2012 NBA Draft: 5 Teams That Could Shock the World on Draft Day
Draft picks add value, whether they are used or traded. Several teams could turn their current talent into first-round draft picks in 2012 or turn their 2012 draft picks into top-tier talent.
Which route those teams will go depends largely on management’s decision of whether a franchise is built to win now or is better suited building for the future.
Here are five teams who could be very active once the trade dominoes start falling on draft day.
Memphis Grizzlies
1 of 5Someone on this team has to go. There is a gluttony of talent on the Memphis Grizzlies team.
Unfortunately for Memphis, most of the talent exists on the offensive end of the floor.
There just aren’t enough shots to go around between Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph.
The Grizzlies should entertain any and all offers for Gay. Gay is a tremendous player and could bring a wealth of talent in return. If Memphis can land a premier defensive player along with a top draft pick, the Grizzlies should go that route.
That will alleviate some of the defensive pressure off of stopper Tony Allen.
Portland Trail Blazers
2 of 5The Portland Trail Blazers appear to be in the midst of a youth movement as they transition out of the Brandon Roy and Greg Oden era.
But the possibility of two lottery picks makes the Blazers an intriguing trade partner.
The Blazers have a difficult time luring free agents to the gloomy Pacific Northwest. As a result, they need to consider trading to address their two biggest needs: center and point guard.
The Blazers could trade their two picks for a proven NBA big man, perhaps to the Pacers in a sign-and-trade for Roy Hibbert.
New York Knicks
3 of 5The Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony experiment isn’t working out in New York the way it was expected to.
Without a first-round pick in this year’s draft, New York could look to deal one of its two superstars for a lottery pick this year, as well as a couple of future picks.
Anthony is the more tradeable of the two. Stoudemire is a great complement for Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler.
If Jeremy Lin emerges as more than a one-month wonder, both Stoudemire and Chandler will be effective in the pick-and-roll game with Lin.
That leaves Anthony expendable and gives the Knicks the means to picking up a premier wing defender.
Boston Celtics
4 of 5Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen are free agents this offseason. As their careers reach their twilight, the Boston Celtics will hesitate to offer them the big-time contracts they’ll desire.
Boston has two picks in the first round. This year is the prime time to rebuild.
Because of what Paul Pierce has done for the franchise, he should be given an option: Finish your career here or we will ship you to a contender of your choice. That decision should be honored.
If Pierce opts to stay, the Celtics can ship Rajon Rondo anywhere in the NBA and get top dollar in return. Rondo has proved himself to be one of the top point guards in the NBA. In a trade, the Celtics could command at least one up-and-coming star and a No. 1 pick.
Matching the two late first-round picks Boston has with the bounty of a Rondo trade creates a starting five with which to surround Pierce.
Los Angeles Lakers
5 of 5After the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs, Andrew Bynum told Craig Sager he would play anywhere.
Either Bynum or Pau Gasol will enter the 2012-13 season wearing colors other than purple and gold.
The one-time Los Angeles strength—big men Bynum and Gasol—was exposed as a weakness in the playoffs. The Lakers are big, but they’re slow.
Bynum looks like the more movable part. He’s huge. He’s young. And he may become the NBA’s premier center in coming years.
With an aging roster devoid of other stars to help Kobe Bryant, now may be the time to ship Bynum for draft picks or young talent.
