NBA notebook: Texas Tech's Culver declares for draft

[April 19, 2019]  Texas Tech standout Jarrett Culver, the Big 12 Player of the Year, announced Thursday he will forgo his last two seasons in Lubbock and declare for the 2019 NBA Draft.

The 6-foot-5, 195-pound guard made the announcement during a press conference in Lubbock, Texas.

Culver helped lead the Red Raiders to a share of the Big 12 regular-season title and was effective in this year's NCAA Tournament, where Texas Tech fell to Virginia 85-77 in overtime in the national championship game.

On the season, Culver averaged 18.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while the Red Raiders set a school record with 31 wins.

--Also announcing his plans to declare for the draft was 18-year-old Russian Nikita Mikhailovskii, according to a report by ESPN.

The 6-foot-8, 180-pound wing is trying to become the first Russian player drafted since 2013 when Sergey Karasev was chosen with the 19th pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Mikhailovskii spent the past season playing in the mostly Russian VTB United League and FIBA Europe Cup, averaging 7.8 points in 16.8 minutes while shooting 43.9 percent from 3-point range in 45 games.

--The Memphis Grizzlies hired two former general managers to their front office, adding Rich Cho as vice president of strategy and Glen Grunwald as senior adviser.

Cho is a former GM of the Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers, and Grunwald was GM of the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors.

Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Jarrett Culver (23) speaks during a press conference after the championship game of the 2019 men's Final Four at US Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports

The Grizzlies demoted former GM Chris Wallace to a scouting role in a flurry of moves last week, including the firing of head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and the promotion of Zach Kleiman to executive vice president of basketball operations.

--Los Angeles Clippers assistant general manager Trent Redden reportedly is close to interviewing for a senior front-office role with the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Clippers gave the Pelicans permission to discuss the position with Redden, ESPN reported, citing league sources.

David Griffin, the Pelicans' new executive vice president of basketball operations, worked closely with Redden when they with the Cleveland Cavaliers during their 2016 NBA championship season. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski noted that Griffin is expected to be "aggressive" in pursuing Redden.

--Field Level Media

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