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Leading up to the NBA Draft Thursday night, the league is swirling with rumors and news about which teams want to trade, which players teams want to select, and everything in between. As you prepare for the 2016 NBA Draft, we have the latest from around the league with rumors, news, trades, and analysis.

Live Blog:

-5:51 p.m. ET

The Kings have reportedly traded Marco Belinelli to the Hornets for the 22nd pick.

This seems to indicate two things. 1. Courtney Lee is likely gone in free agency and 2. the Kings are likely trying to acquire assets to move up, possibly to No.6 (see below).

It's strange that the Kings are trying to add assets in a bad draft instead of a better one and even more odd that they can't get anyone to bit on Ben McLemore who they've been trying to deal for two years.

-5:43 p.m. ET

The Kings have a lot of options. The Vertical reports the Kings have "multiple" offers for multiple future picks to get into the top-8.

Meanwhile, CSN Chicago reports the Kings are trying to move into the top six, for some reason.

Why would you give up assets to move up in a bad draft instead of taking better picks in a future better draft?

Because, #Kangz.

5:33 p.m. ET

- Multiple Boston media outlets are reporting that the Celtics will not take Dragan Bender with the No. 3 pick.

Meanwhile, ESPN reports that the Suns could be considering taking Bender at No.4. This could be a smokescreen to elicit a trade, however.

If Bender falls past five, teams are going to have a hard time not taking the Croatian sensation.

5:35 p.m. ET

- The Vertical reports that the Wolves are prepared to buddy up with a certain sharpshooter. He fits a need, but it's unclear if even Tom Thibodeau can make him into an average defender:

- Cool suit, Skal.

5:00 p.m. ET

- Gotta love Jaylen Brown's 70s-style red tux.

4:26 p.m. ET

- The Vertical reports that the Sixers have had movement with the Kings, Wolves and Celtics about potentially acquiring a second top-five pick.

It's pretty evident that while the Sixers are looking to take Ben Simmons No.1, they also want to add a point guard (most likely Kris Dunn) which they've needed in a huge way for years. A starting lineup of Dunn-Robert Covington-Dario Saric-Simmons-Joel Embiid would be crazy fun.

4:21 p.m. ET

- Well, the Sixers are definitely taking the obvious approach to the draft.

3:55 p.m. ET

- Syracuse wing Michael Gbinije could be a late first-round pick now

Another second-round projection who could be moving up the draft boards is Syracuse wing Michael Gbinije. Marc Stein reports that Gbinije could be a late riser on draft night and find his way into the late first-round or firmly in the early picks of the second-round.

CBS Sports' Sam Vecenie has projected Gbinije as an early second-round guy for quite some time. He just turned 24 years old, so his age could be turning some teams off from adding him to the mix. However, his last two years at Syracuse, he shot 39 percent from 3-point range both seasons. Kind of feels like a perfect Doc Rivers draft pick.

- Thunder may be looking to move Serge Ibaka during the draft

In a shocking turn of events and rumors, Marc Spears of ESPN is reporting the Oklahoma City Thunder are shopping defensive protector Serge Ibaka on draft day.

The Thunder are all about creating sustainability and flexibility moving forward, so trying to move Ibaka now for young pieces before he becomes a declining player makes sense. However, you should have this cleared with Kevin Durant before you make any big changes. More on that here.

3 p.m. ET

- Bucks-Celtics reportedly looking at Khris Middleton, Greg Monroe deal

The Boston Celtics are pretty active in trade discussions with every direction they can go in continuing to retool this roster. One of those directions could be with the Milwaukee Bucks in trying to acquire Khris Middleton. The 3-and-D specialist Middleton could be packaged with Greg Monroe, whom the Bucks signed last summer, in order to acquire multiple draft picks and maybe a player.

The Celtics would be sending the 16th and 23rd picks in the draft. Gery Woelfel reports:

One of the trade scenarios, a source said, is packaging Middleton with veteran center Greg Monroe, whom the Bucks have been seriously shopping. It is known the Celtics have had interest in Monroe for a long time.

In return for Middleton and Monroe, the Bucks could possibly acquire two first-round picks from the Celtics in today's draft: Nos. 16 and 23, along with another player.

Woelfel says the Bucks worked out a few players in the 16-23 range, including Denzel Valentine and Dejounte Murray.

- Deadline for trading draft picks has passed

Any trade now (post 2 p.m. ET) will now include teams drafting for their trade partners and then moving their draft rights to complete the deal.

It's a little formality in the trade rules that teams usually navigate more often then just moving the pick outright before the deadline.

2:45 p.m. ET

- No. 20 Draft Pick will wear an Indiana Pacers hat during the draft

While the Indiana Pacers are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Thaddeus Young, there are some cap reasons that will keep this from being completed before July. Because of that, the Pacers will be picking for the Brooklyn Nets tonight, which means some young man's dream coming true of being drafted in the NBA will happen wearing the hat of Pacers, who are trading him away.

Good thing we can photoshop that Pacers hat out for a Nets hat later on for family portraits. More on that trade here.

- Georgios Papagiannis is skyrocketing up draft boards

One name that is shooting up draft boards, according to Chris Mannix of The Vertical, is Greek big man Georgios Papagiannis. The soon-to-be 19-year old center out of Greece has been projected anywhere from late first-round to early second-round. Mannix says that teams in the late teens and early 20's of the draft are now considering him for those picks.


We know the Denver Nuggets love Euro big men. They have a pick at 19. The Memphis Grizzlies pick at 17 and the Detroit Pistons pick at 18. The Nets, Hawks, and Hornets all pick from 20-22.

2:30 p.m. ET

- Houston Rockets could be looking to move some contracts, acquire Nerlens Noel

Reports earlier that Nerlens Noel could be on the move from the Philadelphia 76ers, but you'd assume they want a high pick in return for such a promising young defender. That's reportedly not stopping Daryl Morey of the Houston Rockets from trying to pry him from the Sixers. Morey is also reportedly shopping K.J. McDaniels, Trevor Ariza, and Patrick Beverley around.

The Rockets will probably struggle to re-sign Dwight Howard if they do, so getting as much flexibility in the free agency market by moving these contract could be a smart plan for Morey.

1:53 p.m. ET

- The Pacers have reportedly acquired Thad Young in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets.


12:55 p.m. ET

- Kris Dunn appears to be the third pick no matter which team is picking
 The Boston Celtics are picking third in the draft and have a lot of options. They've been trying to move the pick for a more established player, but they're also happy to select another young asset with the pick and hope to entice a team later on with their treasure chest of movable components.

Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical is reporting that Providence guard Kris Dunn has "significant traction" as the No. 3 selection. But there are still many trade options on the table.

We may see a lot of teams hoping to move up to get Dunn in the draft, so the Celtics taking him third and then weighing the offers further could be the right move for Ainge.

- The Philadelphia 76ers are active and that might mean moving a big man

One of those teams reportedly looking to move up to the third pick is the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers will take Ben Simmons with the first overall selection, but they want to get right back into the thick of the draft order. That means dangling prospects and/or picks in front of Ainge to get him to part with the third pick, per ESPN's Marc Stein and Chad Ford.

Their intended target if they get the third pick in a trade would be either Dunn, Oklahoma sharpshooter Buddy Hield or Kentucky combo guard Jamal Murray to give some punch to their backcourt, which has been a problem.

That may mean shopping Nerlens Noel to the Celtics or using him to get back into the top 8 or so depending on whether or not these guards they're targeting fall a bit in the draft.

The Colangelo's are being aggressive.

- The Charlotte Hornets want to package a pick and a player for cap space

The Charlotte Hornets have five significant free agents to re-sign this summer. Al Jefferson, Nicolas Batum, Marvin Williams, Jeremy Lin, and Courtney Lee will all be hitting the unrestricted free agent market. The Hornets want to make sure they have the money they need to re-sign everybody without having to go too insane in approaching or surpassing the luxury tax. A way to do that is to move the No. 22 pick to someone wanting to get into the first-round, as long as you're taking on the contract of Spencer Hawes or Jeremy Lamb.

From Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical:

Hawes is owed $12.3 million over the next two seasons with the last year as a player option. Lamb is owed $21 million over the next three seasons with all seasons fully guaranteed. The tricky part for the Hornets is they only have early Bird rights on Williams, making it harder to offer him a lot of money while re-signing their other free agents.

- The Phoenix Suns tried to dangle Eric Bledsoe as Gordon Hayward bait

The Phoenix Suns are apparently in the business to move one of their point guards. After a little over a year of pairing Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight together, they'd like to get rid of one of them and find their way into a more established wing. Marc Stein of ESPN is reporting the Suns failed to get Utah to bite on a move that would've sent Blesdoe and a lottery pick to the Jazz for Gordon Hayward.

The Suns have both the 4th and 13th pick in the lottery, along with the 28th pick.

- The Nets are trying to move into the first-round by offering up Thaddeus Young

The Brooklyn Nets' pick belongs to the Celtics at No. 3 but new Nets GM Sean Marks is trying to get his team back into the first-round. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, a few teams in the Western Conference are possibly willing to part with a pick in exchange for forward Thaddeus Young.

The Nets just re-signed Young last summer and has roughly $38 million owed to him over the next three seasons.

Danny Ainge controls this draft.