LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Clippers have tried to plot a course that could potentially push them toward a better position in Thursday's NBA draft.

They have offered their own lottery picks, the 12th and 13th selections, to make a deal to move up, according to NBA executives who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter and media ...Read more

CHICAGO -- When the Bulls traded Jimmy Butler to the Timberwolves last June, a top-three pick seemed a likelihood and certainly an internal topic of discussion. Instead, the Bulls outperformed in December and dropped one spot via the draft lottery to own the No. 7 pick in the NBA draft.

Executive vice president John Paxson has stated the ...Read more

The NBA draft will be held Thursday at the Barclays Center in New York.

Whether they trade up, package picks for a deal with a star or stay put at No. 10 and No. 26, the Sixers have a lot of options.

What about the rest of the league? Marc Narducci runs through his mock draft:

1. Phoenix Suns

Deandre Ayton, C, Arizona -- 7-foot-0, Fr.

Ayton...Read more

Twenty-three years have passed since Kevin Garnett left his lone season at Farragut Career Academy in Chicago to become the first preps-to-pros teenager in two decades.

"You're growing up right there," Garnett said in a phone interview. "It was me and my coach -- shout to my dog Wolf (Farragut coach William Nelson) -- and we just figured that (...Read more

The 20th player selected in Thursday night's NBA draft is due -- as set by the league's rookie-pay scale -- a starting salary approaching $2 million.

It's a predetermined number that doesn't begin to answer this question facing a Wolves organization that must decide whether to trade the pick or keep it:

Just what is a first-round draft pick ...Read more

The search for stardom continues Thursday at Barclays Center.

But the NBA draft also offers a lesson about the reality of NBA roster building: Sometimes good, not great, is as good as it gets.

Miami Heat president Pat Riley acknowledged as much at the end of his team's brief playoff run.

"We have a logjam," he said. "We have too many good-to-...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Luka Doncic might be the best prospect to come out of Europe that the NBA has seen in recent history.

What does that mean for his NBA future? That's anyone's guess.

Like any prospect, Doncic has the potential to be a star or a flop. To some, there's no doubt the Kings should select the 19-year-old EuroLeague star if he's ...Read more

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Michael Porter Jr. knows his 53-minute Missouri career left Tigers fans with "mixed emotions," but one thing is clear: the financial gain made by the basketball program in his lone season.

Season-ticket sales, which were already trending upward from the hire of coach Cuonzo Martin, surged after Porter Jr.'s commitment in March ...Read more

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The confidence never wavered when LiAngelo Ball discussed numerous topics.

He touted how he represents a so-called "3-and-D" player that can hit outside shots and defend with consistency. He downplayed his dad's outspokenness and stressed that does not reflect his own views. He dismissed his shoplifting incident in China ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- Whether or not the relationship between Kawhi Leonard and the San Antonio Spurs is reparable, the star forward's desire to leave the organization became clear on Friday morning when the San Antonio Express-News and other outlets reported Leonard wants to be traded.

The Lakers have long been among his preferred destinations, if ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Michael Porter Jr. might be the most tantalizing prospect available in next week's NBA draft and would fill a big need for the Kings.

But after Porter's scheduled workout this week was canceled, injury questions persist with the draft quickly approaching next Thursday.

The Kings and other teams picking in the top 10 were ...Read more

CHICAGO -- Projected lottery pick Michael Porter Jr. put a second pro day scheduled for Friday in Chicago on hold, with both ESPN.com and Yahoo Sports reporting the former Missouri forward has a sore hip.

The Bulls attended Porter's first pro day last week and were planning to attend Friday's workout, held only for interested lottery teams. ...Read more

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Former Kansas combo guard Elijah Johnson playfully approached Charlie Moore after the compact 5-foot-11 KU sophomore stole the basketball and converted a layup to mercifully end the Red Team's 80-44 annihilation of Johnson's pro-dominated Blue Squad during the Bill Self campers game Wednesday afternoon at Horejsi Family ...Read more

He has marveled many with his array of basketball skills while becoming a legend in Europe, leaving an abundance of NBA personnel folks intrigued about drafting the wondrous Luka Doncic.

Yet the question NBA people wrestle with is how Doncic's talents will translate from the competition he faced as a force with Real Madrid to the NBA, with its ...Read more

A few days ago, five-star basketball recruit Keion Brooks was asked about his level of interest in the Louisville Cardinals and expressed some trepidation.

"Speaking for myself, I'm just unclear on the direction right now," Brooks told the Herald-Leader at USA Basketball camp in Colorado Springs, Colo. "With all the things that are going on ...Read more

Mikal Bridges attended his share of 76ers games while growing up in the Philadelphia area. His mother, Tyneesha Rivers, is an executive at Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which includes the Sixers in its portfolio.

So the Sixers had to be the Villanova graduate's favorite team, right?

"I rooted for them, but Tracy McGrady was my ...Read more

MIAMI -- Miami Heat President Pat Riley apparently served as a consultant for the Golden State Warriors' third championship in the past four seasons.

In a story chronicling the Warriors' run to the 2018 title, Sports Illustrated reported that Golden State general manager Bob Myers sought counsel from Riley at the start of the postseason.

"Give...Read more