Report: Dragan Bender likely to work out for just 3 NBA teams, Celtics one of them


The Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach sent this tweet last week:


It goes along with what Himmelsbach previously reported, that Bender told the Celtics he plans to work out for them in Boston:


Boston's brass recently took a look at Bender over in Europe.  From Jay King of Mass Live:

According to Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, Bender's audition included 1-on-0 drills and 1-on-1 work against his older brother, Ivan, a 6-foot-10 University of Maryland big man. Ainge also watched Dragan Bender go through a practice with his professional team, Maccabi Tel Aviv.

"We actually thought (seeing a practice) was better than a game because we'd seen all his games," Ainge said Wednesday during a press conference to announce contract extensions for him and Celtics head coach Brad Stevens. "We'd seen him play in person in games, and because he's not playing a major role as an 18-year-old in a tough Israeli league, we were able to watch him practice. And we thought that was more beneficial than what we'd seen in games."

There were rumors that the Lakers might be interested in taking Bender second overall, but that ship may (or may not) have sailed:


Assuming Bender won't work out for the Sixers (who own the No. 1 pick) or Lakers, the Suns at No. 4 and Timberwolves at No. 5 are likely candidates.  Phoenix previously scouted Bender in Israel, and it appears Minnesota has as well:


Depending on how high their level of interest is in Bender, the T-Wolves could represent a nice trade-down scenario for Boston.  How about something like No. 3 and No. 23 for No. 5 and Gorgui Dieng?


UPDATE:


Here are the most recent videos on Bender from DraftExpress:







Follow Mark Van Deusen on Twitter @LucidSportsFan

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