POSTED: June 23 -- 10:16 a.m. ET


Chad Ford: Much has been made that the Grizzlies, Thunder and Kings hold the keys to the draft. But most of the hand wringing by at least a dozen GMs at the moment surrounds what the Washington Wizards will do at No. 5.

We first reported on lottery night that the Wizards would shop their pick. Over the course of the past week, Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld has been pretty open about it, telling the media Monday that the team still was looking at all options.

"We have a good feel for what we have and we feel we can find a good player [in the draft]," Grunfeld said. "At the same time, we have had some interesting conversations. I think, whether we keep the pick, we're going to get a very solid player. In the meantime, we're going to continue to listen to what other teams have to say."

The Wizards have rebuffed any advances for players like Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison. Instead, they've put together a pretty basic wish list: Take a couple of our bad contracts, save us some money and give us a veteran or two who can help right now.

Etan Thomas, Mike James and Darius Songaila seem to be the three players the Wizards wouldn't mind getting off the books.

The Wizards have gotten at least 10 offers for the pick, but every team I spoke with still was in the dark about where it stood.

The Knicks have offered Larry Hughes for Thomas and James. The Wolves reportedly have offered Mike Miller. The Celtics would give them Ray Allen. The Rockets would give them Tracy McGrady and Carl Landry. The Bucks would send them Richard Jefferson. The Nets would entertain unloading Vince Carter. The Suns could do something with Shaquille O'Neal. The Blazers could part ways with Steve Blake, Jerryd Bayless or Travis Outlaw.

The question is: Are any of those offers good enough for the No. 5 pick? In most years, no. But this year, with the Wizards thinking they're poised to make a deep playoff run? It might be enough.

Rondo
Rondo

• I think it's time to quit dismissing all those Rajon Rondo trade rumors. A source in Detroit says the Pistons were approached by a lower-level Celtics executive who offered Ray Allen and Rondo for Tayshaun Prince, Richard Hamilton and Rodney Stuckey.

The Pistons, of course, said no to the deal -- Rondo's great, but he's not worth the entire core of the Pistons. But that's not the news. It's becoming harder and harder for the Celtics to deny that they are looking to move Rondo. His name has come up in rumors with the Suns and Kings. I know Danny Ainge has brushed them off and says the Celtics probably will do nothing, but where there's smoke …

• The Thunder weren't the only team to meet with Hasheem Thabeet in Los Angeles this past weekend. The Grizzlies, after being snubbed by Thabeet in their workout, flew to L.A. and met with him for three hours.

Sources close to both Thabeet and the Grizzlies expect Memphis to take him at No. 2. If it doesn't, chances are there is a trade in the works.


• The Timberwolves have been among the most active teams over the past few weeks. New GM David Kahn is trying to start his tenure with a bang. However, I think a lot of the reports out there have been off base.

The Wolves insist to me that they're not looking to trade Al Jefferson and Kevin Love right now, despite rumors to the contrary.

And the rumored Chris Kaman for Mike Miller trade? Sources in both L.A. and Minnesota shot it down quickly. It turns out that the Wolves did call the Clippers several months ago about the deal (before Kahn had the job), but the Clippers wanted a first-round pick from Minnesota as well ... something the Wolves balked at.

But it is true that the Wolves are trying to deal. They have other assets that could make them an attractive trade partner. Miller is in the last year of his contract. Randy Foye interests a few teams. And they have picks 6, 18, 28, 45 and 47 in this year's draft.

Ideally, the Wolves will find a way to get up to the No. 2 pick to select either Hasheem Thabeet or Ricky Rubio. If the Wolves stay at No. 6, I think they'll take either Stephen Curry or Tyreke Evans.

Williams
Williams

• Did Louisville's Terrence Williams get a promise from the Charlotte Bobcats? Williams went back for a second workout with the Bobcats on Monday against Gerald Henderson. Sources said after the workout that Williams met with the Bobcats and might have walked away with a promise that the Bobcats would take him at No. 12.

Sure enough, the word out of New Jersey on Tuesday morning is that Williams pulled out of his workout against Henderson with the Nets today, citing an ankle injury.

I think the Nets might still consider Williams at No. 11, depending on who is there. But it sounds like he won't slip past the 12th pick. As for Henderson, he could be in for a bit of a draft-day slide. The Knicks like him at No. 8, the Raptors like him at No. 9 and the Nets like him at No. 11, but other players are higher on their boards.

I think he could slide to the Suns at No. 14 or the Bulls at No. 16. I doubt he will slip past the Sixers at No. 17.


• Chicago has talked to the Nets, Bobcats and Pacers about swapping No. 16 and No. 26 to get into the lottery. It sounds like the Bulls are down to one potential trade partner in the lottery.

The Nets are leaning strongly toward keeping their pick at No. 11. And if the Bobcats made a promise to Williams at No. 12, they're out, too. That leaves the Pacers at No. 13.

The Pacers have been one of the hardest teams to peg in the draft. DeJuan Blair, Tyler Hansbrough, Eric Maynor, Ty Lawson and Jeff Teague all are on their board right now. If the Bulls want any of those guys -- or the guys the Suns (No. 14) and Pistons (No. 15) are looking at -- they'll have to make the deal.

Rubio
Rubio

POSTED: June 22 -- 11:32 p.m. ET

Chad Ford: The Sacramento Kings finally got their wish on Monday … Ricky Rubio in their gym.

Unfortunately for Rubio and the Kings, he was playing one-on-none after going a month without picking up a basketball. The results shouldn't be much of a surprise to anyone. Several sources surrounding the Kings said Rubio didn't blow anyone away.

Of course he didn't. Rubio is a pass-first point guard who makes everyone around him better in a five-on-five game. In a one-on-none I wouldn't expect him to be great. He's not going to shoot the lights out. He's not going to put up highlight-reel dunks. He's just not that type of player.

But they did get to see him live. They got his measurements (6-foot-5 in shoes with a 6-foot-7 wingspan). They got to check out his body language and English skills.

Most importantly, the Kings got word that Rubio was making progress on a deal with his club in Spain, DKV Joventut, that will lower his buyout to roughly $4 million. When you factor in that Rubio will be allowed to make his payments over several years, there is no longer a huge financial impediment for Rubio to come to the draft.

The question on everyone's mind right now? What will the Kings do? The answer? It depends.

First there's a chance Rubio might not be there at No. 4.

The word on Monday night is that it looks like Hasheem Thabeet will be the Grizzlies' pick at No. 2 if they don't trade the pick.

With Thabeet gone, Thunder GM Sam Presti will decide between Rubio, James Harden and Stephen Curry.

If they take Rubio, then the Kings will likely draft either Tyreke Evans or Jonny Flynn.

If Rubio is on the board, it will be a pretty tough decision. As we've written previously, this is a debate about upside versus present value. Evans and Flynn are ready to play now. No question. Rubio? It may take him a while to adjust (though some in the league think he's actually more ready to play in the NBA after years of experience playing pro ball in Spain).

I don't think there's any question that Rubio has the most upside of the group. Given the fact that the Kings are so dreadful at the moment, wouldn't they choose the best player for the long-term health of the franchise? It depends. Most members of the Kings' front office staff are in the last year of their contracts. Do they want to stick their necks out for Rubio when they could take a safer pick like Evans or Flynn?

You get the picture.

If the Kings pass, a number of teams are trying to get Washington's pick at No. 5. Presumably Rubio is the target of at least some of the Wizards' suitors.

The Timberwolves at No. 6 are also high on Rubio. So are the Knicks at No. 8.

Holiday
Holiday

POSTED: June 22 -- 7:55 p.m. ET

Chad Ford: UCLA's Jrue Holiday was feeling the pressure. He was in New York today for a callback with the Knicks -- a team he would love to go to at No. 8. His first audition wasn't all that it should've been. He was overshadowed by more experienced players like Stephen Curry and Gerald Henderson. He struggled to shut down Curry defensively. He got frustrated. A little down. And then those old feelings of self-doubt, the ones that were on display all season at UCLA, started creeping up.

The Knicks were down on his first workout, but recognized that he could do better and invited him back to New York on Monday -- this time against Miami's Jack McClinton.

The result? "He was much, much better today," one Knicks source told ESPN.com. "He shot the ball better, played with confidence -- he's a special player."

The question is … is he special enough to overtake Brandon Jennings on the Knicks' draft board?

As of Sunday night, the Knicks had Jennings ranked slightly ahead. Jennings' workout in New York was full of sizzle and bravado and surprised the Knicks' brass, who thought he'd be less polished. Basketball guru Sonny Vaccaro, who orchestrated Jennings' year in Italy this past season, began telling people that Jennings was going to prove everyone wrong on draft night -- alluding to New York as a possible destination, according to sources who talked to Vaccaro.

Is Sonny speaking too soon? The word I got out of New York on Monday was mixed. On the one hand, the Knicks had originally had Holiday ranked higher and were persuaded that his size and versatility made him a better pick. On the other, Jennings seems to have the makeup to be a star in the NBA.

Sources said Knicks president Donnie Walsh will gather his staff on Tuesday to go over the draft one more time so that they can settle on a player.

Two things could still put a stop to Jennings' or Holiday's dreams of playing in New York.

First, the Knicks do have other players higher on their board. If Curry, Ricky Rubio, Tyreke Evans or Jordan Hill were on the board, I think they'd take them over Jennings or Holiday.

Second, the Knicks have had talks with the Wizards about acquiring the No. 5 pick. If the Knicks draft a point guard there, they'd likely go in another direction with their second first-round pick. Their offer was Larry Hughes for Etan Thomas and Mike James and the fifth pick. The Wizards were once high on Hughes and are in the market for a veteran player who can propel the team to a championship right now. They'd save some money in the deal, get a player who could help them … but is that enough for the No. 5 pick?

The Wizards are entertaining lots of other offers right now and the Knicks' offer of Hughes may not be enough.

• The word around the league is that Hasheem Thabeet canceled his workout in Memphis on Sunday in part because he's confident that the Thunder will take him with the No. 3 pick in the draft. How confident is a subject of debate. A few sources say Thabeet got a promise from the Thunder over the weekend. However a source close to Thabeet says he doesn't have a promise and feels there's still a good chance that Memphis takes him at No. 2 -- despite Thabeet's objections.

• There's been a lot of speculation the past few weeks that the Pistons may trade their pick at 15. Not true, according to Detroit sources. "We're in a position to add two to three players through free agency and to add a couple of players through the draft," the source said. "No need for us to move our pick for an extra $1.4 million of cap space."

As for all the talk that the Pistons promised everyone from B.J. Mullens to Earl Clark at No. 15. "It's totally B.S.," the source said. "Why would we promise someone in this draft? So many scenarios are still playing themselves out. Anything could happen. We're just going to be content to let whoever falls to us fall."

• The Rockets are actively hunting for a team willing to trade its lottery pick. Their offer? Carl Landry. I love Landry, but not sure he's worth a lottery pick. Then again, in this draft … maybe.

Rubio
Rubio

POSTED: June 22 -- 4:39 p.m. ET

Chad Ford: Ricky Rubio is back in Sacramento. After a disappointing first visit last week -- when he got sick and left without working out -- Rubio flew into Sacramento on Monday to work out for the Kings.

This comes on the heels of Rubio spending the weekend with Thunder GM Sam Presti in LA, where Rubio and his camp shared physicals, contract information and personal time with Presti, who walked away "intrigued." However, Rubio didn't walk away with a promise from Presti that they'd draft him at No. 3.

That prompted Rubio to return to Sacramento on Monday to try to seal the deal with the Kings. The Kings are high on Rubio, but their interest has waned in the last few weeks after strong workouts by Tyreke Evans, Jonny Flynn and Jrue Holiday. The front office is split between Rubio's upside and the more immediate impact Evans or Flynn could make in Sacramento.

If Rubio can do enough to impress the team this time, it might be hard for the Kings to pass. While Evans and Flynn are both good players, neither has the upside of Rubio.

POSTED: June 22 -- 10:11 a.m. ET


Chad Ford: What would the draft be without a few Blazers trade rumors?

Portland GM Kevin Pritchard has been among the NBA's most active executives on draft night. In 2006, he pulled off three draft-day trades to get his hands on LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy and Sergio Rodriguez. In 2007, Pritchard landed Rudy Fernandez and Petteri Koponen with draft-day deals. And in 2008, Pritchard traded up two spots in the draft to get Jerryd Bayless and then landed Nicolas Batum in a trade.

Will Pritchard strike again this year?

The Blazers have been making inquiries all over the first round. Their main target has been Pittsburgh's DeJuan Blair, a burly power forward who plays with a toughness the Blazers lack and coach Nate McMillan would appreciate.

However, Sunday night, there was talk Pritchard has even grander plans. With point guard Ricky Rubio possibly slipping out of the top four, the Blazers are talking to the Wizards about acquiring the No. 5 pick. Pritchard has been on the hunt for a point guard, and Rubio would be a nice fit to round out the Blazers' collection of young, unselfish talents.

But trading for the No. 5 pick is far from a done deal, as the price would be high for the Blazers. The Wizards want any team interested in the No. 5 pick to take Etan Thomas off their hands -- a move that could eat into the Blazers' cap space this summer. The deal almost certainly would cost the Blazers some young talent, like Bayless, Travis Outlaw or Batum.

Even more pressing, McMillan has been pushing for the Blazers to sit out this draft and instead add a veteran to their young core.

Pritchard joked to The Oregonian that McMillan "will probably kill me" if he adds another rookie to the team. McMillan laughed and told The Oregonian, "you will have to put me behind bars" if Pritchard gets another rookie.

There's no question Pritchard also is trying to figure out a way to get maximum cap room this summer to use for a free agent or in a trade. The Magic's Hedo Turkoglu gets the most mention, but sources say Portland's real target is Bulls point guard Kirk Hinrich.

If the Bulls re-sign Ben Gordon to a big contract this summer, they are going to have to part ways with Hinrich to be able to afford it. The Bulls are dangerously close to the luxury tax as it is, and gving Gordon a big deal would put them over the top. Enter the Blazers, who will have the cap space to absorb Hinrich's deal and put the Bulls back under the tax threshold.

Hinrich would give the Blazers a seasoned point guard, but one without the sizzle or upside of Rubio.

Can Pritchard sit back and let Rubio slip through his fingers?

POSTED: June 22 -- 2:54 a.m. ET

Chad Ford: The NBA has experienced workout mania the past few days, with some of the best workouts of the draft happening as teams bring back their top-rated prospects to battle each other.

• Maybe the biggest news is about the workout that didn't happen -- UConn big man Hasheem Thabeet dropped out of a workout scheduled for Sunday with the Memphis Grizzlies.

The official explanation was a sore shoulder. The unofficial explanation? Thabeet doesn't want to play in Memphis and wanted to stay in Los Angeles to talk Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti into drafting him at No. 3.

Why doesn't Thabeet want to play in Memphis? For the same reason that Ricky Rubio, Stephen Curry and others have refused workouts. Said one source in explaining the Grizzlies' reputation: "They don't spend any money anymore. They don't have a commitment to put a winning team on the floor right now. It's not where an agent wants to send his star pick."

Rubio and Thabeet have said no to Memphis, and James Harden bombed a workout there, so who are the Grizzlies taking?

I think it's likely they still will take Thabeet.

But I have no idea how Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley is going to react to this latest twist.

• Presti didn't conduct any workouts, but he sure was busy this weekend. He met with Rubio and family on Saturday, and then Thabeet and Harden on Sunday, all in L.A.

The Thunder GM got a chance to look at the results of Rubio's physical, see his contract and meet the young guard, and he came away "intrigued" by the possibility of taking Rubio at No. 3.

While Rubio isn't the best fit in OKC, he looks like he might be the best player on the board. So what will Presti do? While Harden might be the logical choice in terms of fit, my gut feeling is Rubio will go No. 3.

• The Kings had a great workout in Sacramento on Sunday, with Tyreke Evans, Stephen Curry, Jonny Flynn and Nick Calathes taking part. And from what I can gather, Sunday might end up being the day Ricky Rubio lost his chance to get drafted by the Kings if he's still available at No. 4.

Several people in the Kings' front office already doubted Rubio was the right fit, so it didn't help that he wasn't there to duke it out with the other top prospects. It's hard to make the case for Rubio when he's not at a workout.

Meanwhile, it was the second Sacto workout for Flynn and Evans.

Flynn was at the top of the Kings' board coming into the workout, but Evans emerged at the top. His physicality was just too much for Flynn, Curry and Calathes to handle.

As one Kings scout said, "It was a man beating up boys."

That could be bad news for Rubio. With Sacramento general manager Geoff Petrie looking for a player who can contribute right away, Flynn and Evans are getting more attention.

If Rubio slides past Sacramento at No. 4, he could be heading to either Washington at 5, Minnesota at 6 or New York at 8. The Wizards haven't seen him yet, and neither have the Wolves. But if the Knicks want to see him, I think Rubio will find a way to accommodate them.

• The Timberwolves brought a number of guards in over the weekend, including Flynn, Evans, Jennings, Jrue Holiday, Ty Lawson and Jeff Teague.

From what I gather, Evans won some hearts in Minnesota, and Flynn stole a few as well. As for Jennings, it sounds like the Wolves will pass.

• The Suns also had a big workout this weekend -- Earl Clark, James Johnson and Jennings were joined by Calathes, Jack McClinton and Jonas Jerebko.

It sounds as though a number of players played well, and it appears Clark and Johnson are in a dead heat in Phoenix at the moment -- that is, unless someone else in the top 12 falls to Phoenix at No. 14.

As for Jennings, one Suns source said he was good but was skeptical: "I hope he doesn't fall to us at 14. I don't want to have to make a decision on him."

• More big workouts are coming early this week.

The Knicks are bringing back Holiday. There's a good chance it will be Holiday versus Jennings for the No. 8 pick if Curry, Evans and Jordan Hill are off the board.

Milwaukee has a big point guard workout with Flynn, Teague, Jennings and Lawson. The Bucks' workouts should help them decide who they take at No. 10.

The New Jersey Nets have an "everything" workout with Flynn, Jennings, Gerald Henderson, Terrence Williams, Tyler Hansbrough and Jeff Pendergraph on Tuesday. That one should help them determine who they take at No. 11

The Bobcats are trying to arrange a matchup between Henderson and Williams. Henderson has been the favorites there for weeks, but it appears Williams has edged into the mix.

And the Bulls are trying to schedule one last showdown between DeJuan Blair, Johnson and B.J. Mullens for Tuesday. As of Sunday night, only Blair had committed to the workout. The Bulls wanted Hansbrough at that one as well, but he had already committed to the Nets. Clark might replace him.

• By the way, Blair seems to be back in favor with more GMs. Over the weekend his agent, Happy Walters, had a couple of teams talk to Blair's physician, James Bradley, who did Blair's ACL surgeries in high school.

I'm not privy to the conversations, but I do think this latest development has put him back in the mix with the Pacers at No. 13 and the Bulls at 16.

POSTED: June 21 -- 8:27 a.m. ET

Chad Ford: The Bucks look like they're sitting pretty good at No. 10. One of the point guards that they like -- whether it's Jonny Flynn, Jrue Holiday, Jeff Teague or Brandon Jennings -- should be there when they draft. In fact, it's possible all of them will be there.

With that in mind, the Bucks are bringing back Flynn, Jennings, Lawson and Teague early next week for another big workout.

I think Milwaukee's board looks like this right now going into that workout:

1. Jordan Hill
2. Holiday
3. Flynn
4. Teague
5. Jennings
6. Lawson

Holiday won't be in the workout, but maybe he doesn't need to be at this point. The other four rankings could change based on what happens on Monday.

• There is a lot of intrigue in the draft between picks 13 and 16 right now. The first dozen players are considered known quantities, which puts teams like the Pacers, Suns, Pistons and Bulls in no-man's land.

All four of those teams have brought in numerous players to work out in the past few weeks. This weekend the Suns have three key players coming in: Brandon Jennings, Earl Clark and Austin Daye.

Here are some the players the four teams are looking at, according to sources with each of the teams: Jennings, Clark, Daye, James Johnson, DeJuan Blair, Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Eric Maynor, B.J. Mullens and Terrence Williams.

The Pacers seem to be leaning toward going with either a point guard (Jennings, Maynor, Lawson or, if one of them falls, Holiday or Flynn) or one of two big guys, Blair and Hansbrough.

The Suns seem to have three guys squarely in their sights -- Clark, Daye and Jennings.

The Pistons are looking at Clark and Daye, and if neither guy is on the board, then Mullens. As I reported on Friday, there is no Pistons' promise to Mullens.

The Bulls appear to be targeting a big as well, looking at Blair, Hansbrough and Johnson. They also are fans of Williams.

Behind the scenes, there has been a lot of talk and maneuvering, as these teams try to figure out who will be available. The Pacers, Suns and Bulls have all talked with teams about moving up and down in the draft. The Bulls seem to be trying to leapfrog the others by acquiring the Nets' No. 11 pick, and are dangling No. 16 and No. 26. The Suns have tried to get up higher in the lottery, as have the Pacers.

Of course, all of these trade discussions depend on who's going to be available, something that's a real mystery right now. And in some cases, at this time of the year, teams are engaging in draft talk with prospects just to try to get more information about what other teams are going to do in the draft.

While sources say it's likely that the Bulls move up in the draft, the Nets aren't their only suitors.

And the Pistons may end up getting out of the first round altogether to create even more cap room this summer.

• Not sure how much to read into this, but in the past week Brandon Jennings went from working out for high-to-mid-lottery teams like the Kings (4), Warriors (7) and Knicks (8) to working out for several late lottery teams, including Indiana (13), Phoenix (14) and soon Milwaukee (10) and New Jersey (11). If he doesn't go to any of those teams, he could be in for a draft day slide.

His camp feels pretty confident he's going to be drafted by late in the lottery, and he really impressed both the Warriors and Knicks -- but he's one we're following closely.

• I'm preparing our first second-round mock draft for Monday and keep hearing a few players in the second round are pretty hot names at the moment. They include France's Nando De Colo, Central Florida's Jermaine Taylor, St. Joseph's Ahmad Nivins, Santa Clara's John Bryant, UAB's Paul Delaney and NC State's Courtney Fells.

De Colo wowed a lot of teams with his performance at the Reebok Eurocamp and has more than held his own in workouts. Bryant's and Nivins' size has given them a boost. A number of scouts say that Nivins, in particular, is interesting because he's still learning the game.

And Delaney and Fells are doing it the old fashioned way: They've come to workout after workout against much higher-ranked opponents and repeatedly responded with terrific workouts.

POSTED: June 19 -- 1:39 p.m. ET

Rubio
Rubio

Chad Ford: I get a lot of e-mails asking why Ricky Rubio is being so selective about where he goes. They basically boil down to something like this one I received on Thursday:

"What gives Ricky Rubio the right to pick his teams? Everyone else in the draft is just trying to get drafted. Why does he think he can pick and choose who drafts him?"

First of all, the idea that Rubio is the only one doing it is silly. James Harden has only worked out for four teams. Even the Knicks couldn't get him in. Hasheem Thabeet will likely only work out for three. DeMar DeRozan has been really selective, and so has Stephen Curry.

But there's no question that Rubio has been even tougher. I spoke extensively with sources inside Rubio's camp to get a feel for what's going on there. Here's what I know.

Only the Kings have a physical for Rubio. Only the Kings have actually seen his contract. And only the Kings have gotten a visit from Rubio. That could change with the possibility that Rubio could still meet with the Thunder and, less likely, the Grizzlies, but that's where things currently stand.

It's pretty simple as to why Rubio is being selective: He is going to have to pay a lot of money for the privilege to play in the NBA next season. His buyout will cost him something between $5 and $7 million of his own money. That's a lot of money, especially when you consider that Rubio wasn't making a ton of dough in Spain. He essentially will be signing over his paychecks for the next couple of years to his team in Spain.

Other players have had big buyouts as well, but there has never been anything like this for a draft prospect this high in the draft.

Rubio can always go back to Spain, play out the last two years of his contract and come to the NBA in 2011 without any buyout. However, he wants to play in the NBA now if it's the right team, the right coach and the right situation for him to grow as a player. His camp knows that it's the second contract, not the first one, that matters. So trying to find the right fit for him has become paramount.

So you can understand why he's hesitant about Memphis. With Mike Conley and O.J. Mayo already there, along with a few horror stories he heard from his buddy Juan Carlos Navarro about sitting on the bench all season ... does he really want to play for the Grizzlies for free?

The Thunder are truly the wild card in all of this. Sam Presti plays things very close to the vest, but word is they've been sniffing around on Rubio, trying to get more info on his contract and get Rubio in for a visit. The Thunder do have an opening in their backcourt and, under Presti, have a pretty good track record of developing their young players.

I think there's a little more uncertainty currently from the Thunder's side than from Rubio's side. If the Thunder really show they want him, my guess is that Rubio makes the trip to OKC. But everyone I speak to in the league believes that the Thunder are taking James Harden.

I still think Rubio has a shot at No. 3 either as the Thunder's pick or as part of a trade, but I have to concede that all signs point to Harden. Then again, last year at this time all signs in OKC pointed to the Thunder drafting Brook Lopez, not Russell Westbrook.

The Kings have an obvious hole at point guard on a young team. It seems to be the place his camp wants him to land. If the Kings draft him, I don't think there's any question that Rubio would pay the buyout and come. The question is, will the Kings draft him? I think the odds are in Rubio's favor, but it sounds like some in the organization still need to be convinced.

At No. 5, the Wizards have Gilbert Arenas already playing the 1 and the team is trying to be a serious contender. Could Rubio get lost in the shuffle there? Absolutely. I think the fact the Wizards have been really shopping the pick also makes them an unsure fit.

At No. 6, the Timberwolves need a point guard, but the team is in transition right now. They don't have a coach and they have a new GM who's learning on the job. There are question marks everywhere in Minnesota right now.

And the Warriors at No. 7? They too could use a pass-first guard like Rubio. But Don Nelson is notoriously hard on rookies and hasn't shown much love to the last few international kids to come his way (ask Marco Belinelli).

So you can understand why Team Rubio is taking a pretty cautious approach. If he's going to come to the NBA and pay that kind of money, it had better be a good fit for him and the team.

• Think the Timberwolves are looking for a point guard? They've got a huge workout today with most of the top point guard prospects attending. This morning Jonny Flynn, Jrue Holiday, Ty Lawson, Brandon Jennings, Jeff Teague and Nando De Colo are all grinding it out. Later in the afternoon, Tyreke Evans will be in the house.

However, the two guys highest on the Wolves' radar aren't there -- Ricky Rubio and Stephen Curry.

The Wolves have been talking to the Grizzlies about moving up in the draft for the No. 2 pick and a shot at Rubio. However, a deal isn't done yet and it's unclear whether Rubio's camp (which is being very selective about what team he plays for) wants anything to do with Minnesota.

Curry was supposed to shut down workouts after his visit with the Knicks, but since then he's worked out in Washington and is scheduled to be in Sacramento on Saturday.

• The B.J. Mullens mystery continued with lots of speculation on Thursday that the Pistons had made a promise to him at No. 15. Not true, according to Pistons sources. Mullens is under consideration there, but there are other players they like more.

The whole idea of promises seems to be falling flat this year. The truth is that most of the teams in the draft right now have four to five players they are considering. That's unusually high this close to the draft and it has created a lot of uncertainty.

Agents are scrambling to get a feel for where their players are landing, but most teams are shrugging their shoulders and telling them they just aren't sure who they're taking yet. That's in large part because they don't know who will be there.

This draft, more than any other I've been around, is still totally open. I don't believe anyone has a promise, with one possible exception. Washington's Jon Brockman hasn't worked out for anyone since pulling out of the NBA draft combine in Chicago. I don't know where the promise is or who made it, but someone locked Brockman up early and we haven't heard from him since. I doubt it's a first-round promise. More likely, someone in the second round guaranteed him a three-year deal slightly higher than the league minimum.

• I got a lot of questions about what I think about John Hollinger's Draft Rater, like: Can the draft really be broken down by way of a statistical formula?

I'm not an expert on stats, but I can tell you that for most of the more sophisticated front offices in the league, statistical analysis plays a very significant role in the draft process. Teams like the Rockets, Mavericks, Celtics, Thunder, Spurs, Sixers, Nuggets (I could go on and on) may use slightly different formulas and methodologies, but all of them are using statistical models to analyze the draft. For a handful of teams, what they find is a major factor in whom they choose to draft.

So if you're trying to understand the draft and get a handle on the whole picture, I highly recommend you read Hollinger's piece. The feedback I got from around the league on it was that what Hollinger was finding is very close to what a number of NBA teams are finding, especially when it comes to the two key players he singled out -- Ty Lawson and DeMar DeRozan.

Several NBA teams confirmed that their statistical models also had Lawson at or near the top and DeRozan at or near the bottom. Tyreke Evans is also a player who has gotten some boost from a statistical standpoint.

Obviously, like every model, it has its weaknesses and can't be the sole method for analyzing the draft. But it's a piece of the puzzle and, for more and more teams, a large one.

POSTED: June 18 -- 9:05 p.m. ET

Ellis
Ellis

Chad Ford: Are the Warriors in danger of losing Monta Ellis? That was the gist of a story earlier in the week that claimed that the Warriors, in an effort to placate a disgruntled Ellis, flew to Memphis to meet with him and may have promised him that they wouldn't draft a playmaking point guard with the No. 7 pick.

Really? The Warriors are letting Ellis run the draft now?

I was pretty skeptical. However, I began hearing the same rumblings coming from Ellis' camp and in the past, the Warriors have done some crazy things.

So, I sought out Warriors GM Larry Riley to get a better feel for why they flew to Memphis to meet with Ellis and what was said. We spoke by phone on Thursday ... just as Ellis addressed the situation on KNBR talk radio in the Bay Area.

Riley said that he and head coach Don Nelson have been meeting with every player on the team, debriefing what went down last season, and trying to get the entire team on the same page. He said they weren't meeting with Ellis because he was disgruntled or demanding a trade. It was in the course of interviews with everyone on the team.

Ellis seemed to confirm that, laughing off a suggestion that he was on the verge of demanding out of Golden State. "I'm a Golden State Warrior," Ellis said on KNBR. "I'm going to be a Warrior. Hopefully I'll retire a Warrior. I'm not thinking of leaving. It hasn't crossed my mind. I'm here to set the record straight. It never came from me. "

Did the Warriors make him a promise that they weren't going to draft a playmaking point guard? Riley was adamant that the topic never even came up.

"We did not make him a promise on who we're going to draft," Riley said. "There was none of that. There was no talk about not drafting particular positions or particular players. Our talk was totally about our team and our staff and getting things moving in the right direction. We were trying to get everyone on the same page."

Ellis' take on the meeting was similar. The meeting, according to Ellis, was about "me and Coach getting on the same page. Not going through what we went through last year. He's going to back me up and I'm going to back him up." Ellis said that the meeting was meant more to clear the air and refocus everyone for next season. "Everyone has to be on the same page and that meeting put us on the same page."

Riley was upbeat about Ellis and the role he'll play next season. He said he and Nelson have asked Ellis and Stephen Jackson to take on a leadership role with the team. Does a "leadership role" mean playing point guard?

Perhaps. "We told Monta that if we use you at the point, it's going to be your responsibility to get guys more involved," Riley said. "We also want you to help your teammates get off. He's ready to accept that role. Whether he's on the floor at 1 or 2, the important thing is to have him on the floor and let him do what he does the best."

So would the Warriors balk at drafting a point guard at No. 7? "If the right guy was there at the point, we'd draft him," Riley said. But when I asked Riley what his preference would be, he said, "I'd like to have a little beef. We can always use more size and toughness. We don't really have a gaping hole at any position, so I think we'll draft the best player available. If it's a point guard, then it will be a point guard. If it's a 4, then that's who we'll take."

Would Ellis balk if they drafted a point guard? He didn't act like it. "I'm going to go with it," he said. "I'll do anything to help the team win. I don't know anyone in this draft to be honest with you."

So what to make out of all of this? Obviously there has been some miscommunication. Different people can walk away from the same conversation with different takes. But it sounds as though, whatever problems there were in the past, the Warriors and Ellis have worked them out.

And as far as the Warriors' draft goes ... I still think there's a good chance they draft a point guard. If Jordan Hill's there, he'd be a nice pick. But so would Stephen Curry or Brandon Jennings.

• The Bulls seem to be the latest team trying to move up in the draft. They've talked to several teams in front of them in the draft with an offer of the No. 16 and No. 26 picks in the draft. It sounds as if the Nets have been their target and it might make sense for the Nets to jump on the deal.

They could still get a player like Tyler Hansbrough at 16 and pick up another player late in the first.

• Not sure exactly what to read into this, but the Knicks are bringing back UCLA's Jrue Holiday for a second workout. Holiday is in the mix at No. 4 to Sacramento and after that I think the Knicks, Raptors, Bucks and Pacers will all give him a look in the lottery. This may be his chance to secure a coveted spot playing for Mike D'Antoni.

• Wake Forest forward James Johnson seems to be in a draft free-fall and I don't quite understand why. Yes, he showed up at the Chicago draft combine a little out of shape and 15 pounds overweight. But a month ago a number of lottery teams were giving him a serious look. Now we're searching for teams in the 20s for Johnson. I guess in a draft with this much parity, every little pound matters.

• Want to know why Terrence Williams' stock is all over the place? He's an eccentric kid. Not necessarily a bad kid, but definitely different. Everyone loves his talent, but some are just a little uneasy. Someone forwarded this little blurb to me from a Sports Illustrated piece on Louisville in March. I think it sums things up:

"The last line of Williams' pregame monologue is a request for all his dead relatives -- his father, Edgar; his grandparents Mary Jackson and Bobby Perkins; and two cousins -- to 'watch over me as I have fun.' Their names are tattooed on his left arm and concealed by a compression sleeve that he says he wears to keep connected to them, spiritually. Williams may well be the only player to wear a sleeve solely for that reason, but he has always been sartorially idiosyncratic. He often wears custom-made photo T-shirts as tributes to teammates and coaches (his Pitino shirt has a shot of his coach playing point guard at UMass in the early '70s), and he sometimes shows up for practice wearing two different-colored shoes. At Seattle's Rainier Beach High he would wear socks emblazoned with childhood icons (from Barney to Big Bird to SpongeBob) during games and carry his books in a Barbie backpack, just to be different."

Gotta love the Barbie backpack line ...

POSTED: June 18 -- 1:28 p.m. ET

Rubio
Rubio

• Everyone in Sacramento was a little bummed out about the Ricky Rubio visit. Rubio flew into town on Tuesday, had dinner and interviews with the front office and even chatted with the media. However, he came down with a fever and sore throat Tuesday night and wasn't able to work out for the team Wednesday. He was so ill that he didn't even get a chance to sit down with the Maloof family, which owns the Kings.

He was going to try to make a go of it Thursday morning, but he woke up still not feeling well and ended up flying back to L.A.

At this point, Rubio's schedule is up in the air. He'll try to get well and then decide which teams to visit. Another visit with Sacramento is still possible.

One Kings source reiterated that the organization still has doubts about Rubio, and the visit did little to alleviate them. However, there is a split in the camps in Sacramento, with some pushing for Rubio or, if he's gone, Jrue Holiday. Others are pushing for Jonny Flynn and/or Tyreke Evans.

Plus, still more prospects are on their way to Sacramento for workouts. DeMar DeRozan will be in on Saturday. Stephen Curry and Evans will be in town Sunday. This will be the second visit for Evans, whose first visit wasn't terrific, as we reported.

Sources close to the situation continue to insist that, in the end, the most likely scenario is Rubio going to the Kings at No. 4 if he's still on the board. If he's gone, it sounds like Flynn has moved into second place.

However, the focus on Rubio in the coming days may shift to Oklahoma City. The Thunder continue to show strong interest in Rubio and are pushing for a meeting, physical and a review of Rubio's contract in Spain. If Rubio feels better and is up for the visit, that's where he'll head next.


• There obviously has been a lot of talk about what the Suns will do this summer. In the past few weeks, rumors of a Shaquille O'Neal-to-Cleveland deal and an Amare Stoudemire-to-Washington deal have re-emerged. On Wednesday evening, the latest rumor had the Suns dealing Stoudemire to Minnesota for Al Jefferson and the No. 6 pick.

The first two deals were discussed at the February trade deadline, but talks this time around may be premature -- Suns sources say neither deal is hot at the moment. And the one with Minnesota is totally bogus, I'm told. A Suns source says that the team has had zero conversations about it.

Still, rumors are coming out of Phoenix for a reason. The big question continues to be: Where are the Suns headed? Are they still trying to be a championship contender? Or are they blowing things up, cutting costs and rebuilding from scratch?

Trading Shaq or Stoudemire doesn't make much sense in the former scenario. Lose either guy, and the Suns are less likely to be a serious contender. Although the Suns seem way more inclined to move Shaq and keep Stoudemire, a Suns source conceded that both players could be moved, and it could correspond to moving up in this year's draft.

If that's the case, here's a theory (and that's all it is, folks, a theory): What if you combine the two most prominent Suns trade rumors into a mega three-way deal?

It would look like this:

The Suns send Shaquille O'Neal to Cleveland and Amare Stoudemire to Washington.

The Cavs send Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic to Phoenix and Zydrunas Ilgauskas to Washington.

The Wizards send the No. 5 pick, Etan Thomas, Mike James and JaVale McGee to Phoenix and Antawn Jamison to Cleveland.

Call me crazy, but isn't this the ideal deal for all three teams?

The Suns would lose a lot of talent in the deal and basically would be blowing up the team. However, if they think they'll lose Stoudemire next summer anyway and don't believe they have a real shot at winning a title next season, why not get something for Stoudemire now and jump-start the rebuilding process?

In this deal, the Suns would pick up the No. 5 pick and McGee, a talented 7-footer who would be a good fit in Phoenix. More importantly for them, they would save a ton of cash next season. Pavlovic's salary is only partially guaranteed. Wallace likely could be bought out for less than he's owed. And the Suns would take back less money in the deal to begin with. When you factor in the reduction in luxury taxes and consider that they might save enough to eke below the dreaded luxury-tax line ... could owner Robert Sarver really pass on saving potentially $12-14 million in salary and penalties next season?

The Wizards essentially would replace Jamison, a couple of role players (Thomas and James) and two prospects (McGee and the No. 5 pick) with Stoudemire and Ilgauskas. Yes, Jamison is very important to the Wizards, but he'd be replaced by Stoudemire. And Ilgauskas would give them a legit big man in the middle. Suddenly, they would look like contenders for the Eastern Conference crown. And if things don't work out, they'll have cap room in 2010 when Ilgauskas, Stoudemire and Brendan Haywood all come off the books.

And the Cavs? They would get Shaq, whom they apparently like. And Jamison, an athletic scoring 4 who can do what the Cavs' bigs couldn't during the playoffs -- guard someone on the wing.

I'm not saying this will happen. Again, I'm just putting together two deals that have been buzzing for a while. But the deals would give all three teams clearer direction.

• For more Draft Buzz entries, click here.

Chad Ford covers the NBA for ESPN.com.

Posted by TMS:

my guess is Wilson Chandler's going in the deal for the #5... unless Grunfeld really is still working for the Knicks.