To the surprise of literally no one, the Denver Nuggets did not move up in the lottery on Tuesday, and will own the rights to the thirteenth selection in the 2017 draft.
The Nuggets had the second-worst odds to move into the top 3 in the league, and Gary Harris’ presence wasn’t enough to overcome those odds.
The draft order is finalized however, which means that draft season is out of the preseason and into the regular season. Here’s a fresh mock draft for your perusal.
As always, a disclaimer that there is a high probability that all these predictions are wrong. Please comment below if you agree/disagree of have a prospect you’d like me to keep an eye on going forward. Team needs are taken into consideration – in a future mock draft, we’ll go full mock and assign managers to the teams, giving them the authority to make trades and make their pick independently.
Here’s Mock Draft 4.0:
* I forgot Frank Ntilikina. You can see where I have mocked him in previous editions, but for now, rest easy knowing I have him as a top 10 pick. In this mock, I’d have him going to Dallas, but that creates a ripple effect that I don’t have time to correct. I’ll try to avoid mistakes like that in future mocks *
| Pick | Team | Player, Position, Team | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Celtics | Markelle Fultz, PG, Washington | from BRK |
| 2 | Los Angeles Lakers | Lonzo Ball, G, UCLA | |
| 3 | Philadelphia 76ers | Jayson Tatum, SF, Duke | from SAC |
| 4 | Phoenix Suns | De’Aaron Fox, PG, Kentucky | |
| 5 | Sacramento Kings | Dennis Smith Jr., PG, NC State | from PHI |
| 6 | Orlando Magic | Josh Jackson, SF, Kansas | |
| 7 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Zach Collins, PF, Gonzaga | |
| 8 | New York Knicks | Malik Monk, SG, Kentucky | |
| 9 | Dallas Mavericks | Lauri Markkanen, PF, Arizona | |
| 10 | Sacramento Kings | Jonathan Isaac, SF, Florida State | from NOP |
| 11 | Charlotte Hornets | Donovan Mitchell, SG, Louisville | |
| 12 | Detroit Pistons | Jarrett Allen, C, Texas | |
| 13 | Denver Nuggets | OG Anunoby, SF, Indiana | |
| 14 | Miami Heat | Terrance Ferguson, SF, Adelaide | |
| 15 | Portland Trail Blazers | Hamidou Diallo, SG, Kentucky | |
| 16 | Chicago Bulls | Justin Jackson, SF, UNC | |
| 17 | Milwaukee Bucks | Harry Giles, PF, Duke | |
| 18 | Indiana Pacers | Josh Hart, SG, Villanova | |
| 19 | Atlanta Hawks | Justin Patton, C, Creighton | |
| 20 | Portland Trail Blazers | Jawun Evans, PG, OK State | from MEM |
| 21 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Luke Kennard, G, Duke | |
| 22 | Brooklyn Nets | Ike Anigbogu, C, UCLA | from WAS |
| 23 | Toronto Raptors | Jordan Bell, PF, Oregon | from LAC |
| 24 | Utah Jazz | Monte Morris, PG, Iowa State | |
| 25 | Orlando Magic | Ivan Rabb, PF, California | from TOR |
| 26 | Portland Trail Blazers | Isaiah Hartenstein, C, Zalgaris | from CLE |
| 27 | Brooklyn Nets | Semi Ojeleye, SF, SMU | from BOS |
| 28 | Los Angeles Lakers | Bam Adebayo, C, Kentucky | from HOU |
| 29 | San Antonio Spurs | John Collins, PF, Wake Forest | |
| 30 | Utah Jazz | Rodions Kurucs, SF, Latvia | from GSW |
Notes
The Lakers were able to keep their pick this year, as well as the pick they would have owed to the Magic if they lost this year’s pick, which would have been conveyed in 2019. They are one of the winners from lottery night.
Philadelphia has two unprotected picks coming to them in the next two years: 2018 from the Lakers, and 2019 from the Kings. They’ll be set for a long time.
The Kings won the third pick, but gave that up by giving swap rights to Philadelphia in the infamous Nik Stauskas trade. They were able to get one year of Rajon Rondo, and missed the playoffs. With Sacramento moving up, Phoenix, Orlando, Minnesota, and New York all moved down. Even during the offseason, Rondo is killing the Knicks.
I anticipate there will be teams that will be looking to trade their picks, and here’s my guesses:
- New York – Phil Jackson has to be on thin ice, and the team needs to win. They had a 18 percent chance to move into the top 3, and they moved down. Any player available there isn’t going to help them win in 2017, and they could be talked into moving down to pick up a veteran.
- Charlotte – Similar story, but for different reasons. They were a good team, and should be back in contention next season. They just need players that can contribute now, and I could see them trading their pick, not just looking to swap. They need to win with the team they have now.
- Detroit – They have a lot of mediocre talent. Adding a rookie could cause problems in a locker room that has already had issues. Trading their pick to move down for two picks could alleviate some of that pressure by lowering the expectations, or finding a player to stash overseas.
- Denver – They could look to move up, unloading a veteran or two to find a young player to invest in. It won’t be worth it to move up two spots, in my opinion.
- Miami – Pat Riley hates the draft.
Look for some draft videos to come out via SB Nation, helping profile some of the prospects in the top 60 on SB Nation experts boards. Until then, enjoy this Joel Embiid GIF.
