NBA Draft 2015: Order List, Viewing Info and Predictions for NBA Showcase
The Minnesota Timberwolves will be on the clock very shortly. The 2015 NBA draft commences on Thursday night from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. This event could be the beginning of the foundation for a future NBA champion, just as the 2009 draft was for the Golden State Warriors when the team selected Stephen Curry in the first round.
This draft class may not have any diamonds in the rough like the reigning MVP, but hope still springs eternal as the time approaches to welcome a new group of promising rookies into the NBA.
Here's how you can watch all of the picks unfold:
When: Thursday, June 25 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
Here's a breakdown of the selection order:
Random Predictions for First Round
There Will Be At Least 1 Blockbuster Trade
Almost every year, there are a ton of rumors about player movement. Most of the time it's more posturing than reality. This year, it seems we'll see at least one big move. There's a good chance the Los Angeles Lakers might be involved.
Per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, here's the details on a rumored move that would land the Sacramento Kings' DeMarcus Cousins with the Lakers:
"Kings vice president of basketball operations Vlade Divac has pursued a possible deal that would include a bevvy of assets, including the Lakers' No. 2 pick in Thursday's NBA draft, rookies Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson and other draft assets, league sources told Yahoo Sports. Sacramento also would want to unload the remainder of forward Carl Landry's two years, $13.5 million contract, league sources said.
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That's an awful lot of the future to give up for a player who has yet to lead his team anywhere close to the playoffs. If the Lakers move Clarkson and Randle, the team must still sign a significant free agent to put with Cousins and Kobe Bryant for it to be a playoff contender.
Once Bryant has walked away from the game, would what's left of the team still be competitive in the Western Conference? While it sounds cool to have Cousins in Los Angeles, the Lakers might be better off in the long run keeping the No. 2 pick and adding a free agent to play with Randle, Clarkson and Bryant.
A starting five of Clarkson, Bryant, a free-agent small forward like DeMarre Carroll or Wesley Matthews, Randle and Duke's Jahlil Okafor would be pretty nice.
Karl-Anthony Towns Will Go No. 1
There's been rumblings about Karl-Anthony Towns being a virtual lock to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
According to Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog, a source close to Towns said the 19-year-old had already been told by Minnesota that he will be its selection with the top pick.
Towns denies the report. Per Nina Mandell of For The Win, Towns said:
"It’s not true whatsoever. I haven’t had any promises. Believe me if I had any promises, I would right now be getting fat and eating a large ice cream. But right now I’m still just trying to find out what team I’ll play for and I’m still stressed out waiting for Thursday to come about.
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Whether there's a promise or not, you can just about book Towns' plane ticket to Minneapolis. The talk about selecting Okafor seems like a smoke screen. It's very likely the Wolves have already made their decision and it would be a shock if it's not Towns.
5 Point Guards Will Be Taken in First Round
Some people consider Ohio State Buckeyes star D'Angelo Russell a shooting guard, but his best position in the NBA will be the point. Considering that, Russell will be the first of five point guards taken in the first round.
This draft is considered to be a deep one and the point guard position is the deepest of all. After Russell, the Congo's Emmanuel Mudiay, the Murray State Racers' Cameron Payne, Notre Dame Fighting Irish's Jerian Grant, Duke Blue Devils' Tyus Jones and Utah Utes' Delon Wright are all virtual locks to hear their names called within the first 30 picks.
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