Philadelphia native Dion Waiters generating buzz ahead of NBA Draft

THE INITIAL BUZZ at the NBA Combine in early June was about Syracuse's Dion Waiters and reports that one team had given him a guarantee that he would be selected in the lottery.

Waiters, a Philadelphia native, immediately left the combine and canceled all of his remaining workouts and interviews on the advice of his agent, Rob Pelinka. That only increased the buzz.

Speculation focused on Toronto at No. 8, Portland at No. 11 or Phoenix at No. 13.

The Raptors immediately denied such a promise existed.

According to reports over the weekend, Phoenix has promised Waiters that the Suns will select him, assuming he is available.

Meanwhile, new Portland general manager Neil Olshey denied the team is the Trail Blazers, who also have the sixth pick.

"I got the job on a Tuesday, and by the time I landed in Chicago the next day [for the predraft camp], I had convinced an owner [to pick a prospect], a player to shut down his workouts … I mean, I hadn't even talked to my scouts yet," Olshey told the Oregonian. "[The media] puts it out there that 'it had to be them' and then they want you to admit it, or say you didn't. But at the end of the day, everybody is going to lie anyway."

Waiters, who left Syracuse for the NBA after his sophomore season, averaged 12.4 points for the Orange.