While the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks square off for the right to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy as champions of the NBA, the rest of the league has set its sights on the upcoming NBA Draft and what it might mean for each organization.
For some, it means acquiring young stars from college and international leagues who will set them up for future success and, hopefully, their own shot at playing for the most coveted prize in professional basketball.
For others, the draft represents the opportunity to move picks in return for superstar players who may be the missing piece in their championship pursuits.
Ahead of the draft on June 26 and 27, find out which teams are which with these rumors, reports, and rumblings from around the Association.
The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie reported that the Los Angeles Lakers are unlikely to make a selection with the No. 17 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. “This pick is another one many believe is ripe to be moved as the Lakers scour the trade market for immediate upgrades around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.”
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on his Woj Pod that the Lakers also do not intend to take Bronny James at the No. 17 pick, mostly because they do not have to, with the idea being that he will potentially be there in the second round at pick No. 55 if they want to bring him on board to play with his father.
That the Lakers would be looking to move the pick in hopes of finding a win-now piece to add to James and Davis is unsurprising.
LeBron has fewer years left in him as an active player than not at this point, and the team’s championship window is closing as the league gets younger and faster, something on full display in this year’s NBA Finals.
Capitalizing on having one of the greatest of all time and a dominant big man on the same team and winning another NBA title should be of the utmost importance for the Lakers. If that means passing up younger talent by giving up the pick in hopes of acquiring other assets the team can then move for a superstar free agent, so be it.
As for Bronny, Woj previously reported that playing on the same team as his son is no longer a priority for LeBron, making the latest info that the Lakers do not intend to take him in the first round also unsurprising.
ESPN’s Jeremy Woo reported that Australian Alex Sarr will hear his name called early in the upcoming NBA Draft.
While the Hawks are doing their due diligence in regards to the first overall pick and have him as their potential choice there, Woo wrote, “If Atlanta passes on Sarr, Washington is strongly shaping up as a landing spot, with rival teams believing the Wizards at No. 2 to be his floor.”
Sarr is a player whose raw physical attributes and potential make him so appealing to both the Hawks and Wizards.
At seven-foot, one-inch, he is deceptively quick and is a solid defender at the rim. Players possessing those skills do not come along in every draft.
Sarr played 17.2 minutes per game in the 2023-24 season, averaging 9.7 points while shooting 52 percent from the paint and 29.8 from beyond the arc. He tallied 4.4 total rebounds and blocked 1.3 shots.
Those numbers may not leap off the page but that is where the potential comes into play. If a coach can fine-tune Sarr’s play, there is plenty of opportunity for those numbers to increase and for the Perth Wildcats star to become even more dominant on the floor.
Both teams, looking to upgrade after disappointing campaigns this season, will look to the Australian, with the hopes that the talented big man will give them an athletic presence that can get rebounds and establish dominance at the net.
If he lives up to his tape, either the Hawks or Wizards could very well find themselves drafting a game-changer in a class that does not have many of them.
Connecticut center Donovan Clingan is fixing to be one of the most intriguing players to watch in this year’s NBA Draft, thanks to the number of teams he could potentially be in play for.
The two-time national champion with the Huskies has tremendous upside and showed it at the end of last season when he averaged 13 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks over the last 18 games of his season.
It was an emphatic performance that proved Clingan could rise to the occasion when his team, the defending champs, needed him most.
It is no wonder, then, that the talented young big could go as high as No. 1 overall to Atlanta or as low as No. 7 to Portland, with teams such as the Bulls and Thunder potentially making moves to jump up in the order and select him, per The Athletic’s Vecenie and ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
Clingan’s size, defense, and intensity make him a coveted player who could potentially step in and benefit a young, rebuilding team immediately.
That he has experience playing in big-time, high-profile games for the NCAA Men’s National Championship on two different occasions makes him even more appealing for teams hoping to get back into playoff contention sooner rather than later.
The Trailblazers, where both Vecenie and Givony have him potentially landing, have Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III at center already but what Clingan has already flashed on the court, in key situations, may make him far too valuable to pass up.
Do not expect him to fall lower than seventh and even then, that may be too far given the reported interest in one of Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley’s star pupils.