NBA Draft Rumors: Milwaukee Bucks won’t hesitate to take Dante Exum

There has been a lot of chatter as of late that the Milwaukee Bucks could make Australian point guard Dante Exum the second-overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

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The Bucks, along with the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic, are reportedly very high on Exum and all three teams will be working him out. There have recent reports suggesting the Bucks value Exum over both former Kansas Jayhawks’ forward Andrew Wiggins and former Duke Blue Devils’ forward Jabari Parker.

Many believe that no matter how much the Bucks like Exum, they could be hesitant to pick him. Exum has a lot of talent, but is very young and still a raw player, meaning he may not hit his peak for a while. That’s led many to believe the Bucks may select former Duke Blue Devils’ forward Parker. Parker is known as the most NBA ready and may be the most “sure thing,” which could help Bucks general manager John Hammond keep his job.

Sean Deveney of The Sporting News refutes those reports and believes the Bucks will be selecting the player the perceive to be the best regardless of job security.

"Stuck in the middle are the Bucks, who could upend the whole process by taking guard Dante Exum with the second pick. There has been a theory espoused that Milwaukee would play things safe in the draft, because general manager John Hammond could be on the hot seat and doesn’t want to risk taking a player who might need time to pan out.Bogus, one source said. “(Exum) is a real option for them, because of the size and the upside,” the source said. “Nobody there is approaching this like, ‘I need to save my job.’ You don’t do that in a draft. In free agency, that is a different story. But no one is going to save their job in the draft. If Exum is as good as they think he will be, they’d pull the trigger.”"

Exum measured in at 6’6 and 196 lbs. with a wingspan of 6’9.5 at the NBA’s Scouting Combine.