With the NBA draft just about to begin, GMs are working the phones frantically to explore all avenues of improving their clubs, including trades and creating cap space. The latest news appears to be the Los Angeles Lakers choosing at 2 between Duke’s Jahlil Okafor and Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell. As I reported in Mock 6.0.1, my sources revealed that the Lakers front office voted Russell over Okafor when polled by Mitch Kupchak. It sounds doubtful that a deal for DeMarcus Cousins will happen tonight,
Mock Draft 5.0.1: All the Latest Intel
Now that the NBA Finals are complete, congrats to the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers for a gem of a series, we can focus exclusively on the NBA Draft for the next week. My latest intel is that while Karl-Anthony Towns will be the first pick – which I have been saying since the NBA Combine – the second pick is seeing some last-minute movement. The Los Angeles Lakers like Jahlil Okafor and DeAngelo Russell. I’ve even heard Kristaps Porzingis
Mock Draft 5.0: Lakers Taking Russell? Knicks Looking to Deal
An interesting development took place on Friday when D’Angelo Russell reportedly canceled his workout with the Philadelphia 76ers, who hold the third pick in the draft. That could mean that the Lakers have promised him that he won’t slip past the second overall pick. New rumors have circled that Jahlil Okafor’s agent, Bill Duffy, is concerned that the Lakers could pass on the Duke big in favor of Russell, leaving Okafor to fall into the laps of the 76ers. Despite selecting
Mock Draft 5.0: Picks 11 through 20
11. Indiana Pacers – Cameron Payne, PG, Murray State The Thunder, who pick 14th, reportedly promised Payne around the combine that he wouldn’t get past them, so his stock continues to rise. The Pacers lack a dominant PG, and with Paul George returning next season, having a dynamic lead guard to handle the ball and put him in easier scoring options makes sense. Payne, who averaged 20.3 points (11th nationally) and six assists as a sophomore, could make an immediate impact. He’s lethal off the pick
Mock Draft 5.0: Picks 21 through 30
21. Dallas Mavericks – Tyus Jones, PG, Duke After the postseason debacle with Rajon Rondo, the Mavericks need an upgrade and stability at point guard. If Jones were bigger he’d be a lottery pick, and the Duke product was arguably the most valuable player for the Blue Devils in the national championship game in April. Jones is a throwback PG who creates great scoring opportunities for his teammates, but he also has the ability to hit the big shot or convert when he’s open, sort of
Mock Draft 4.0: Towns to T-Wolves, and then what?
With the NBA Finals approaching, every franchise except Cleveland and Golden State is wholly focused on the NBA Draft. The Minnesota Timberwolves, holding the top pick and with a nucleus of Andrew Wiggins, Ricky Rubio and Shabazz Muhammad, should be one of the brightest young teams in the NBA next season and for years to come.For larger market teams such as the Lakers, 76ers and Knicks, they hope to turn around their clubs quickly by finding a promising young prospect. There are some good
Mock Draft 4.0: Picks 11-20
11. Indiana Pacers – Kelly Oubre, SF, Kansas Like many Jayhawks prospects, Oubre should be even better in an NBA system where he’ll have more scoring opportunities. As a rookie, Oubre should be able to hit open jumpers, and if he develops his ball-handling skills to create his own scoring opportunities, he could be very good. He averaged 9.3 points and 5 rebounds in just 21 minutes per game for Kansas, and went 15-for-19 from the foul line in a late-season victory over
Mock Draft 4.0: Picks 21-30
21. Dallas Mavericks – Tyus Jones, PG, Duke The Mavericks and Rick Carlisle are not opposed to going in a different direction here, but PG and the value here make sense. If you watched any of Duke’s tournament games, you could see how big of an impact Jones had as a true freshman. Jones is a throwback PG that creates great scoring opportunities for his teammates, but he also has the ability to hit the big shot or convert when he’s open, sort