Seemingly as soon as the Finals ended, the NBA dove right into silly season, with rumors, breaking news, and questions popping up all over the basketball landscape. With the draft quickly approaching, the entire league feels in flux, grasping at ways to compete with the Warriors or make a leap for the future.
Big names like Jimmy Butler and Paul George are rumored to be available, the Cavaliers mutually agreed to part ways with general manager David Griffin, and the Celtics already traded away the top pick in Thursday’s draft.
With still tons of time for moves, schemes, and unexpected changes, this could be one of the wildest draft nights in recent memory. Here are some key questions surrounding the draft.
1. Are the Celtics done dealing?
Boston reaped another major score from the highway-robbery trade that sent Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and others to Brooklyn, and a host of draft assets to the Celtics. After winning the top seed in the East and reaching the conference finals, the Celtics won the lottery and sat atop the draft, on the clock with their pick of the litter.
For most evaluators, the choice was pretty simple: Markelle Fultz is the consensus top prospect and would certainly be able to find a place in Boston’s lineup.
Danny Ainge saw things differently, choosing to send the top pick to Philadelphia for an extra first round pick (either in 2018 or 2019, depending on protections). Logically, the reward doesn’t seem like enough to pass on the chance to take Fultz. In essence, it feels like the Celtics traded a quarter for two dimes.
Perhaps the best reason to have made the trade is in an effort to stockpile pieces to swing another trade. The Celtics may be interested in building a package for George, Butler, or another star. More assets might look better on paper, but Fultz would have been a more attractive trade chip than the two picks Boston swapped for him. If the Celtics do try to make a trade, they might be interested in hanging on to one of the pieces they received from the Sixers to build their ever-evolving roster.
2. Is “The Process” over in Philly?
The Sixers will take Markelle Fultz with the first pick on Thursday and add their third generational talent under the age of 23. After surviving four seasons near the bottom of the league, Philadelphia is poised to grow into one of the most exciting young cores the NBA has seen in recent years.
Amazingly, the Sixers were able to move up to take Fultz without sacrificing any of the foundational pieces of their roster. Trading two marginal European stashed prospects (likely never to play in the NBA) for Nik Stauskas, some dead money, and tons of draft capital lesd the Sixers to swap the 5th pick for the 3rd pick in this year’s draft. The pick they’ll send to Boston in the future came to Philly either via that trade (from Sacramento) or in exchange for lowly Michael Carter-Williams (from the Lakers via Phoenix).
The wheeling and dealing of former GM Sam Hinkie gave the current front office the tools to acquire the perfect guard to fit with their budding young stars in the frontcourt.
3. What direction are the Lakers going?
Philadelphia will certainly take Fultz first, after the Washington guard visited team headquarters to meet the team and run through some physical and medical tests. After that, the Lakers are on the clock and could drastically change the course of the rest of the draft.
The most likely scenario probably ends up with local product Lonzo Ball staying close to home – convenient given the amount of baggage that will accompany Ball to his pro career. The Lakers didn’t need a point guard, until they shipped D’Angelo Russell in a trade to Brooklyn.
Now Ball’s path to his hometown team seemed perfectly paved for his arrival. TNT’s David Aldridge, however, reported that the Lakers discussed trading the second pick to the Kings for both of Sacramento’s top ten picks.
Lakers, per sources, engaged Sacramento in talks that would have sent the 2nd pick to the Kings for Sac’s two 1st-rounders (5 and 10) (1/2)
— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) June 21, 2017
That would certainly contradict the idea that Los Angeles is in love with Lonzo Ball. Of course, this is all part of the Lakers’ efforts to acquire Paul George, who has expressed interest playing near his childhood home, without a contending team swooping in with a better offer for Indiana. It’s really enough to make anyone’s head spin, let alone a newly constructed front office that includes first time executives Rob Palinka and Magic Johnson.
4. Who will linger in the green room?
Even after the Lakers make their selection, there are no obvious player and team fits throughout the top 10. There is a consensus that the top eight or nine prospects are a ways ahead of the next tier, but the margin between each of those players is seen as microscopic. Each team could have a radically different draft board, causing chaos with each name read by Adam Silver.
This could leave one player believed to be a top five talent sliding into the back of the lottery. Two years ago, Justise Winslow received interest as high as the third pick before finally coming off the board as the tenth pick.
If the Lakers and Suns pass on Lonzo Ball, he could still be available as late as the Knicks’ pick at number 8. With teams nitpicking Malik Monk’s size and defensive potential, the Kentucky guard could slide into the double-digit selections. Dennis Smith Jr. has a super high ceiling and a relatively low floor, meaning we could see him taken by Phoenix fourth or not until Miami with the 14th pick.
5. Are the injury prone players worth the risk?
Recent seasons have been flooded by top draft picks unable to play due to injury. Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Jabari Parker, and Dante Exum have all missed entire seasons in their young careers. Some of these players suffered freak injuries, while others had obvious medical issues when they were selected on draft night.
This year’s draft has three players that stand out as possible rolls-of-the-dice medically.
Harry Giles was the top recruit in the nation coming of high school, but after three knee surgeries, he failed to show any explosiveness in his one year at Duke. His game was predicated on his athletic ability and freakish tendencies, though he looked decidedly human at Duke. He may never bounce back from the wear and tear on his knees.
OG Anunoby also suffered a knee injury at Indiana, namely a torn ACL. He’s likely to be ready for opening night, yet he could be severely hampered as he rehabs back into his former self. Anunoby made his living in Bloomington as a blur on the court, streaking around for blocks, dunks, steals, and highlight package plays. If he can only perform at 80 percent of his former athletic capacity, his game would really suffer until he can develop his jump shot and some other fundamental skills.
Lastly, Dennis Smith Jr. showed a lot of promise at North Carolina State last year in the first year after an ACL tear. Generally, players take two full years to return fully from that injury. If Smith has another gear from what he showed as a freshman, he could be a gamechanger as a pro. If his athletic ability has peaked, he could slide down the draft or prove to be a bust.
