Hoops Report – Jodie Meeks received a guarantee early in the second round, and after verifying with sources, I am now confident that the promise was given by the Denver Nuggets at No. 34.

Many people were wondering why Meeks opted to remain in the NBA Draft after the June 15 withdrawal deadline. He said all along that he needed a first round guarantee to remain in the Draft. While that doesn’t seem to be the case, it seems that he was confident enough with an early second round guarantee.

After June 15, Meeks has only worked out for one team: the New Jersey Nets, who only own the No. 11 pick. The reason Meeks may have still opted to participate in that workout is because of the strong possibility that the Nets trade down in the first round to get two picks. The strongest rumor has been that the Nets will trade their No. 11 pick to the Bulls for the No. 16 pick and the No. 26 pick. If this happens, Meeks was auditioning for that No. 26 pick.

This scenario makes sense for the Nuggets. They would like an additional guard to contribute off the bench. The Nuggets like to put up as many points as possible, and Meeks is a player who can definitely light up the scoreboard.

While it’s still strange that Meeks stayed in the Draft, especially since he had a chance to be a major part of a Final Four team at Kentucky next season, it appears that Meeks is confident with an early second round promise.

Take this for what it’s worth, because it’s just a source report, but it seems credible.  The Nuggets are a team that seems to be on the rise in the West, so it would be a good spot in that way.  However, JR Smith already seems to fill the role that Jodie Meeks would be best suited for in Denver, so we’ll see how this works out. Regardless of what happens, we all wish Jodie Meeks the best, because he deserves it.

Look for a Strait Pinkie NBA mock draft on Wednesday night. We’re going to have fun with it and try to be at least semi-on target. We’ll have more details later.