Tweet
Thursday night on ESPN with free agency looming...there should be plenty of picks and/or trades made that won't make sense until July, so get your 
ready.
Here's a quick lottery mock
1. CLE - Jabari Parker, F, Duke
2. MIL - Andrew Wiggins, G/F, Kansas
3. PHI - Noah Vonleh, PF, Indiana
4. ORL - Dante Exum, PG, Australia
5. UTH - Julius Randle, PF, Kentucky
6. BOS - Joel Embiid, C, Kansas
7. LAL - Marcus Smart, PG, Oklahoma State
8. SAC - Aaron Gordon, PF, Arizona
9. CHA - Gary Harris, G, Michigan State
10. PHI - Zach LaVine, G, UCLA
11. DEN - Elfrid Payton, PG, Louisiana Lafayette
12. ORL - Dario Saric, F, Croatia
13. MIN - Nik Stauskas, SG, Michigan
14. PHX - Rodney Hood, F, Duke
The Big Storylines
- What will Cleveland do? Reports have them going back and forth between Wiggins & Parker, though owner Dan Gilbert's desire to be a playoff team right away may push them to take Jabari Parker. Also, however unlikely, will the Cavs trade the pick? We've seen rumors ranging from Arron Afflalo to Derrick Favors to Carmelo Anthony.
A sidenote to the Wiggins/Parker choice is the belief that Jabari "tanked" his workout with the Cavs last Friday because he prefers to play in Milwaukee. So much for that.
- The Lakers are in complete rebuilding mode (don't mind the old guys making $33M next year) and this is the the earliest pick they will make since they made James Worthy the #1 overall selection in 1982.
- The Sixers in no mans land? Thanks to the stress fracture to Embiid's foot, they will have to settle for him or reach for another player at #3. Assuming they cannot trade their two lottery picks, will they look to match Joel Embiid with Nerlens Noel? Or do the Sixers reach for the next best power forward...or perhaps Dante Exum?
- Who takes the plunge on 20-year-old Croatian forward Dario Saric? He reportedly has signed a deal in Turkey to play there for at least the next two years meaning whomever takes him will have to wait until the 2016-17 season at the earliest to see him wearing their jersey. He should go in the lottery but who will be the patient team?
- Trades! Even if they're not announced Thursday, expect some moves to be made early in July after the free agency window opens up. Teams, such as Minnesota with Kevin Love, will still be looking to acquire rookies and could theoretically have unofficial deals in place during the draft. Plus, after free agency starts, there will be plenty of sign-and-trades which include the rights to some of these rookies. It's the cloud hovering over the proceedings in Brooklyn Thursday.
ready.Here's a quick lottery mock
1. CLE - Jabari Parker, F, Duke
2. MIL - Andrew Wiggins, G/F, Kansas
3. PHI - Noah Vonleh, PF, Indiana
4. ORL - Dante Exum, PG, Australia
5. UTH - Julius Randle, PF, Kentucky
6. BOS - Joel Embiid, C, Kansas
7. LAL - Marcus Smart, PG, Oklahoma State
8. SAC - Aaron Gordon, PF, Arizona
9. CHA - Gary Harris, G, Michigan State
10. PHI - Zach LaVine, G, UCLA
11. DEN - Elfrid Payton, PG, Louisiana Lafayette
12. ORL - Dario Saric, F, Croatia
13. MIN - Nik Stauskas, SG, Michigan
14. PHX - Rodney Hood, F, Duke
The Big Storylines
- What will Cleveland do? Reports have them going back and forth between Wiggins & Parker, though owner Dan Gilbert's desire to be a playoff team right away may push them to take Jabari Parker. Also, however unlikely, will the Cavs trade the pick? We've seen rumors ranging from Arron Afflalo to Derrick Favors to Carmelo Anthony.
A sidenote to the Wiggins/Parker choice is the belief that Jabari "tanked" his workout with the Cavs last Friday because he prefers to play in Milwaukee. So much for that.
- The Lakers are in complete rebuilding mode (don't mind the old guys making $33M next year) and this is the the earliest pick they will make since they made James Worthy the #1 overall selection in 1982.
- The Sixers in no mans land? Thanks to the stress fracture to Embiid's foot, they will have to settle for him or reach for another player at #3. Assuming they cannot trade their two lottery picks, will they look to match Joel Embiid with Nerlens Noel? Or do the Sixers reach for the next best power forward...or perhaps Dante Exum?
- Who takes the plunge on 20-year-old Croatian forward Dario Saric? He reportedly has signed a deal in Turkey to play there for at least the next two years meaning whomever takes him will have to wait until the 2016-17 season at the earliest to see him wearing their jersey. He should go in the lottery but who will be the patient team?
- Trades! Even if they're not announced Thursday, expect some moves to be made early in July after the free agency window opens up. Teams, such as Minnesota with Kevin Love, will still be looking to acquire rookies and could theoretically have unofficial deals in place during the draft. Plus, after free agency starts, there will be plenty of sign-and-trades which include the rights to some of these rookies. It's the cloud hovering over the proceedings in Brooklyn Thursday.
Comment