Cavs, Pelicans, Pistons, Jazz would take Jabari Parker first overall

Mar 16, 2014; Greensboro, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Jabari Parker (1) walks off after the game. The Cavilers defeated the Blue Devils 72-63 in the championship game of the ACC college basketball tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

According to draft expert Chad Ford of ESPN NBA Insiders, the Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Pelicans, Detroit Pistons, and Utah Jazz are four teams that would consider taking small forward Jabari Parker first overall in the 2014 NBA Draft.

Teams in Top 10 that would likely take Parker No. 1 if draft was today according to sources: Jazz, Pistons, Cavs, Pelicans
— NBA Big Board (@chadfordinsider) May 20, 2014

Compared to the other first overall, Parker has often been noted as the most “NBA ready” player in the draft. He’s shown a scoring prowess that has wooed scouts around the league and with the league shifting to a faster game, he could play both the small forward and “small-ball” power forward for teams.

All four teams could use a player with Parker’s skill set to improve their franchises going into next season.

Last season the Cleveland Cavaliers traded for Luol Deng, but that didn’t work as many expected. Parker would fill in Deng’s place as Deng goes elsewhere in free agency. Selecting Parker first overall would give fans a way to make mends with the draft mistakes over the last few years.

The Utah Jazz, by selecting Parker first overall, could possibly field an entire starting lineup of lottery picks from the last few years that’d consist of Trey Burke (2013), Gordon Hayward (2010), Parker (2014), Derrick Favors (2010), and Enes Kanter (2011).

While the odds aren’t necessarily in their favor, landing the first overall pick would put the Detroit Pistons in a weird position going into the summer. Since Parker is NBA starter material as soon as he touches the floor, this would create an overlap at the power forward position with Josh Smith and Greg Monroe. With defense needing to be a priority, Stan Van Gundy could likely trade Greg Monroe or allow him to walk freely as he’s a restricted free agent this summer.

The most feared pick would be Parker landing with the Pelicans. Last season Anthony Davis showed that he’s one or two years away from being one of the three best players in the NBA. They added Jrue Holiday, a top-12 point guard in the NBA to stabilize the point guard position, and could now have a small forward of the future in Parker, a clear upgrade over Al-Fariq Aminu who has started for New Orleans over the last two years. This acquisition could be the beginning of a long dynast in New Orleans.

The NBA Lottery is currently underway. We will see who lands the first overall pick in a matter of minutes.

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