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Los Angeles Lakers
Needs: You name it, they need it
Picks: 7

Talk about a sorry state of affairs for a team that was a contender up until very recently. They have the number 7 pick in the draft, but that won’t be enough to fix their issues. They have major issues at literally every position. The point guard position features a broken down Steve Nash on the cusp of retirement and Kendall Marshall who played well last year but still may not be the long term answer. At shooting guard they have Kobe, but even if he comes back at 100% from last year’s injuries problems, will be 36 next season. They don’t have a single forward under contract for next season, and the only center under contract is Robert Sacre. They will probably look to convince Pau Gasol that sticking around Los Angeles is best for him, but even if they do, that’s a bare bones roster with little youth or athleticism. Their roster situation makes life difficult for general manager Mitch Kupchak. As far as the draft, he’d be wise to remember three simple words: best talent available. It doesn’t matter who the best talent on the board is, it would be in the organization’s best interest to take that player.  If the Lakers are lucky, that player could be Marcus Smart, Julius Randle, or Dante Exum who, shares the same agent as Kobe and seemingly would love to play for the Lakers. Athletic West Coast PF prospect Aaron Gordon would be a fan favorite for their pick, but in reality he’s much better equipped to become a key complimentary piece than a franchising changing star. There is always the off chance that LA would be able to trade the pick, but for it to make sense for them, they would have to get an all-star caliber player in return for it and the 7th pick likely isn’t enough to return that kind of haul. And in reality they would be moving in the wrong direction, chasing a window that has already slammed shut. The draft is simple for the Lakers, but building toward the future around this year’s 7th pick is anything but. Keep in mind this could all change if they can find a major free agent willing to come aboard, but as far as the draft, the options for the Lakers are limited. With that being said, it’s got to start somewhere, and hopefully for the organization it starts with a star player in this year’s draft.

Sacramento Kings
Needs: SG/SF, PG with size, shooting
Picks: 8

The Kings have some pieces to build around. DeMarcus Cousins is one of the most productive centers in the league and Isaiah Thomas, despite his height limitations, has blossomed into a nice option at point guard. Rudy Gay seems to fit in with this squad in a way that most didn’t expect.  Their roster seems to be pretty set in terms of big men for the immediate future, with Cousins, Carl Landry, Jason Thompson, and Derrick Williams all in the mix. So, with the eighth pick in the draft, the team likely will look to boost their play on the perimeter. They landed Ben McLemore last season, but that doesn’t mean other two guards are out of the question as the Kings are still at the stage where they are looking to acquire as many assets as possible.  The best case scenario would include Marcus Smart slipping to them. Smart would be an upgrade over Thomas and provide them with a big, strong player capable of playing point guard and ultimately some much needed leadership. They could also look at somebody capable of playing the small forward position such as Doug McDermott, Rodney Hood or Nik Stauskas. Each would each provide the Kings with the shooting that they sorely lack. They are currently one of the worst shooting teams in the league, and thus would benefit from landing somebody capable of stretching the floor for them. At 8, they should have a number of options to address that issue.  

Phoenix Suns
Needs: SG/SF
Picks:  14, 18, 27, 50

Phoenix was one of the surprises of last season, as unlike many other teams, they opted not to tank and stayed in the hunt for the playoffs in a tough Western conference far longer than anybody could have imagined. Add to that the fact that they possess three first round picks in a deep draft class, and they have a chance to build on what coach Hornacek started last season. Their picks aren’t high enough to grab a sure-fire franchise changer, but they should have a chance to nab a couple quality players. They will likely look to bolster their wings. Rodney Hood and James Young would be excellent options for them in that area of the draft.  Kyle Anderson could be an intriguing pick for them as well. He has to have the ball in his hands to be effective, but with Eric Bledsoe’s ability to play off the ball it would make him a viable candidate to diversify Phoenix’s offensive attack. With the 27th pick, they will probably look at trading it away or selecting a player they can stash overseas for a year or two.  Somebody they may want to look at with that pick would be Jusuf Nurkic of Bosnia. Given time to develop, they could help take Phoenix to the next level in a couple seasons. Phoenix will have a number of options in this year’s draft and could go in a number of ways, including packaging those picks in a trade.

Los Angeles Clippers
Needs: Backup PG, Backup C
Picks: 28

The Clippers are a team stacked with talent and they have very few holes in their roster. Darren Collison hasn’t fit in as expected as the backup to Chris Paul, and thus could be one of the team’s focuses late in the first round of this draft. The only other glaring need is for a backup center to DeAndre Jordan. Obviously, the backup point guard position is more important in the small ball culture that is NBA basketball right now. So, on draft night, expect the Clips to be keeping their eyes on names like Shabazz Napier, Jordan Clarkson,  Vasilije Micic, Semaj Christon, and Spencer Dinwiddie. If they are able to land any of those players they would likely be content with their night. If they elect to select a big they could go for somebody such as Clint Capela, Mitch McGary, or Jusep Nurkic. While all are probably a few seasons away from really contributing, they could each eventually be a solid fit playing alongside a high flyer like Griffin or Jordan. With such a low pick, they may not look to fill a need, but rather, select the best player available to them or even take a flyer on a foreign prospect that they could stash overseas for a couple years.

Golden State Warriors
Needs:  C
Picks: None

Golden State has a quality roster for coach Steve Kerr to take over, and it’s a good thing since they don’t have a draft pick in this year’s draft. With Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, and David Lee they have a core to build around and Andrew Bogut, when healthy, serves as the rim protector for them. The problem is, Bogut has health issues seemingly every season. If they could somehow manage to buy a draft pick or otherwise trade for one they could look to bolster their frontcourt with the pick. Golden State’s team is pretty much set, so don’t expect to see them do much come draft day. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see Golden State taking foreign prospects in the future, as Steve Kerr has a history of going overseas in the draft. While GM for the Suns he selected Rudy Fernandez and Goran Dragic: showing a willingness to take risks on European talent. That likely won’t be the case this year unless the Warriors buy a second round pick (or first as they did last year: Nemanja Nedovic) in order to take a flier on somebody.
 

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18 Comments

  1. If I had the option to neg

    If I had the option to neg this, I would do it with a passion. First of all, my Kings will definitely go after a PF especially with the possibility of Noah Vonleh, Julius Randle and Aaron Gordon still being available at 8. Isaiah Thomas proved that he can start at the NBA level last year by averaging over 20 ppg and 6 assists. Pretty optimistic he will stay since he has even stated himself that he wants to remain in Sac and that there aren’t a lot of other teams where he could start at the PG with the position being so loaded these days. If Smart is available at #8 still, maybe they could take him and go for a sign and trade with Isaiah being a restriced FA similar to how they did with Tyreke last year and get an upgrade at the PF in exchange. Even though Thompson and Landry are still under contract, at least one of them will be parting ways (more likely Thompson) since neither of them are really suited as a starting PF for this team in order to be a playoff contender. So their biggest position need is by far a PF which is not even listed on there, not a PG with size although I do like Marcus Smart and DEFINITELY NOT a SG/SF with Rudy Gay and Ben McLemore, no just no! If one of those three PF’s are still on the board and they used that #8 pick on McDermott or Stauskas, I would jump off a f*cking bridge upside down.

  2. If I had the option to neg

    If I had the option to neg this, I would do it with a passion. First of all, my Kings will definitely go after a PF especially with the possibility of Noah Vonleh, Julius Randle and Aaron Gordon still being available at 8. Isaiah Thomas proved that he can start at the NBA level last year by averaging over 20 ppg and 6 assists. Pretty optimistic he will stay since he has even stated himself that he wants to remain in Sac and that there aren’t a lot of other teams where he could start at the PG with the position being so loaded these days. If Smart is available at #8 still, maybe they could take him and go for a sign and trade with Isaiah being a restriced FA similar to how they did with Tyreke last year and get an upgrade at the PF in exchange. Even though Thompson and Landry are still under contract, at least one of them will be parting ways (more likely Thompson) since neither of them are really suited as a starting PF for this team in order to be a playoff contender. So their biggest position need is by far a PF which is not even listed on there, not a PG with size although I do like Marcus Smart and DEFINITELY NOT a SG/SF with Rudy Gay and Ben McLemore, no just no! If one of those three PF’s are still on the board and they used that #8 pick on McDermott or Stauskas, I would jump off a f*cking bridge upside down.

  3. Wow the Warriors don’t even

     Wow the Warriors don’t even have a second round pick?  

    Collison fit in quite well, in fact so well that he’s probably leaving on a lucrative contract.  Which doesn’t change the fact that they need a backup PG, but at pick 28 they are unlikely to find a good one.  

    I think Kyle Anderson could be the biggest steal if he is able to turn some of that baby fat into muscle, and learn to play as a stretch 4.  That’s his future as I see it.  He’s way too slow for PG, or even as a SF.  

    Marcus Smart is a great pick at the 7.  Randle’s short arms make him semi risky, but he still seems like a great player.  It’s a bit scary knowing you could be drafting the next Carlos Boozer at the seventh spot (he seems quicker, but still undersized a bit).  

     

     

  4. Wow the Warriors don’t even

     Wow the Warriors don’t even have a second round pick?  

    Collison fit in quite well, in fact so well that he’s probably leaving on a lucrative contract.  Which doesn’t change the fact that they need a backup PG, but at pick 28 they are unlikely to find a good one.  

    I think Kyle Anderson could be the biggest steal if he is able to turn some of that baby fat into muscle, and learn to play as a stretch 4.  That’s his future as I see it.  He’s way too slow for PG, or even as a SF.  

    Marcus Smart is a great pick at the 7.  Randle’s short arms make him semi risky, but he still seems like a great player.  It’s a bit scary knowing you could be drafting the next Carlos Boozer at the seventh spot (he seems quicker, but still undersized a bit).  

     

     

  5. Lakers: Gordon might be

    Lakers: Gordon might be "only" a complimentary piece and not a franchise changing player, but the same could be said about Randle and Smart. Not saying Gordon makes a better pick, but when you draft at #7 rarely there’s a franchise changing player available. Randle and Smart have more all star potential, but I definitely don’t see them as franchise cornerstones.

    Kings: they could use Smart and he may be an upgrade over Thomas in the long term, mostly because he has a higher ceiling on defense, but Thomas was terrific this season and I can hardly see Smart doing better as a rookie. So he may be an upgrade in the long term, but not immediately. We always overrate draft prospects.

    Suns: no love for Stauskas here? I see him as a poor man’s Jeff Hornacek, it would be interesting to see Nik playing for him. Also, PJ Tucker’s contract expires this summer, a good defender on the wing might be needed. Gordon if he slips at #14 (unlikely) or Early and Jerami Grant at #18/27. I don’t think they will keep all of their first rounders, they already have a lot players under contract and a lot of young players. They’re probably trading one of their picks and using another one on an international player (Porzingis?). As for the big man, they probably haven’t given up on Len and he will probably get more playing time next year.

    Clips: the problem with Collison isn’t how he played, he did fairly well and I don’t think anybody they could nab with the 28th pick is going to be much better in his first year in the league. Thing is, Collison has a player option on a small contract and considering how he played he’s probably going to opt out, so they might consider let him walk and replacing him in the draft.

    Warriors: there’s such a shortage of big men in this draft class, I don’t think they could find anybody to improve their rotation, so it’s not worth to give up something for a raw, unproven prospect. Maybe McGary could help if he’s healthy. This draft is so weak at center that guys like Austin and Tavares have a shot to go in the first round under the right circumstances.

    • Kings

      If the Kings re-sign Isaiah Thomas for market value – let’s say $8,000,000 – then they will be over the luxury tax threshold. I doubt they think that’s acceptable for a non-playoff team. Marcus Smart would obviously be cheaper. 

  6. Lakers: Gordon might be

    Lakers: Gordon might be "only" a complimentary piece and not a franchise changing player, but the same could be said about Randle and Smart. Not saying Gordon makes a better pick, but when you draft at #7 rarely there’s a franchise changing player available. Randle and Smart have more all star potential, but I definitely don’t see them as franchise cornerstones.

    Kings: they could use Smart and he may be an upgrade over Thomas in the long term, mostly because he has a higher ceiling on defense, but Thomas was terrific this season and I can hardly see Smart doing better as a rookie. So he may be an upgrade in the long term, but not immediately. We always overrate draft prospects.

    Suns: no love for Stauskas here? I see him as a poor man’s Jeff Hornacek, it would be interesting to see Nik playing for him. Also, PJ Tucker’s contract expires this summer, a good defender on the wing might be needed. Gordon if he slips at #14 (unlikely) or Early and Jerami Grant at #18/27. I don’t think they will keep all of their first rounders, they already have a lot players under contract and a lot of young players. They’re probably trading one of their picks and using another one on an international player (Porzingis?). As for the big man, they probably haven’t given up on Len and he will probably get more playing time next year.

    Clips: the problem with Collison isn’t how he played, he did fairly well and I don’t think anybody they could nab with the 28th pick is going to be much better in his first year in the league. Thing is, Collison has a player option on a small contract and considering how he played he’s probably going to opt out, so they might consider let him walk and replacing him in the draft.

    Warriors: there’s such a shortage of big men in this draft class, I don’t think they could find anybody to improve their rotation, so it’s not worth to give up something for a raw, unproven prospect. Maybe McGary could help if he’s healthy. This draft is so weak at center that guys like Austin and Tavares have a shot to go in the first round under the right circumstances.

    • Kings

      If the Kings re-sign Isaiah Thomas for market value – let’s say $8,000,000 – then they will be over the luxury tax threshold. I doubt they think that’s acceptable for a non-playoff team. Marcus Smart would obviously be cheaper. 

  7. keep hearing…

     Keep hearing good things about elfrid payton.  Might be next best pg after exum and smart.  Hope suns go 14th with him.  18th with anderson or robinson and 27th moving up to get payne or good european pick

  8. keep hearing…

     Keep hearing good things about elfrid payton.  Might be next best pg after exum and smart.  Hope suns go 14th with him.  18th with anderson or robinson and 27th moving up to get payne or good european pick

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