What I Want to Happen at the NBA Draft

The first round of the NBA draft happens this evening. Let’s discuss.

As I get older, I find myself realizing I don't know who many of the players are that will be first round picks. I know the bigger stars, I can point out the college players I like, but all in all, this is a mystery to me. I will say that, by most accounts, this is not the best crop of players in the world right now. There is no Victor Webanyama or LeBron James. No one in this draft tonight may have the ability to turn around a franchise. I do believe that this is not like the draft that Anthony Bennett went first overall either. I think some teams may take swings, but much like there are no surefire superstars, I do believe that there is no player that can tank an entire team. This is a very middle of the road draft. Some of these guys may turn into all star caliber players, hell some may even one day be a franchise player. But, to me, it is more likely that most of the players drafted tonight will have uneventful, but long-ish careers in the NBA. There are role players abound that will be picked tonight. And, while I do know that guys like Alexandre Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher are more than likely to go one and two, and I understand that Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle will go early, I am not going to do this like a normal draft preview. Instead of pointing out good, maybe not so good and sleeper players, I want to spend my time today talking about what I hope happens over the next couple of nights.

There is going to be a ton of movement. I have that feel going into the draft tonight. The Knicks already made a big move, acquiring Mikal Bridges for Bojan Bogdonavic and a bunch of picks. I love this move for the Knicks. They are Villanova 2.0 now. Bridges adds another defender and a solid shooter to an already very good team. The Knicks finally did something, it was smart and it will benefit them in the long run. This is the type of stuff I want to see tonight. I don't think the Hawks will move that first pick, but it would be rad if they did. I'd love to see them trade Dejounte Murray back to the Spurs. They could offload him for one of the Spurs younger guys and picks four and eight tonight. That way the Spurs get Risacher to team up with Wemby, and the Hawks can go full rebuild.

Which leads me to the next thing, I'd love to see the Hawks fully blow it up and trade Trae Young as well. If they offload both guards for younger dudes, maybe the Pistons would be interested in trading away Jaden Ivey or Jalen Duren for Young, then they could truly start the rebuild. I want to see what the 76ers are going to do with all of their cap space. It sounds like Paul George is off the table for them, so where do they pivot now? Tobias Harris is all but gone. But, they have all this excess money that they are going to have to spend. Maybe they go after one or Murray or Young. Maybe they move up to take a player like Stephon Castle. Maybe they add a bunch of vets to shore up their roster. The possibilities are endless with the 76ers. I want to see what the Suns do. Apparently the Rockets are trying to get Kevin Durant now. Maybe the Suns trade him for the number three pick and some youth from the Rockets. That would be wild and out of nowhere. It would also make this mediocre draft class look a whole hell of a lot better. And if the Suns do take Bronny James in round one, what does that do to the Lakers and LeBron? I'm sure he will stick in LA, but crazier things have happened. I'm of course interested in what the Grizzlies are going to do. Everyone should be back and healthy on a team that was the 2 seed in the West only two years ago. I would be ecstatic if they traded up and took Donovan Clingan. I'm not opposed to them picking Zack Edey at nine if they cannot trade up. I'm very intrigued with Ron Holland or Rob Dillingham. But if they could add one more vet, someone who brings toughness and height, that would be a coup for me as a fan.

I mentioned him a second ago. but I want to see where Bronny James ends up. I'm rooting for him to make it in this league, but that is all going to depend on where, and by who he is drafted. There is no middle with him. He is either going to flourish or he is going to end up a lifetime G League player. I also mentioned Paul George, and if he finally makes a decision, there would be no better night than tonight to let it be known. The 76ers chances of getting him are slim. But, the Warriors are apparently willing to give him a four year deal. The Clippers could sign and trade him. He could simply end up back on the Clippers. Or he may shock us all and go somewhere totally unexpected. And when George finally makes his decision, that is when everything is going to start going real quick. Player movement would be very, very high if/when George makes up his mind. And I hope it happens tonight.

So, while there are few players that really intrigue me in this draft, there is stuff on the outside that could make this a very notable night in the NBA. We will only have to wait a few more hours to see if it really starts popping off. Hopefully it does. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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