs a big contract after his three years are up are minimal. If you're drafted early in the second round, you go to a bad team who needs to play you, and after two seasons you're eligible for big money."

Indeed, players like Cuttino Mobley and Rashard Lewis, within two years, were making more money than their first-round counterparts.

With the draft turning more and more into a developmental draft in Round 1, plenty of top seniors are still left on the board when you hit Round 2.

That may explain why last season, 16 second-round picks lasted the entire season and several prominent teams featured multiple second-round picks on their roster. The Sonics had a whopping nine players who were drafted in the second round. The Mavs and Nets both had six players.

Trenton Hassell (No. 30), Gilbert Arenas (No. 31), Earl Watson (No. 40), and Alton Ford (No. 51) all made major contributions to their teams last season. The 2000 draft had a few sleepers as well. Michael Redd (No. 43) had a breakout year and Eduardo Najera (No. 38) played a major role on the Mavs.

This year, the second-round pool looks as deep as it's ever been. "This is one of the deepest drafts I've ever seen," one Eastern Conference GM told Insider. "There will be guys drafted in the 40s that we had rated in the 20s on our board. A lot of these guys are going to stick."

Indeed, with players like USC's Sam Clancy, Alabama's Rod Grizzard, Stanford's Casey Jacobsen, Notre Dame's Ryan Humphrey and Maryland's Juan Dixon on the board . . . it doesn't get much better than this.

It also gets even nastier in Insider's first second-round mock draft.

Draft Rumors: All roads lead to the Clipps

If you haven't already noticed, there's one thing in common with all of the trade talk swirling around the lottery -- all roads lead to the Clipps.

Earlier this month, the Clippers sent word that they would be interested in moving one or both of their lottery picks (No. 8 & No. 12) this year in return for future picks, cash and perhaps a veteran point guard.

Since then, the team has been flooded with offers from Orlando, Portland, Memphis, New York, Cleveland . . . you name it.

However, as several GM's attested to this weekend, the Clipps have sat and listened to all of those offers and said virtually nothing in return. That's why there is so much commotion in the lottery right now.

Will Memphis move down? Depends on the Clippers. With the Suns or Magic move up? Depends on the Clippers. Can the Blazers grab Amare Stoudemire? Depends on the Clippers. Is Andre Miller on the move? Depends on the Clippers.

"I'm have no idea what they are doing," one frustrated GM told Insider. "What's their plan? Are they adding veterans or stockpiling more young players? Are they going to start paying their guys like [Michael] Olowokandi and [Elton] Brand or are they on the trading block. I've heard it all. I'm not sure who's steering that ship."

Indeed, the news coming out of L.A. has been weird to say the least. Talk of an Eric Snow-for-Lamar Odom trade was hot last week. The thinking was that the Clipps needed to move Odom for Snow to help with payroll issues. They need a cheaper point guard if they're going to fork over the cash to Olowokandi and Brand.

Then came word that they had called the Hornets about Baron Davis. Davis, who is looking for the max, seems like a pricey acquisition for a team trying to find a way to save a few dollars this summer.

And their on-again, off-again talks with the Blazers has Portland pulling its hair out. Said one Portland source, "Their willingness to talk seems to change by the hour. You'd think it was just negotiating, but it isn't. They're not sure what they want."

Teams offer players, but the Clippers normally say no. Teams offer draft picks, but the Clippers say they already have too many. Sterling always loves the cash, but teams are limited to $3 million per trade.

Of course, it was the Clippers who pulled off the biggest draft day trade last year when the shipped the rights to Tyson Chandler to Chicago in return for Elton Brand. Before that they had been talking to the Nets about a deal that would've landed Stephon Marbury in L.A.

With so many teams interested in those multiple lottery picks, they may once again hold the key to this draft.

Nikoloz Tskitishvili finally got his U.S. passport and was scheduled to arrive in the U.S. this weekend his agent, Marc Fleisher told Insider. Skita has not scheduled any workouts but will be available for interviews with teams. Grizzlies president Jerry West is among those planning to meet with Skita before the draft.

As Insider first reported last week, the Wizards continue to dangle Courtney Alexander to the Hornets in return for the No. 17 pick. The Hornets are ready to bite, but the Wizards are still trying to get a good handle on who will be there at No. 17. If Bostjan Nachbar, Dan Dickau or Jiri Welsch were still on the board, they'd be inclined to pull the trigger.

Or they could turn around and move this pick out West. The team has targeted several young players with more experience. A source in Denver told Insider that James Posey was at the top of its list.

The Raptors, Pistons and the Nets are still seriously considering moving their first-round picks. Atlanta is trying to get into the first round if a point guard it covets is on the board. The Pistons owe them a first-round pick down the road and may just work something out this year.

And several teams, including the Spurs, Wizards and Kings, are jockeying over Yugoslavian big man Nenad Kristic. He could go as high as No. 23 to the Pistons, but won't slip past No. 26 to San Antonio.

"We could trade the pick, no question," GM Joe Dumars told the Detroit News. "We are going to wait and when the draft starts getting down to the 20s, we will have a list of five or six guys that we like. If those players are gone, we will look to move the pick." Dumars has already talked to the Wizards. The Pistons might be willing to exchange the 23rd pick for the Wizards' two second-round picks (39 and 40).

The Nets keep looking for shooters, but seem inclined to either move the pick or take an international player like Mladen Sekularac or Kristic.

Teams ask about Alexander

John N. Mitchell / Washington Times

Pistons might trade pick

Chris McCosky / Detroit News

Nets May Make Case For Casey

Fred Kerber / New York Post

Workout Watch: Wizards bring in some big guns

The Wizards have big plans today with Bostjan Nachbar, Melvin Ely and Jiri Welsch all headed to D.C.

Because of the large number of players and workouts Insider has collected, you must click here to go to a complete list of workouts.

Sampson's great expectations

Art Thompson III / Orange County Register

Peep Show

Sonics: Gary Payton's contract ends next summer, and the point guard desires an extension. Howard Schultz wouldn't get into specifics about the issue, but the Sonics owner expects both sides to work things out. "I feel very good about what happened this past year," Schultz told the Seattle Times. "And I feel very good about the future. I think [Payton] should end his career in Seattle. I think it's the right thing for him and for us. I've talked to Gary a couple of times this summer. Things are good, healthy. There aren't any issues."

Grizzlies: Interesting that this news breaks just before the draft . . . Michael Dickerson is suddenly healthy! Dickerson, whose season ended last November with a stress fracture near his groin, is back to his old self. "I mean dunking. He was going up, up, up," Griz coach Sidney Lowe told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. "I was excited. He's going about 85 percent. He can go 100 percent but he still feels a little nervous about it." The report also noted that Dickerson is now carrying an extra 10 pounds of muscle. "He's been very impressive," West said. "Obviously he's someone who can help us take a step next year. I've spent time with him, and in conversations with him, he seems very happy."

Spurs: The Spurs have all but finalized an agreement to sign Emanuel Ginobili, a former second-round pick now regarded as one of Europe's top players,the San Antonio Express news reported. Ginobili will play for the $1.4 million exception the paper reported.

Lakers: Lindsey Hunter informed the team that he won't opt out of his contract this summer. "Our biggest challenge this offseason was the fact we had potentially seven free agents," GM Mitch Kupchak told the L.A. Daily News. "Fortunately, in the last five days, two of the seven have chosen to stay. That makes our offseason a little bit more encouraging, going forward."

---