Top Ten:
1 - Cleveland - Parker
2 - Milwaukee - Wiggins
3 - Philly - Exum
4 - Orlando - Vonleh
5 - Utah - Gordon
6 - Boston - Embiid
7 - LA - Randle
8 - Sacramento - Smart
9 - Charlotte - McDermott
10 - Philly - Saric
I'll edit once it's on the web.
Explanation:
Cleveland - Parker:
A week ago, Joel Embiid looked like a lock to be the No. 1 pick in the draft. News of a stress fracture in his right foot sent the Cavs spinning. Now the Cavs are wrestling between three options: draft Jabari Parker, draft Andrew Wiggins or trade the pick.
Sources close to the Cavs told ESPN.com this weekend that the Cavs are now leaning toward taking Parker with the No. 1 pick. However, it's far from a lock. Parker came in to work out on Friday in front of the Cavs front office and ownership and wasn't great. He was a bit heavy (he weighed in at 255 pounds), didn't shoot the ball well and got winded at times. Furthermore, two different sources told ESPN.com that Parker seemed a bit indifferent. One source said he thought Parker "tanked" the workout.
Why? A source says he strongly prefers to play in Milwaukee. The Cavs appear to be aware of this. "Jabari wasn't himself," one source said. "It was clear we weren't his first option."
Meanwhile, Wiggins came in and nailed his workout on Wednesday. He shot the ball well, showed off tremendous athleticism and had a good interview. In fact, Wiggins was emphatic that he wants to be the No. 1 pick and wants to play for the Cavs.
So why is Parker ahead of Wiggins?
From what I can gather, while there are disagreements in the front office, Cavs GM David Griffin feels that Parker fits a more immediate need at the 3. Parker also is the most NBA-ready. They feel that whether he wants to play there or not, those hesitations will disappear when he arrives. They have a new front office, a new head coach and believe that he can actually help them build the sort of culture they want. Parker's workout on Friday did create doubt, especially among ownership, but so far it looks like they are still leaning towards taking him.
The third option, a trade, is also on the table. The Cavs received intriguing offers from the Sixers, Magic and Jazz late last week. Each is offering its own high lottery pick plus a veteran. The Cavs could theoretically get one of Thaddeus Young, Arron Afflalo or Derrick Favors and still have a top-5 pick in the draft. It would make it much easier to draft Embiid if you knew you got additional value in the form of a veteran who can help now.
Milwaukee - Wiggins:
Embiid's injury made this pretty easy for the Bucks. With Embiid out of the picture for Milwaukee (sources say they won't select him at No. 2) they take Parker or Wiggins -- whomever the Cavs pass on.
The Bucks always have had a slight preference for Parker. They need the scoring, the maturity in the locker room and frankly, they just need to get this pick right and Parker is the surest thing in the draft. They haven't been as high on Wiggins. However, Wiggins' strong workouts in Santa Barbara last week and in Milwaukee this week have cemented their resolve to take Wiggins if the Cavs take Parker.
The Bucks also have a strong affinity for Dante Exum, and he's still in the picture at No. 2. However after Wiggins' workout on Friday, the chances of Exum going No. 2 seem to have grown quite small. The Bucks believe in him, but they think Wiggins has an even higher ceiling.
The Bucks also are getting their fair share of trade offers. The Sixers, Magic and Jazz all called them as well offering similar packages. But it looks unlikely the Bucks are going to trade this pick. They need a franchise player and don't feel they'll get one later in the draft.
Look for the Bucks to be very active, however, in acquiring a second first-round pick -- preferably a lottery pick. There is serious interest from teams in Brandon Knight, John Henson and even Larry Sanders. They'd love to acquire another pick in the 7-to-10 range to land either a young point guard or a shooter.
Philly - Exum:
The Sixers are doing what they can to move up in the draft. The news of Embiid's injury hurt them more than anyone. Philly had become convinced that the Cavs would take Embiid and the Bucks would take Parker, giving them their No. 1 target in Wiggins.
The Sixers have zeroed in on Exum and Noah Vonleh here. They are very high on Exum as a prospect. He obviously plays the same position as Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams. However, the Sixers feel the two can play together and they continue to explore Carter-Williams trades that would land them a third lottery pick in the top 10. The Lakers have strong interest in a package of Carter-Williams and Thaddeus Young for the No. 7 pick and Steve Nash. But so far there hasn't been any traction on that deal according to sources. Even if they don't move Carter-Williams, they might still lean Exum. They have him ranked as a stronger pro.
Vonleh would give them a big who could spread the floor and help Noel on the defensive end. He's especially appealing to Philly as there aren't great bigs available to them at the No. 10 pick. If the Sixers can't get another pick in the Nos. 5-8 range, they could decide to go ahead and take Vonleh here.
There also is a chance that the Sixers would take Embiid here. They are trying to get as much medical information as they can on Embiid (as are the rest of the teams in the NBA). They had Embiid ranked very high on their board and showed last year that they aren't afraid to take an injured player and wait for them to get better. I think ultimately it's Exum or Vonleh, but Embiid is definitely in play here.
