NBA Draft 2016: Latest Mock Draft and Teams with Most to Lose on June 23
The NBA and the teams fortunate enough to clutch first-round picks—sorry, New York Knicks—put everything on the line at the podium soon.
While the wait will seem more excruciating the shorter it gets (that only makes sense when professional sports leagues approach draft time, folks), the saving grace is the official order is now out in the wild and digestible.
Other than former Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie giving one giant fist pump over the proceedings, things went about as expected. As a result, projections don't undergo massive changes, and those teams with the most at risk don't get anything in the form of relief.
Let's examine those teams with the most to lose after a look at an updated mock draft.
2016 NBA Mock Draft
| 1. | Philadelphia 76ers | F Ben Simmons, LSU |
| 2. | Los Angeles Lakers | SF Brandon Ingram, Duke |
| 3. | Boston Celtics (via Brooklyn) | PF Dragan Bender, Croatia |
| 4. | Phoenix Suns | SG Buddy Hield, Oklahoma |
| 5. | Minnesota Timberwolves | SF Jaylen Brown, California |
| 6. | New Orleans Pelicans | SG Jamal Murray, Kentucky |
| 7. | Denver Nuggets (via New York) | C Jakob Poeltl, Utah |
| 8. | Sacramento Kings | PG Kris Dunn, Providence |
| 9. | Toronto Raptors (via Denver) | PF Henry Ellenson, Marquette |
| 10. | Milwaukee Bucks | C Thon Maker, Orangeville Prep |
| 11. | Orlando Magic | PF/C Deyonta Davis, Michigan State |
| 12. | Utah Jazz | F Marquese Chriss, Washington |
| 13. | Phoenix Suns (via Washington) | C Damian Jones, Vanderbilt |
| 14. | Chicago Bulls | SG Furkan Korkmaz, Turkey |
| 15. | Denver Nuggets (via Houston) | G Tyler Ulis, Kentucky |
| 16. | Boston Celtics (via Dallas) | SG Timothe Luwawu, France |
| 17. | Memphis Grizzlies | PG Demetrius Jackson, Notre Dame |
| 18. | Detroit Pistons | SG Denzel Valentine, Michigan State |
| 19. | Denver Nuggets (via Portland) | G Caris LeVert, Michigan |
| 20. | Indiana Pacers | PF Brice Johnson, North Carolina |
| 21. | Atlanta Hawks | C Diamond Stone, Maryland |
| 22. | Charlotte Hornets | PF Domantas Sabonis, Gonzaga |
| 23. | Boston Celtics | F Paul Zipser, Germany |
| 24. | Philadelphia 76ers (via Miami) | SG Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia |
| 25. | Los Angeles Clippers | C Skal Labissiere, Kentucky |
| 26. | Philadelphia 76ers (via Oklahoma City) | F Dorian Finney-Smith, Florida |
| 27. | Toronto Raptors | F Taurean Prince, Baylor |
| 28. | Phoenix Suns (via Cleveland) | C Cheick Diallo, Kansas |
| 29. | San Antonio Spurs | PG Wade Baldwin IV, Vanderbilt |
| 30. | Golden State Warriors | C Zhou Qi, China |
Teams with Most to Lose
Boston Celtics
Good luck figuring out what the Boston Celtics will do after falling to the undesirable No. 3 slot.
Landing at the third pick means Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram aren't coming to town. It means settling for a player who might not necessarily be worth the third pick and hoping he pans out while meshing with a young core that already made the playoffs.
General manager Danny Ainge isn't one to get shoddy value out of a pick. It's why he's already talked about perhaps moving the selection.
“Trading the No. 3 pick will be difficult, sure, because there’s some good players at No. 3,” Ainge said, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. “But there are some players that it wouldn’t be difficult for. And we’ll be listening, and we’ll have a lot of communication internally and try to figure that out.”
In the above mock draft, Ainge and Co. keep the pick and grab Dragan Bender of Croatia, an athletic big man who can space the floor with his shooting. It's the biggest roster need and value fit, since the backcourt is already set thanks to Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Smart and others.
But Boston loses out if neither Simmons nor Ingram falls and Ainge fails to deal the third pick. And that's the problem—everyone knows this, which means the majority of teams interested in moving up could low-ball the Celtics to the point Ainge cannot recoup proper value.
Ainge hasn't goofed yet, of course. But the biggest loss of all could rest ahead if things don't fall properly. The lottery sure didn't for Celtics.
New Orleans Pelicans
The sad tale of the New Orleans Pelicans continues.
New Orleans hasn't built around Anthony Davis properly, and while he's one of the league's best players, folks couldn't get offended if someone suggested he's not the type of superstar who can carry a team on his own.
There was a small shred of hope the Pelicans could move up in the draft order and secure an upgrade somewhere and get Davis some help. Instead, the team was lucky just to tread water at No. 6.
The list of needs in New Orleans seems endless. If Jrue Holiday can stay healthy, great. But a rookie isn't likely to replace the probably departing Eric Gordon. A first-year player is not going to upgrade small forward or magically come in and act as a defensive enforcer. A prospect won't replicate departing forward Ryan Anderson's shooting.
Kentucky's Jamal Murray is the pick above because he brings elite shooting to the team right away and is by far the best value on the board, but it's free agency or bust for each of the mentioned needs.
''I think we'll do anything at this point to improve our team,'' Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said, according to John Reid of NOLA.com. ''Defensively, we got to get better.''
The quote is succinct, saying a lot with a little. If the right prospect such as Murray doesn't take a nosedive to No. 6, the draft will fit in quite well with the somber theme that has been chasing the Pelicans around for years.
Orlando Magic
Haven't the Orlando Magic already lost enough this offseason?
Apparently not.
It seems the Magic have decided maybe building through the draft isn't the best idea. Instead of working on an offseason plan, though, the franchise had to undergo another coaching search after Scott Skiles quit on the franchise. On Friday, ESPN.com reported a deal between Orlando and former Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel.
No matter who takes control, though, the Magic got slapped with pick No. 11. That's a miserable slot that doesn't give the team much of anything in the immediate-help department it seems to desire.
Orlando has to decide if Elfrid Payton is truly the point guard of the future. A starting small forward wouldn't hurt. The team has to platoon someone with Aaron Gordon while he develops, and Nikola Vucevic doesn't seem like the center of the future.
Jumping up in the order would have been nice. It's Michigan State's Deyonta Davis for the Magic in the mock above because the former Spartans center is the best defensive enforcer in the draft and a potential Vucevic replacement down the road.
But that's down the line. Barring an unexpected fall by Henry Ellenson, Jakob Poeltl or even Jaylen Brown, the Magic aren't getting much in the way of immediate help at No. 11. A trade up could happen, but the asking price would be gigantic.
It's a perilous situation the Magic might see bleed over to free agency. Not getting immediate help in the draft could discourage free agents from putting ink to paper. For shame, too, because with one high-impact rookie and a quality veteran leader, the Magic would be perennial playoff contenders.
Call it a lot to lose for a team that was hoping to take the next step this summer.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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