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The NBA trade rumor mill is shifting into high gear ahead of Thursday’s draft.
The closer the selection process gets, the more chatter we hear about clubs plotting potential moves up the draft board. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on the Hoops Collective he thinks “there’s gonna be a lot of action and trades,” and he’s not the Association’s only insider expecting a busy night:
Chris Mannix @ChrisMannixYS
While trade chatter this time of year isn’t unusual, there is a growing sense among many team execs that there could be some significant deals early in the draft.
Deandre Ayton going No. 1 feels likely, if not guaranteed. After that, the possibilities are limitless.
Let’s get to the latest and biggest draft buzz.
Raptors Chasing Lottery Pick
The Toronto Raptors are slated for zero selections in Thursday’s talent grab.
They not only hope to crash the draft party, they’re trying to climb high enough to have a shot at lanky point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, per Marc Stein of the New York Times:
Marc Stein @TheSteinLine
Draft scuttle: Hearing Toronto is exploring all of its trade options in hopes of assembling a deal to acquire a draft pick high enough to select Kentucky’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Marc Stein @TheSteinLine
According to one league source, no one on Toronto’s roster is off limits as the Raptors pursue a top-10 pick https://t.co/AZzCv8fPXD
Some elements of this aren’t super surprising.
The Raptors’ most recent playoff disappointment put plenty of possible changes in play. They already made a coaching change (Dwane Casey out, Nick Nurse promoted) and plan to “explore all options” with their roster, sources told Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
That said, Gilgeous-Alexander probably isn’t the first target Toronto fans had in mind.
The Raptors are already two-deep at point guard with Kyle Lowry (a four-time All-Star) and Delon Wright (who’s been used as a comp for Gilgeous-Alexander). Fred VanVleet, a Sixth Man of the Year finalist, is another option as he enters restricted free agency.
Porter Jr. Still Buzzing At No. 2
The Sacramento Kings seemingly always carry wild-card potential into draft night. This year should be no different.
They’re reportedly big enough fans of Michael Porter Jr. that his injury-riddled freshman year won’t rule him out as the possible No. 2 pick, rival teams told Stein:
Marc Stein @TheSteinLine
Michael Porter Jr. to Sacramento at No. 2? There are rival teams who believe that the Kings are still strongly weighing it …
USA Today‘s Sam Amick heard a similar sentiment last week and wrote more recently the Kings “are known to be focusing on a group that includes Porter Jr., Slovenian guard Luka Doncic and Duke big man Marvin Bagley III.”
Doncic recently became the youngest MVP and Final Four MVP of the EuroLeague. Bagley averaged 21 points and 11.1 rebounds for the 29-win Blue Devils. Porter Jr. had his campaign derailed by back surgery, finishing with only 53 minutes scattered across three appearances.
That said, dismissing Porter Jr. isn’t easy. Not when he’s a 6’11” combo forward who plays like a guard, with a skill set sharp enough to make him our No. 1 projected pick in August.
The Kings could go a few different directions at No. 2, although trading down for the Los Angeles Clippers’ two lottery picks reportedly isn’t one of them, per Brad Turner of the Los Angels Times:
Brad Turner @BA_Turner
Kings are not interested in trading No. 2 pick to Clippers for their No. 12, 13 picks, per source.
Keeping this selection seems like a no-brainer given Sacramento’s timeline and lack of elite talent. Which player is deserving of this pick, though, is far less certain.
Clippers Have Offer Ready for Kawhi
The first big dam of the offseason broke late last week, when multiple reports surfaced saying Kawhi Leonard wants out of San Antonio.
Shortly thereafter, ESPN’s Wojnarowski supplied Leonard’s desired destination—Los Angeles, his hometown.
While Leonard prefers the Lakers, the list of teams he’d consider includes the Clippers, sources told Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times.
Neither club has discussed a possible swap with the Spurs, per Ganguli, and both have concerns about the quadriceps injury that effectively erased Leonard’s 2018-19 campaign. But if this progresses to the point the Clippers are comfortable placing a bid, they know what they’ll offer—”a package with forward Tobias Harris and the 12th or 13th pick in this year’s draft,” a source told Ganguli.
That doesn’t seem like nearly enough to land Leonard.
When healthy, he’s a top-five talent. Late lottery picks rarely become such, and Harris—who’s only a year younger than Leonard—has never looked like more than a complementary piece.
It’s hard to say what the Spurs want, in part because it’s tough to tell if they’ll even explore the trade route. But if they bite the bullet and part with the former Finals MVP and two-time Defensive Player of the Year, expect them to collect substantially more than this hypothetical package.
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