NBA Draft Projections: What Every Lottery Team Will Do with Prized Picks

Thursday's NBA Draft will make or ruin some days depending on whether your favorite team makes the decision you think it should make.

Organizations always seem to have their reasons, but those don't always coincide with the fans' perspectives. Those decisions could get even more interesting with the likelihood of some draft-day trades shaking up the order.

Besides the chance the Charlotte Bobcats get rid of that No. 2 pick, it appears a two more are generating plenty of interest according to ESPN's Marc Stein:

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Sacramento at No. 5 and Toronto at No. 8. Those are the picks still generating the most trade chatter on the eve of the NBA Draft

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 27, 2012"

Trades or no trades, plenty of mysteries remain.

Here's a look at what each lottery club is most likely to do when it's on the clock.

New Orleans Hornets—1st and 10th Picks

There isn't much mystery about what the New Orleans Hornets will do with the first pick. That honor will belong to Kentucky's Anthony Davis.

The more interesting question is what will become of that 10th pick.

There's a case to be made that the team should go after a more traditional center after trading Emeka Okafor. That would allow the athletic Davis to fully exploit his athleticism and quickness at the power forward position rather than having to body up against bigger bodies.

ESPN's Chad Ford reports that the Hornets have also attempted to trade the pick:

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After the first nine picks, things start to break down a little bit. The Hornets can go in a lot of directions and also are exploring trades. Sources say they offered the Rockets the 10th pick for Nos. 14 and 16 but were turned down last week.

"

New Orleans has plenty of cap space, so the draft won't be its only chance to add talent. That said, the Hornets won't be giving this pick away for nothing. The organization has built a young core in the aftermath of Chris Paul, and this pick should add to that one way or the other.

The Hornets best move may be to simply take the best available talent. If a point guard like Damian Lillard is available, he'd be an excellent long-term replacement for Jarrett Jack. If Kentucky forward Terrence Jones is around, he could help replace Trevor Ariza (traded to Washington).

The bottom line is that this team has a lot of options, and all of them look pretty good.

Charlotte Bobcats—2nd Pick

There are a number of reasons the Charlotte Bobcats are looking to trade this pick. The most important may be that might enable them to shed Tyrus Thomas' contract, a key step in positioning the franchise for better cap flexibility in the near future.

Additionally, there's not a huge difference in the talent available at this position and what the Bobcats could land with the fourth or fifth pick in the draft.

If the team could get the Portland Trail Blazers to send over their two lottery picks, all the better for an organization that's utterly short on talent.

If Charlotte winds up keeping the pick, Kansas' Thomas Robinson probably makes the most sense—though Kentucky's Michael Kidd-Gilchrist really makes an equally compelling argument.

Both guys would be instrumental to changing the locker room culture and adding the kind of youth that's mature beyond its years. 

Washington Wizards—3rd Pick

The Washington Wizards are simply looking to surround up-and-coming star John Wall with the best talent available.

After acquiring Nene at midseason and then bringing Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza in this summer, Washington has acquired frontcourt veterans capable of transforming the club sooner rather than later. That wouldn't necessarily preclude the Wizards from selecting a small forward like Michael Kidd-Gilchrist or Harrison Barnes, but it would suggest that Bradley Beal is at the top of their list.

A backcourt of Wall and Beal would be an immediately dangerous scoring tandem, and the Wizards could certainly use Beal's range. The roster is otherwise lacking in the three-point department.

That said, the Wizards may not be done dealing. As active as the team has been lately, it may be better to finish reshuffling now than further interrupting this team's attempt to form cohesion by making more moves this season or the next.

Cleveland Cavaliers—4th Pick

Unless the Cleveland Cavaliers work out a deal to move up in the draft and snag Florida's Bradley Beal, they'll almost certainly wind up taking the best small forward still on the board—either Michael Kidd-Gilchrist or Harrison Barnes.

The rotation has a need for a shooting guard and small forward alike, so the Cavs are really in a win-win position, even if they miss out on their preferred target.

This team is off to a nice start rebuilding around Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving. The first order of business is surrounding Irving and forward Tristan Thompson with a wing scorer who can become a reliable No. 2 option.

Sacramento Kings—5th Pick

If the Sacramento Kings hold on to this pick, it will be one more addition to a youth movement that's gotten off to an excellent start with DeMarcus Cousins, Tyreke Evans and Isaiah Thomas.

This team needs some defense, though. It ranked dead-last in points allowed last season, and all the scoring talent in the world won't give this team more wins.

That leaves the Kings to go in a couple of different directions.

They could get a big man like Andre Drummond to pair alongside Cousins, or they could go after whatever remains of the Harrison Barnes or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Both forwards would dramatically improve Sacramento's perimeter defense and allow Tyreke Evans to return to the backcourt, where he's been more effective and comfortable.

Trading this pick may be tempting, but it doesn't make a ton of sense given how young the rest of the roster is. The best thing this organization can do is keep pooling talent and giving it some time to develop.

Portland Trail Blazers—6th and 11th Picks

It's a good thing the Portland Trail Blazers have two lottery picks in this draft, because they also have two glaring needs.

With Marcus Camby no longer in the picture and Raymond Felton almost certainly to be exiting it, Portland desperately needs a center and a point guard. How it prioritizes those needs will depend on who's available and how ready they are to help an NBA team on the verge of playoff contention.

If Andre Drummond is still on the board for the sixth pick, he could be a nice accompaniment for power forward LaMarcus Aldridge. If he's gone, the team will find another way to solve its needs in the paint—this is far too soon to take Tyler Zeller or Meyers Leonard.

Another option at the six-spot is point guard Damian Lillard, a quick spark-plug who can score from virtually anywhere. Chances are he won't last until the 11th pick, so Portland make move on him when it has the chance.

With the 11th pick, Portland has a number of options. It could still look for centers (Zeller, Leonard) and point guards (Kendall Marshall), or it could prepare for Jamal Crawford's departure by taking the best shooting guard on the board—potentially Jeremy Lamb, Dion Waiters, Terrence Ross or Austin Rivers.

Of course, Portland also has the flexibility to make a move—a possibility that becomes even more likely if the team is indeed trying to trade Jamal Crawford before he can leave on his own.

Golden State Warriors—7th Pick

The Golden State Warriors could go in a few different directions.

On the one hand, the 24-year-old Stephen Curry is young enough that bringing in some additional youth might make some sense. Pairing the point guard with a high-upside forward like Terrence Jones or Perry Jones III could pay dividends down the road even if it doesn't do much for the team right now.

Last season's emergence of rookie Klay Thompson gives the organization additional reason to continue building around a young backcourt core with young frontcourt additions.

On the other hand, the rest of Golden State's roster includes guys in their primes like Andrew Bogut, David Lee and Dorell Wright.

That suggests a certain logic to using the pick as trade bait for a veteran who could immediately help the team.

After years of mediocrity, the fanbase is also ready for some concrete signs of a turnaround.

Toronto Raptors—8th Pick

With point guard Jose Calderon entering the last year of his contract, the Toronto Raptors would certainly have interest in the lightening-quick Damian Lillard out of Weber St.

There's also a case to be made for going after a shooter, though.

DeMar DeRozan is an excellent slasher with a still-improving mid-range game, but he's nowhere close to being a pure shooter. That could make Jeremy Lamb an attractive option, especially if Lillard is already off the board.

There's also been talk of Houston Rockets point guard Kyle Lowry going to Toronto in exchange for this pick, but Lowry has been linked to a few teams.

Unless anyone in the Raptors' front office seriously believes this team is anywhere close to being good, keeping this pick and planning for the future probably makes the most sense.

Detroit Pistons—9th Pick

The Detroit Pistons already have a solid young center in Greg Monroe, but they'll be looking for a more athletic counterpart for him in the paint.

Monroe doesn't do much of his work above the rim, so guys like Baylor's Perry Jones III and UNC's John Henson have an excellent shot here. If the club prefers a defensive workhorse with a nonstop motor, Henson will be their guy.

According to ESPN's Chad Ford, his workout with the Pistons didn't hurt:

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Sounds like Henson was the big standout in the Detroit workout. Mock Draft 9.1 coming in 3, 2, 1 ...

— Chad Ford (@chadfordinsider) June 25, 2012"

If, however, the team is looking for a guy with more upside and scoring ability, Jones could get the nod.

Either way, the Pistons will have a more formidable paint presence next season. Charlie Villanueva and Jason Maxiell clearly weren't the answers at the 4 position, so it's time for new blood here.

Houston Rockets—12th Pick

The Houston Rockets acquired this pick from the Milwaukee Bucks, and all indications are that the club is simply hoarding first-round picks so that it can make a run at a star like the Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard or the Atlanta Hawks' Josh Smith.

If something falls through, the Rockets could go after a guard like Dion Waiters or Terrence Ross. Or, after losing Samuel Dalembert in acquiring this pick, they might opt to take the best available big man instead.

Either way, if Houston winds up actually making this pick, it's a sign that something has gone wrong. 

Phoenix Suns—13th Pick

Little is certain about the Phoenix Suns' roster next season other than the fact that up-and-coming center Marcin Gortat will be around.

The Suns could look for a power forward to join him in the paint, but the more likely option is probably taking the best available scorer. That could wind up being Jeremy Lamb, Dion Waiters, Terrence Ross or Austin Rivers.

Any of those options would improve the Suns backcourt and give the organization some youth to pair with whatever free agents it acquires with its ample cap space.

Milwaukee Bucks—14th Pick

Though the Milwaukee Bucks just acquired Samuel Dalembert from the Houston Rockets, that doesn't mean they've fully replaced Andrew Bogut just yet.

In fact, the team may have reasoned that losing a couple of spots in the lottery wouldn't matter given that one of either Tyler Zeller or Meyers Leonard would still be on the board (if not both of them). With Ersan Ilyasova a free agent this summer, the club could also take the best power forward on the board, perhaps whoever the Detroit Pistons end up passing on with the ninth pick.

This much is pretty certain: With Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis in the backcourt, it's unlikely Milwaukee takes a guard unless it's absolutely certain the Jennings won't be part of its long-term plans.