Just saw this on from the Athletic. Does anyone have an Athletic account to post the full story/ mock draft? https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...ECAMQAQ&usg=AOvVaw127LkkyNvkRwhYkR8TbBNO&cf=1
1. Detroit Pistons – Cade Cunningham, G/F, Oklahoma State, 19 years old Sticking with Cunningham here, but I think it’s worth exploring the idea of the Pistons considering a trade with Houston. As I said in last week’s mock draft, the Rockets have been infatuated with the Oklahoma State product. Missing out on him by “only” getting the No. 2 overall pick in the draft was a big blow to their dreams. As The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported earlier this week, they’re trying to get aggressive in talking to Detroit about a potential trade. What would it take for the Pistons to relinquish the top pick? Houston owns a lot of draft picks over the next few years thanks to the James Harden trade, but they don’t really have a blue chipper they can offer up right now. The second pick in the draft would be the starting point, and then probably a few of their own draft picks and some of the potential picks/pick swaps with Brooklyn in the future. Maybe we throw in Kevin Porter Jr. as a cheap, young player on the roster. Considering Detroit passed on keeping Christian Wood, I’d assume he’s not the guy the Pistons want back in a deal. You can construct a trade that takes away a lot of the draft capital in the future for Houston, but I still don’t think it motivates Detroit to get a deal done. My next question after this: if the Pistons are willing to consider a trade with Houston, then what does that mean for the rest of the league in opening up their chances at making an offer? Detroit would open the floodgates, but I don’t know if anything will energize the fan base like the idea of Cunningham there for a decade-plus. Do you expect a trade here? I do not. Cade will be a Piston. 2. Houston Rockets – Jalen Green, G, G League, 19 years old Will the Houston Rockets trade out if they can’t find their way to the No. 1 pick, or are the prospects of Jalen Green enough to satiate them? As I mentioned last week, there’s quite a bit of confusion about whether or not the Rockets will keep this pick. There’s a lot leaking out about them over the last week, but we don’t know how much is talk and how much is real. Let’s assume they can’t make that coveted deal for the top pick to grab Cunningham. What’s next for them? Plenty of teams (Orlando, OKC, maybe Golden State?) could get motivated to move up in the draft to a position of power. Do we think the Rockets are settled at No. 2 just in case they don’t move it? League sources have said Houston is heavily leaning toward Jalen Green there, but there are people within the Rockets’ decision-making process pushing for Jalen Suggs out of Gonzaga. Green’s potential as a star wing in this league has the Rockets’ focus, but the idea of Suggs grabbing the momentum at some point exists. Scouts and executives love his size at the point guard position, and believe he can be the leader of a young, rebuilding team. Do you expect a trade here? I’d put it at about 75-25 that the Rockets keep this pick. I don’t think they’re married to a selection here, but they’re certainly engaged and planning the wedding. 3. Cleveland Cavaliers – Evan Mobley, C, USC, 20 years old Would a Collin Sexton trade change anything here for the Cleveland Cavaliers? We’ve got some trade rumors ahead of Sexton’s contract extension negotiations. Until Kevin Love’s deal is off the books (or on someone else’s books), committing big money to Sexton, especially after the way he played last year, might not be the way they want to pack their payroll. If they can grab extra picks in the process, league sources say that’s something the Cavs are interested in doing. Maybe that means Sexton to the Knicks for their picks at No. 19 and No. 21 with some kind of framework happening there? Let’s say the Cavs do move Sexton for the draft, regardless of where he goes. Should that change their position at No. 3? Some believe Evan Mobley is the second best player in this draft, and Houston’s not taking him because they don’t like the pairing with Christian Wood. But for the Cavs, moving Sexton out of the backcourt could potentially open up a pairing of Suggs and Darius Garland. Suggs has better size than Sexton, so playing alongside Garland doesn’t hurt their defense as much. It might unlock some catch-and-shoot options for Garland, too. Most likely, though, Mobley is the guy and they figure out what to do with Jarrett Allen’s restricted free agency. Do you expect a trade here? I do, but not with this pick, necessarily. The Cavs are probably locked in on Mobley at No. 3. Acquiring extra picks in this draft would be ideal for them, and it probably doesn’t happen by trading down. The obvious move to make them a playoff team right now doesn’t seem to be there. 4. Toronto Raptors – Jalen Suggs, G, Gonzaga, 20 years old No change here this week at 4. With Cunningham, Green, and Mobley off the board, Jalen Suggs becomes the obvious choice for the Toronto Raptors, if they keep the pick. Previous analysis: Green going higher in this mock leaves Jalen Suggs as the best player available at this point. He would also be a great pick for the Raptors to end up with after receiving some lottery magic in their favor. Suggs is a natural leader on the court, and there isn’t a lot he can’t do well. His feel for the game is tremendous, and I would expect him to have a positive impact on a team right away. Suggs to the Raptors gives them a lot of flexibility. The pressure to bring back Kyle Lowry in free agency is no longer there. With your next backcourt including Suggs and Fred VanVleet, it might make more sense for the Raptors to work out a sign-and-trade with Lowry and try to bring back some picks or a trade exception to use later. Maybe you get a nice role player in the mix? You can move forward with a core of Suggs, VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, Chris Boucher and OG Anunoby. A healthy, calmer season for the Raptors should see that core back in the playoffs, and it gives them their lead guard for the next 15 years. Do you expect a trade here? We still don’t know general manager Masai Ujiri’s future, but my guess is the Raptors keep the pick at No. 4, take Suggs, and then figure out how to retool the roster, rather than tear it down and build it back up. The bones of this foundation are still very encouraging. 5. Orlando Magic – Scottie Barnes, F, Florida State, 19 years old 6. Oklahoma City Thunder – Jonathan Kuminga, G/F, G League Ignite, 18 years old 7. Golden State Warriors (via Minnesota) – James Bouknight, G, Connecticut, 20 years old 8. Orlando Magic (via Chicago) – Keon Johnson, G, Tennessee, 19 years old 9. Sacramento Kings – Kai Jones, C, Texas, 20 years old 10. New Orleans Pelicans – Franz Wagner, F, Michigan, 19 years old 11. Charlotte Hornets – Moses Moody, G/F, Arkansas, 19 years old 12. San Antonio Spurs – Jalen Johnson, F, Duke, 19 years old 13. Indiana Pacers – Davion Mitchell, G, Baylor, 22 years old 14. Golden State Warriors – Ziaire Williams, G/F, Stanford, 19 years old 15. Washington Wizards – Corey Kispert, G, Gonzaga, 22 years old 16. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Boston) – Josh Giddey, G/F, Australia, 18 years old 17. Memphis Grizzlies – Chris Duarte, G, Oregon, 24 years old 18. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Miami) – Usman Garuba, F, Spain, 19 years old 19. New York Knicks – Isaiah Jackson, C, Kentucky, 19 years old 20. Atlanta Hawks – Jaden Springer, G, Tennessee, 18 years old 21. New York Knicks (via Dallas) – Jared Butler, G, Baylor, 20 years old 22. Los Angeles Lakers – Ayo Dosunmu, G, Illinois, 21 years old 23. Houston Rockets (via Portland) – Alperen Sengun, C, Turkey, 19 years old No change here for Houston, as of right now. Previous analysis: I’m not sure if Alperen Sengun actually makes sense for the Rockets’ long-term vision, but the Turkish League MVP falling to No. 23 when some think he might be a lottery pick feels like the Rockets should roll the dice here. He can really score despite limited athleticism. He looks like he’ll be able to shoot it. And it’s such a low-risk, high-reward type of value for the Rockets that Sengun has to be one of the back-to-back picks in this scenario. Do you expect a trade here? The Rockets could absolutely keep both of these picks in the 20s to fill out the roster and the future with cost-effective options, but they can also try to move up into the teens by sending both of these picks toward someone. 24. Houston Rockets (via Milwaukee) – Trey Murphy, G/F, Virginia, 20 years old No change at No. 24 either for Houston this week. Previous analysis: You can’t have too many wings, especially in a rebuilding process. Bringing a real 3-and-D type of prospect to the Rockets here with their third first-round pick makes a ton of sense. Trey Murphy is such a good shooter from deep and the line that it’s a little hard to fathom that he should fall this far. Good workouts could really catapult him up the ranks to maybe even be in that Ziaire Williams range. Wouldn’t shock me if he ended up not making it to the 20s. Do you expect a trade here? What he said right above. 25. LA Clippers – Isaiah Todd, F, G League Ignite, 19 years old 26. Denver Nuggets – Tre Mann, G, Florida, 20 years old 27. Brooklyn Nets – Cameron Thomas, G, LSU, 19 years old 28. Philadelphia 76ers – Sharife Cooper, G, Auburn, 20 years old 29. Phoenix Suns – Joshua Primo, G, Alabama, 18 years old 30. Utah Jazz – Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, F, Villanova, 20 years old
Not much there... says that Green is the presumptive pick for the Rockets at #2, and that's the direction they're strongly leaning. But some in the organization are pushing hard for Suggs because they think he can be a good leader for a rebuilding team. I guess I can sort of see that. Suggs is praised as "a natural leader" who can help any team on Day 1. The Rockets don't have a leader (or anything else) right now, so maybe someone is thinking that's a good place to start. Ultimately, however, this writer concludes that Green will be the pick.
Second Round 31. Milwaukee Bucks (via Houston) – Nah’Shon Hyland, G, VCU, 20 years old 32. New York Knicks (via Detroit) – Kessler Edwards, G/F, Pepperdine, 20 years old 33. Orlando Magic – Roko Prkacin, F, Croatia, 18 years old 34. Oklahoma City Thunder – JT Thor, F, Auburn, 18 years old 35. New Orleans Pelicans (via Cleveland) – Day’Ron Sharpe, C, North Carolina, 19 years old 36. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Minnesota) – Miles McBride, PG, West Virginia, 20 years old 37. Detroit Pistons (via Toronto) – Quentin Grimes, G, Houston, 21 years old 38. Chicago Bulls (via New Orleans) – Charles Bassey, C, Western Kentucky, 20 years old 39. Sacramento Kings – Josh Christopher, G, Arizona State, 19 years old 40. New Orleans Pelicans (via Chicago) – Brandon Boston Jr., G/F, Kentucky, 19 years old 41. San Antonio Spurs – Rokas Jokubaitis, G, Lithuania, 20 years old 42. Detroit Pistons (via Charlotte) – Herb Jones, F, Alabama, 22 years old 43. New Orleans Pelicans (via Washington) – Jericho Sims, C, Texas, 22 years old 44. Brooklyn Nets (via Indiana) – Aaron Henry, G/F, Michigan State, 21 years old 45. Boston Celtics – Daishen Nix, PG, G League Ignite, 18 years old 46. Toronto Raptors (via Memphis) – Greg Brown, F, Texas, 19 years old 47. Toronto Raptors (via Golden State) – Joe Wieskamp, G/F, Iowa, 21 years old 48. Atlanta Hawks (via Miami) – Santi Aldama, F, Loyola (Md.), 20 years old 49. Brooklyn Nets (via Atlanta) – Aamir Simms, F, Clemson, 22 years old 50. Philadelphia 76ers (via New York) – Juhann Begarin, G, France, 18 years old 51. Memphis Grizzlies (via Portland) – RaiQuan Gray, F, Florida State, 22 years old 52. Detroit Pistons (Los Angeles Lakers) – Jason Preston, G, Ohio, 21 years old 53. New Orleans Pelicans (via Dallas) – Filip Petrusev, F, Serbia, 21 years old 54. Indiana Pacers (via Milwaukee) – David Duke, G, Providence, 21 years old 55. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Denver) – David Johnson, G, Louisville, 20 years old 56. Charlotte Hornets (via LA Clippers) – Austin Reaves, G, Oklahoma, 23 years old 57. Charlotte Hornets (via Brooklyn) – Isaiah Livers, F, Michigan, 22 years old 58. New York Knicks (via Philadelphia) – Joel Ayayi, G, Gonzaga, 21 years old 59. Brooklyn Nets (via Phoenix) – Neemias Queta, C, Utah State, 22 years old 60. Indiana Pacers (via Utah) – Yoan Makoundou, C, France, 20 years old
Imagine after all the Green/Mobley debating we end up trading back to 4 and take Suggs. The chaos on this forum will be like no other.
Based on what I've read about Suggs and doing stat comparisons, it's a little bit too close to this guy: Strengths: Tremendous athlete who always seems to have the game under control … A real competitor who wants to take the big shots and excels in the clutch. … One of the quickest guards in college basketball. Exceptional at getting into the lane and fearless finishing (sometimes dunking) over power forwards and centers … Exhibits great body control and creativity to get his shot off against taller defenders … Can get to the foul line as well as any point guard out there, creating contact at the rim … Is a clutch performer … Makes the game look easy because of his elite speed and quickness … Lockdown defender on the perimeter. … Displays solid court vision and strong leadership abilities … Has the basketball IQ, focus and skills to excel...at the next level. Suggs: PPG: 14.4 FG%: 50.3% 3PT%: 33.7% FT%: 75.4% APG: 4.5 ToPG: 2.9 SPG: 1.9 TS%: 59.5% Player above, freshman season: PPG: 15.7 FG%: 45.9% 3PT%: 34.8% FT%: 77.5% APG: 5.3 ToPG: 2.7 SPG: 1.5 TS%: 56.7%
I think multiple firsts(Plus the 2) is too much to give up for #1 I’d consider it hubris if the rockets FO Mortgaged tons of future assets because they are so sure Cade is that much better than everyone else if you can’t get it for giving DET their pick back + a second, i wouldn’t do it . Look at the price to move up the last few years .. can’t let that it’s number 1 jack up the price ... especially when you are giving up #2
Depending on the haul for trading back I would go to 4 and take Suggs. This draft is such a toss up 1-4.
Whoever the Rockets pick, there will be chaos. Trading down to 3/4 and picking Jalen Suggs is a solid move. Suggs has a high floor and could be the Rockets point guard for the next 10+ years. The trade down will also bring unprotected FRP back to Houston, which would not suck. EGo + 23 for 13 is still on the table, so someone like Jalen Johnson is also possible. If the Rockets can net Jalen Suggs and Jalen Johnson, I predict the chaos will quickly subside
I didn't see enough college hoops to truly have an opinion on Cunningham, Mobley, Suggs, et al. I understand you take a player if you are pretty sure at getting a f franchise player; however, I do balk at selling the farm for this #1 pick unless Cunningham is truly All That. His performance in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament was neither pedestrian nor faaaaaaaaaaaaaabulous, but he's probably the dude the other team swarms when he has the ball: cut off the octopus's head, the arms go limp. And yet it seems Green and KPJ have already formed a bro-ship I was writing something similar to all this but since you are more succinct I gave up and handed you a "Like" instead.
Just a couple of days ago the Rockets were having an internal debate about Green vs. Mobley. https://rocketswire.usatoday.com/20...nternal-debate-of-evan-mobley-vs-jalen-green/ Now they are torn between Jalens I'm convinced 95% of NBA reporters just make up **** and don't have any real inside info.
I like that. I didn't watch Toronto at all last year but I like OG. He has the Moreyball shot distribution and plays great defense (I think?). The issue is this has us taking on salary, as OG will be making $16m next year. Tildo is not happy about that.
