Draft boards around the NBA got shaken up following the latest injury to Joel Embiid, who no longer has a firm grip on that No. 1 spot.Now, the big question revolves around just how far he'll slide.We anticipate a number of trades to go down, either before draft night or right in the middle of it.Expect to hear plenty of rumors over the final few days, with most of them likely being manufactured or leaked by clubs looking to blow some smoke.Team needs, along with each prospect's NBA potential, were taken into account when deciding how we project the draft to play out.Here are our final two-round predictions for the 2014 NBA draft.
Multiple GMs said they don't see Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love being moved before or during the draft now that talks with the Golden State Warriors have broken down. The Timberwolves, one rival executive said, are likely to take their time now and see which teams succumb to the pressure of coming up short in both the draft and free agency. "If you're Flip [Saunders] and you can't get what you want, why do the deal?" one Atlantic Division president said. "They don't want draft picks."
While the Warriors' Klay Thompson was at the top of the Timberwolves' wish list, one source said the Rockets' Chandler Parsons was right behind him.One team that has not been mentioned so far as a player in the Love sweepstakes is Brooklyn, but a league source said the Nets are interested and, thanks to their array of veteran trading chips, "might be in the mix."
Teams that could make headlines
No club is looking to make a splash more than the Sacramento Kings, thanks to the aggressive mindset of owner Vivek Ranadive. Their No. 8 pick is readily available, and both league and team sources say everyone outside of DeMarcus Cousins is available for the right price.The Houston Rockets always seem to be in the headlines, and GM Daryl Morey is clearly in search of a third star to pair with James Harden and Dwight Howard, be it Love, Carmelo Anthony or LeBron James.Sixers GM—and Morey protege—Sam Hinkie took the unofficial award for most active wheeler-dealer in last year's draft, his first, and he easily could give a repeat performance.
Newsletter
My Cart
You have no items in your shopping cart.
Compare Products
You have no items to compare.
Community Poll
No comments:
Post a Comment