NBA Draft 2014: Lakers, Celtics, Bucks would take Joel Embiid with first pick
With the NBA Draft getting closer and closers, teams intentions are beginning to be revealed.
According to Chad Ford of ESPN Insiders, Joel Embiid could be taken first overall if the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, or Milwaukee Bucks land the top pick in the draft lottery.
Bucks, Celtics, Lakers all seriously considering Embiid No. 1 if his back gets a clean bill of health
— NBA Big Board (@chadfordinsider) May 20, 2014
Had Embiid not gone down with a back injury, there’d be no question that he is the top prospect in the draft, but no team wants to deal with a Greg Oden-type situation, scaring front offices away from the Kansas center in regards to being chosen first overall. This makes sense for the three mentioned teams.
The Lakers and Celtics could also use Embiid as trade bait to land Kevin Love in a trade as the two have been rumored to consider moving their lottery pick in order to land the disgruntled superstar.
If the Bucks were to draft Embiid first overall, it’d mean Larry Sanders is officially on the trading block. Despite having a down year, Sanders would garner attention from other teams due to his reasonable contract and rim-protecting abilities. Injuries are an issue for the seven-footer though.
Another team that has been linked to taking Joel Embiid first overall is Sacramento.
Teams in Top 10 that would likely take Embiid No. 1 if draft was today according to sources: Kings … however ….
— NBA Big Board (@chadfordinsider) May 20, 2014
Sacramento taking Embiid first overall doesn’t make much sense as they currently have Demarcus Cousins as their franchise player of the future and selecting Embiid would create a position overlap. Cousins could move out to the power forward position, but this wouldn’t be the best way to emphasize his strengths on both sides of the ball.
The NBA Draft Lottery is in a few minutes, so we’ll know who lands the first overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft soon.