Wacky things to watch for during the 2017 NBA Draft
By Ti Windisch
The NBA is so great. The players, besides of whatever happens on the court, provide some of the best entertainment you can find outside of Game of Thrones. The NBA Draft, even if it should die, is certainly no exception.
From draft day trades to teams making exceptionally bizarre picks, the NBA Draft is a wellspring of weird entertainment. This year’s draft is on June 22, and from what’s already happened it’s easy to tell it should be a fun one.
On that note, I’ve tried to make a few bold predictions about some of the wacky things that might go down on draft night. Some are bolder than others, but as long as one of them happens — or kind of happens — I’m taking the W on this one.
The Boston Celtics … do nothing (else) spectacular
Do you remember the 2016 NBA Draft? The Boston Celtics had the third overall pick, which was one of many assets they held to make a move and add a superstar. After just about everybody expected Boston to move on Jimmy Butler, the Celtics ended the evening with some new rookies and nothing else, aside from a future first-round pick from the Memphis Grizzlies.
Read More: The Cavaliers need a backup plan if they fail to acquire Paul George or Jimmy Butler
The Celtics are all over the NBA headlines right now, after reportedly dealing the first overall pick in this draft for the third overall pick, plus a future first as well. The buzz is that these picks are part of other deals that Boston plans on making.
We’ve heard this one before. Like, every single NBA Draft day and NBA trade deadline day for the last three years. Here’s what’s going to happen — the Celtics draft Josh Jackson or Jayson Tatum at three overall, “come so close to trading for Paul George,” then trade like five second round picks for a 2023 first rounder.
The Sacramento Kings make an unnecessary trade
The Sacramento Kings love De’Aaron Fox. When the Sacramento Kings love a player, they get that player. They loved Buddy Hield, so they traded DeMarcus Cousins for him. They loved Nik Stauskas, so they drafted him eighth overall in 2014, with Dario Saric and Zach LaVine still on the board.
So, what miscue can Sacramento use to land Fox, who DraftExpress has projected to them at fifth overall right now and who almost certainly won’t get picked ahead of Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, Jayson Tatum or Josh Jackson?
The Kings can trade the fifth pick and the tenth pick for the fourth pick or the third pick and take Fox there, even though the chances are he’d be available at fifth overall. This also ties in potentially with the first prediction, if the Celtics grab the third pick just to flip it into the fifth and tenth picks.
Some senior drops way too far
Remember all the fuss made about the Milwaukee Bucks snagging Malcolm Brogdon with the 36th overall pick last year? Brogdon played really well for the Bucks, and only fell so far because he is “old” by draft standards.
That’s going to happen again, potentially at the same position. Frank Mason Jr. and Josh Hart are both seasoned point guards who happen to be seniors, and right now they’re both projected to go in the second round. Sindarius Thornwell is a good candidate too.
It’ll take a little longer to find out if this one comes true or not, but just wait on a bunch of headlines that read something like “Spurs strike gold in Thornwell with 59th overall pick.”
The San Antonio Spurs draft a great role player nobody has ever heard of
Wait a minute, this isn’t bold or wacky, this is ordinary and annual. Let’s move on.
Lonzo Ball doesn’t go to Los Angeles
This NBA offseason is less than three weeks old, and it’s already straight-up insanity. I expect that to continue during the 2017 NBA Draft, especially now that top picks are getting swapped among teams.
In all honesty, part of the reason this would be a fun thing to have happen is imagining LaVar Ball reacting to his son playing for the Phoenix Suns or Boston Celtics or any of the non-Lakers teams that could draft him.
If the Lakers do end up dealing to get Paul George, this suddenly becomes less bold. The pick could be part of a deal, or Los Angeles could simply want to go in a different direction. All the talk has been about Lonzo in L.A., but the Ball family shouldn’t count their Big Ballers before they hatch.
Next: FanSided 2017 NBA Draft Tracker
The Brooklyn Nets make some moves
The Brooklyn Nets have done a good job of turning role players who don’t make them much better (Thaddeus Young, Bojan Bogdanovic) into first round picks recently.
They will try to do more of this, especially on NBA Draft day when teams get antsy. Brook Lopez, Jeremy Lin, Trevor Booker and Quincy Acy are among the prime suspects to be dealt to help kickstart Brooklyn’s long rebuild.
The Nets are going about this the right way, even if the result of their efforts now is still the worst team in the NBA. Getting assets and young players is better than trying and failing to remain relevant in a league with the Golden State Warriors destroying worlds at the cost of draft picks.
This is the NBA, where anything can happen, as evidenced by the past week or so. Maybe none of these predictions happen, and the NBA Draft is boring. But maybe, just maybe … things get weird.