NBA Draft Rumors: Marcus Smart expected to be top seven pick
By Bryan Rose
While multiple teams are said to have interest in drafting Oklahoma State point guard Marcus Smart, it doesn’t sound as if he’ll be available very long. Originally thought to be a top ten pick before the injury to Joel Embiid, strong workouts combined with Embiid’s injury have seen Marcus Smart soar up draft boards and teams like the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings are all said to have interest.
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However, according to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee, the Kings don’t believe that Marcus Smart will be available come their No. 8 pick meaning the OK St. product will be drafted in the top seven, assuming the Kings are correct of course.
What we do know is Smart isn’t going to go first or second as those spots are likely reserved for Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker. It’s unlikely he’d go third as well as the Philadelphia 76ers appear more interested in other targets like Dante Exum. The Orlando Magic could conceivably be a home for Smart as they’ve worked him out on more than one occasion and the two seem to have a mutual interest in each other.
The Utah Jazz, who pick fifth, attempted to bring Smart in for a workout but he declined, so it remains to be seen if they’d have interest in drafting a player they never saw workout.
That leaves the Boston Celtics (No. 6) or the Los Angeles Lakers (No. 7) as the other possibilities.
However, we’ve seen how one player being drafted out of an expected order can send the draft into a complete crap-shoot, so it shouldn’t be guaranteed that Smart is a top seven pick though if all goes as believed it’s doubtful he lasts until the Kings’ No. 8 pick.