NBA Rumors: Jazz prefer Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid over Jabari Parker?

By Josh Hill | Jun 18, 2014

Mar 21, 2014; Raleigh, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Jabari Parker (1) saves a ball from going out of bounds against Mercer Bears forward Jakob Gollon (20) in the first half of a men /

The NBA Draft is just around the corner and it seems that teams at the top of the lottery are still largely undecided about who they want to take. Usually a draft can be defined by the first pick, but this year there seems to be as many as four potential first overall picks which means there will be decisions to be made more than a few times at the top of the order.

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One of those teams at the top of the order are the Utah Jazz, who have the No. 5 overall pick and will have at least one top prospect fall to them. But while Utah has been coveting Jabari Parker and are rumored to be trying to trade up to get him, they may have eyes for other top players.

According to ESPN draft expert Chad Ford, the Jazz may actually be using their interest in Parker as a bit of a smokescreen, as they could have both Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins ranked higher on their boards than they do Parker.

"I know what Jazz fans want. They want Jabari. But I actually think Embiid and Wiggins may be higher on their boards. If they move up, don’t assume it’s for Parker. And please Jazz fans, don’t burn down Dennis Lindsay’s home if he passed on him. You’ll love Wiggins too."

Should the Jazz pass on Parker, it won’t be the end of the world. Scouts generally believe that Parker and Wiggins are virtually the same guy and it’s all about what you like more about their potential or how hard you think it will be to develop their skills. Right now, Wiggins has been getting the most love out of anyone and that could cause the Jazz to take him over Parker.

However, if there’s someone likely to fall to No. 5 overall, it’s Parker and not Wiggins, meaning the Jazz are in a win-win situation of sorts if things work out.