NBA Draft Rumors: Latest Trade Rumblings on Potential 2018 Picks and Prospects
As if the 2018 NBA draft weren't complicated enough, occurring next to a LeBron James-led free agency, the Kawhi Leonard drama has thrown the week into sheer chaos.
A draft week with LeBron still needing to make a decision isn't anything new. Leonard's spat with the San Antonio Spurs on top of everything else is quite a departure from the normal frenzy. The rumor mill usually spits out a few interesting nuggets, but now endless rumblings flow from a broken faucet.
Which isn't a bad thing, of course. Fans can't get enough, and rightfully so at a time of year when every franchise is a winner and has a shot at a title. Draft-centric rumors are especially central to the noise right now, so let's take a look at the latest ahead of the Thursday event.
The Leonard-Suns Connection
The first reaction to the Leonard drama, or at the very least second after linking him to wherever LeBron goes, was to suggest the team with the top overall pick would make a run at him.
Not so fast.
The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor initially wrote some in the league believed the Phoenix Suns would ship the No. 1 overall pick to the Spurs in exchange for the superstar. But the Arizona Republic's Scott Bordow has followed by saying there is "no truth" to the report.
And it's not hard to see why. Leonard doesn't have to want to come to Phoenix to land in Phoenix via trade—but he would need to want to sign an extension there. Besides Devin Booker, there isn't much to coerce him into inking a long-term extension there, and Booker, by the way, might need to be a piece in a potential deal bringing Leonard to town in the first place.
Leonard's spat with the Spurs has apparently been a medical one resulting in lost trust, though it also seems like it could be a case of a superstar about to get a max deal and new shoe deal seeking out a bigger market. Phoenix isn't necessarily that, at least not in comparison to places like Los Angeles.
The Suns have a set rebuilding plan and some nice foundational pieces. There are few better ways to keep moving in the right direction than by clutching the top pick in a draft and not mortgaging the franchise's entire future on a superstar already burning one location by trying to leave early. Barring something dramatic, don't expect the Suns to take the risk.
Drama Surrounding No. 2 Pick
From the sounds of it, the second pick in the upcoming draft is much more likely to get dealt.
Which doesn't mean the chance is great—the price still has to be right. So seems to be the message the Sacramento Kings are shooting teams as the phones start to hit a frantic pace before the first round begins.
One of the teams possibly sniffing around the draft's second selection is the Los Angeles Clippers, though so far, the idea hasn't gained much traction:
Traction might never develop on this one. The Kings have a chance to add to an interesting core featuring De'Aaron Fox and Justin Jackson, with building through the draft perhaps the only possible avenue to contention in a deep Western Conference where superstars might only join up with bigger franchises.
The Clippers are right to at least test the waters of most teams in the top five, though the Kings seem the least likely to make a move given the circumstances. If Phoenix does select Deandre Ayton, the Kings can still add a high-upside prospect like Marvin Bagley III or Luka Doncic—something they certainly can't do with the 12th and 13th selections.
Don't expect Los Angeles to stop here, not with DeAndre Jordan possibly gone and the front office needing to start over from scratch. Two picks outside the top 10 isn't great, but the Clippers could perhaps sweeten the deal and find a team willing to move back. Otherwise, all they have is diving into the free-agent market with fingers crossed.
Mavericks Narrow Down the Pool
Notice a trend?
The Western Conference teams not named the Golden State Warriors are scrambling to rebuild and finally seem to understand it has to come via the draft and patience, not bankrolling the entire future on an idea a superstar might come to town.
Up next is a spotlight on the Dallas Mavericks, a 24-win team from a year ago looking to build around Dennis Smith Jr. as Dirk Nowitzki fades.
To this end, the Mavericks have their eyes set on a certain prospect:
Slovenian prospect Luka Doncic is a name to know, clearly, though ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski even says above that he might not make it to the fifth pick.
It's not hard to see why, not with the Euroleague MVP and Euroleague Final Four MVP looking like a quality second guard who can put up points of his own and facilitate for others. Versatility is the name of the game here, and it is a skill set sure to look good next to Smith.
As the Mavericks are probably keenly aware, teams aren't winning titles without elite guards these days, which says quite a bit about how the NBA might feel about Doncic.
What's interesting is how this alleged leak impacts the rest of the league. Teams desperately wanting a shot at Doncic will now be more motivated to leap over the Mavericks, so don't be surprised if a flurry of deals develops surrounding Dallas ahead of the draft's opening.
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