NBA Draft 2015: Latest Mock Draft and Teams with Most to Lose on June 25
While the 2015 NBA draft class offers plenty of elite talent deep into the first round, there are sure to be losers of the process once the dust settles.
It happens every year—a team gambles on a bust, the board doesn't offer up anyone at a position of need or draft actions hurt the team's chances at retaining their own players or being competitive on the free-agent market.
This year won't be any different. Plenty of teams classify as losers already thanks to the lottery, but more could join the fray based on how the late-June event unfolds.
Below, let's take a look at an updated mock based on team need and the prospect stock market, then look at teams with the most to lose.
2015 NBA 1st-Round Mock Draft
| 1 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke |
| 2 | Los Angeles Lakers | Karl-Anthony Towns, PF, Kentucky |
| 3 | Philadelphia 76ers | Emmanuel Mudiay, PG, China |
| 4 | New York Knicks | D'Angelo Russell, SG, Ohio State |
| 5 | Orlando Magic | Justise Winslow, SF, Duke |
| 6 | Sacramento Kings | Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky |
| 7 | Denver Nuggets | Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona |
| 8 | Detroit Pistons | Mario Hezonja, SG/SF, Croatia |
| 9 | Charlotte Hornets | Kelly Oubre, SG, Kansas |
| 10 | Miami Heat | Kristaps Porzingis, PF, Latvia |
| 11 | Indiana Pacers | Frank Kaminsky, PF, Wisconsin |
| 12 | Utah Jazz | Sam Dekker, SF, Wisconsin |
| 13 | Phoenix Suns | Myles Turner, C/PF, Texas |
| 14 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Jerian Grant, PG, Notre Dame |
| 15 | Atlanta Hawks (from Brooklyn Nets) | Kevin Looney, PF, UCLA |
| 16 | Boston Celtics | Trey Lyles, PF, Kentucky |
| 17 | Milwaukee Bucks | Montrezl Harrell, PF, Louisville |
| 18 | Houston Rockets (from New Orleans Pelicans) | Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky |
| 19 | Washington Wizards | Dakari Johnson, C, Kentucky |
| 20 | Toronto Raptors | Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF, Arizona |
| 21 | Dallas Mavericks | Tyus Jones, PG, Duke |
| 22 | Chicago Bulls | Terry Rozier, PG, Louisville |
| 23 | Portland Trail Blazers | Cameron Payne, SG, Murray State |
| 24 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Bobby Portis, PF, Arkansas |
| 25 | Memphis Grizzlies | Robert Upshaw, C, Washington |
| 26 | San Antonio Spurs | Delon Wright, PG, Utah |
| 27 | Los Angeles Lakers (from Houston Rockets) | R.J. Hunter, SG, Georgia State |
| 28 | Boston Celtics (from Los Angeles Clippers) | Justin Anderson, SF, Virginia |
| 29 | Brooklyn Nets (from Atlanta Hawks) | Rakeem Christmas, PF, Syracuse |
| 30 | Golden State Warriors | Christian Ford, PF, UNLV |
Teams With Most to Lose
New York Knicks
President Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks are already the biggest losers of all in the minds of most.
The Knicks stumbled to fourth in the lottery, meaning it's possible the team misses out on both top-tier big men, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor.
There's always a silver lining, though, right? ESPNNewYork.com's Ian Begley offers one:
Besides, landing one of the top guards, D'Angelo Russell or Emmanuel Mudiay, isn't a horrific consolation prize. Adding to a budding backcourt featuring Shane Larkin, Langston Galloway and Tim Hardaway Jr. doesn't hurt.
Still, the Knicks would have liked to have options. There's plenty of ways the Knicks can lose at No. 4, whether it's having their least desirable of the top four fall to them or the decision they make causing free agents to steer clear.
The best course is for the Knicks to take the best player available and hope for the best. Sometimes the course is out of a team's control, just like the lottery.
Miami Heat
At No. 10, the Miami Heat seem to sit in a solid spot.
There's no major one need in Miami, not with Goran Dragic running the point, Dwyane Wade next to him, Luol Deng after, Chris Bosh and the promising Hassan Whiteside down low.
So what's the problem?
Well, there's always a chance the selection upsets things, or players. After all, Wade seems to remain in an odd stance about whether he will pick up his player option and Dragic is a free agent sure to see a few max offers on the open market.
In a perfect world, the Heat walk the perfect present-future tightrope with a Frank Kaminsky or Devin Booker in the hopes of scoring a solid rotational player to help push for the postseason but also grab a potential long-term starter once veterans begin to depart. It would be nice if a Stanley Johnson fell down the draft board, too.
The Heat don't land in the top 10 often, so it's best they knock it out of the park in dramatic fashion.
Boston Celtics
How can a team with two first-round picks lose?
Trading up and whiffing, of course.
As things stand, the Boston Celtics clutch the No. 16 and No. 29 selections, meaning they can add two high-upside talents to a roster already featuring Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, Jared Sullinger and others.
Rumblings suggest the team wants to move up, though, as Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk captures:
Bradley, for one, doesn't sound too concerned either way, as ESPN.com's Chris Forsberg captures:
"I know that Danny Ainge and the whole Celtics organization is going to do a good job trying to get [more talent] in. We have a lot of good pieces now, we just have to continue to keep working and getting better -- all the young guys, including myself -- and just be excited about next year because the sky's the limit for us.
"
There's still a lot at stake. If Danny Ainge and the front office throw away future resources to move up and make a mistake, it will set the franchise back years.
Willie Cauley-Stein, for example, is one of the bigger risks in the draft because he stands at just 7'1" and 240 pounds and needs serious work on the offensive end of the court.
The many ways the Celtics may go on draft day, at the least, is one of the most interesting things to monitor.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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