1. Minnesota
Karl-Anthony Towns – C – Kentucky
2. Los Angeles
Jahlil Okafor – C – Duke
3. Philadelphia
D’Angelo Russell – G – Ohio State
4. Phoenix
Justise Winslow – SG/SF – Duke
5. Orlando
Willie Cauley-Stein – C – Kentucky
6. Sacramento
Emmanuel Mudiay – PG
7. Denver
Kristaps Porzingis – F
8. Miami
Mario Hezonja – SG/SF
9. Charlotte
Devin Booker – G – Kentucky
10. Detroit
Stanley Johnson – SG/SF – Arizona
11. Indiana
Myles Turner – C – Texas
12. Utah
Bobby Portis – PF – Arkansas
13. New York
Frank Kaminsky – PF – Wisconsin
14. New Orleans (via OKC)
Kelly Oubre – SG/SF – Kansas
15. Atlanta
Trey Lyles – PF – Kentucky
16. Boston
Kevon Looney – PF – UCLA
17. Milwaukee
Montrezl Harrell – PF – Louisville
18. Houston
Cameron Payne – PG – Murray State
19. Washington
R.J. Hunter – SG – Georgia
20. Toronto
Justin Anderson – G – Virginia
21. Dallas
Jerian Grant – PG – Notre Dame
22. Chicago
Tyus Jones – PG – Duke
23. Portland
Sam Dekker – SG/SF – Wisconsin
24. Cleveland
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson – SF – Arizona
25. Memphis
Jordan Mickey – PF – LSU
26. San Antonio
Rashad Vaughn – SG – UNLV
27. Los Angeles
Delon Wright – PG – Utah
28. Boston
Robert Upshaw – C – Washington
29. Brooklyn
Christian Wood – PF – UNLV
30. Golden State
Chris McCullough – PF – Syracuse
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Let’s break down a few of these selections and discuss what trades I see happening:
#1-Minnnesota Timberwolves- Karl-Anthony Towns
There have been debates on who should go number one, but Towns’ ability to run the floor better complements the pieces the Timberwolves have in place. Plus his midrange jumper will allow more driving lanes for Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine.
#4- Phoenix Suns (via New York) – Justise Winslow
The Knicks are strongly searching for a team to trade down with. The Nuggets and Pistons are on their radar with point guards Ty Lawson and Brandon Jennings being involved. But neither player would be a particularly good fit in the triangle because their size would not make them prime cutters to the rim. Plus, anyone else the Knicks would want to draft would be a reach at 7 or 8. Enter the Suns with Eric Bledsoe and the 13th pick. Bledsoe is very versatile on both ends of the court which would help the Knicks tremendously. His strength and athleticism would make him a very good fit in the triangle as he finishes well at the rim. Now with the Suns moving up they have a chance to get a wing player with tremendous potential in Justise Winslow. His defense and athleticism would create a lot of opportunities for himself and the team, and Phoneix would have a bright future with him, Brandon Knight and Markieff Morris.
#5 – Orlando Magic – Willie Cauley-Stein
Orlando will have to choose their big man to complement Nikola Vucevic with this selection. Although Porzingis’ stock has risen rather dramatically this summer, it does not make a lot of sense to draft someone who is projected to have defensive issues since Vucevic is a below-average defender. While Porzingis is long, he is also frail and more known for his offensive capabilities. Cauley-Stein on the other hand will be a very good defensive player in this league as his is a shot-blocker and can play some on the perimeter (defensively).
#8 – Miami Heat (via Detroit) – Mario Hezonja
In an attempt to keep Dwyane Wade the Heat have been looking to shed some contracts. By trading role players Mario Chalmbers and Chris Anderson to the Pistons (along with the tenth pick) they could even move up in the draft to select Hezonja, which may help persuade Wade even more. Hezonja’s shooting and slashing abilities will help a playoff-bound second unit, and could make him the heir-apparent in Miami.
#13 – New York Knicks (via Phoenix) – Frank Kaminsky
The Knicks have a lot of money to play with this offseason, and there are a lot of big men out there to sign. Kaminsky is long and versatile offensively, which means he will complement whoever the Knicks can land well.
#14 – New Orleans Pelicans (via Oklahoma City) – Kelly Oubre
I had to squeeze an out-of-the-box trade in here. The Thunder could really use some consistent shooting to open up the floor for Durant and Westbrook. While I think they’ll be targeting Devin Booker, I have Charlotte snagging him if they can’t get Hezonja. I’m predicting the Thunder trade this pick for Eric Gordon and the Pels select Oubre. This long, athletic wing player will complement Tyreke Evans well and could potentially mold himself into a very similar player. The team will likely want him to continue to work on his jumper, which could make him into an All-Star someday.
Trades:
New York Knicks trade the 4th overall pick to the Phoenix Suns for Eric Bledsoe and the 13th pick.
Detroit Pistons trade the 8th overall pick to the Miami Heat for Mario Chalmbers, Chris Anderson and the 10th overall pick.
Oklahoma City Thunder trade the 14th overall pick to the New Orleans Pelicans for Eric Gordon.
The Heat Check Magazine 