It’s the day that all struggling NBA franchises have been dreaming of. The NBA Draft, a now two-day event that gives the worst teams in the league a chance to catch lightning in a bottle and a deep dive into other teams who have no idea what they are doing.
Outside of the top selection, which is expected to be the Dallas Mavericks selecting Duke freshman and national player of the year Cooper Flagg, there is no telling what will happen when NBA Commissioner Adam Silver takes the podium at Barclays Center in New York.
Already before this year’s draft, several trades have a chance to change the landscape of the league. Kevin Durant orchestrated his exit from the Phoenix Suns after two seasons and was shipped to the up-and-coming Houston Rockets, and Kristaps Porzingis was dealt to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team swap as the Boston Celtics continued its post-championship salary dump.
One of those teams in the Porzingis deal is the Brooklyn Nets, who now have five first-round picks (No. 8, No. 19, No. 22, No. 26, No. 27), plus a second rounder at No. 36) and could make some serious noise to move up or use its assets to broker a deal for an established star.
Also, look out for the world champion Oklahoma City Thunder, who have two first-round picks and a total of 11 first-round picks through the 2030 season, keeping their title-chasing window open for years to come.
