https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/siegels-scoop-how-kevin-durant-trade-saga-impacts-draft-free-agency-rumors
The fourth pick in the draft belongs to the Hornets, an organization that is looking to continue their rebuild around LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. Over the last couple of weeks, Kon Knueppel and Tre Johnson have been the two names most associated with the Hornets when talking with rival teams.
Many around the league have downplayed the speculation regarding Knueppel and Johnson, as it seems like these are two names as a smokescreen to cover up Charlotte's true intentions. The Hornets have a plan, and they've been extremely quiet leading up to the draft by keeping their cards very close to their chest, something the regime that came before this new front office struggled with.
With this said, league sources signal the Hornets have actively been engaged in trade conversations with others eyeing the fourth pick in anticipation of the 76ers passing on Bailey. There also seems to be a potential pre-draft war breaking out between the Wizards, Pelicans, and Nets over Jeremiah Fears, who is widely viewed as the second-best guard in the draft behind Harper.
While they may hold interest in Bailey, these three teams also have Fears high on their draft boards, sources said. Trading up to the fourth pick with Charlotte would potentially give these organizations a choice between Fears and Bailey, as the Hornets could comfortably move down a few spots and still end up with the player they want.
It is hard to imagine Charlotte making a trade that would push them out of the top 10.
Mark Williams continues to come up in trade discussions around the league, and it seems like a matter of time before the Hornets move him. Many are attempting to connect the dots before the draft with chatter surrounding the Hornets being active in trade discussions, which has led to a hypothesis suggesting Khaman Maluach is Charlotte's main target inside the top 10.
With all the attention Bailey and Fears are drawing, Maluach will very likely be on the board in the 5-9 range of the draft. If this is in fact Jeff Peterson's big plan for the Hornets, he could leverage the fourth pick, move down a few spots to select Maluach, and also add additional assets from his friend Sean Marks, who he was the assistant GM for in Brooklyn before being picked to spearhead Charlotte's revamped front office.
Fears and Johnson are the two prospects being linked the most to Washington. This is not to say that the organization is only considering these two players, especially with the potential of Bailey dropping out of the third pick. What the Wizards decide to do immediately impacts the Pelicans and Nets right behind them.
New Orleans and new executive Joe Dumars are keeping all of their options open this offseason. Although it appears as if Zion Williamson is not going anywhere, the same cannot be said for other talents on this roster like CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, and Trey Murphy III — three players teams have called to talk about with Dumars and his new Pelicans front office.
Murphy is the player drawing the most interest, but the team has not engaged in serious conversations about trading him, sources said. Instead, the Pelicans are getting a feel for what his value is and what rival teams are thinking.
As things pertain to the draft, New Orleans does hold interest in Bailey and Fears, sources said. Khaman Maluach is another player who has been widely linked to the Pelicans. If Johnson falls to the seventh pick, he too will be in consideration for the Pelicans, assuming they remain in this spot.
All of that leads to the Nets, the team with the most first-round picks (four) in this year's draft. Expect Brooklyn to remain active in trade conversations leading up to the draft. The Nets have serious interest in Fears and Bailey, along with registered interest in Knueppel, Egor Demin, and Noa Essengue, sources said.
Along with the Nets, who own the 19th, 26th, and 27th picks, there are some teams outside the lottery that are expected to attempt to move up in the draft. The Oklahoma City Thunder (15, 24), Jazz (21), Atlanta Hawks (22), and Pelicans (23) are the four most-discussed teams next to Brooklyn as the most likely to try and trade up from their spots in the 20s, depending on which prospects fall in and out of the lottery.
The back end of the top 10 sees the Raptors with the ninth pick and the Rockets with the 10th pick. These are two teams involved in the Durant trade sweepstakes, and both organizations have been involved in trade talks outside of the star forward, sources said.
Toronto is said to be prioritizing defensive versatility and size in this draft, whereas Houston is in a win-now mode. It is more likely that the Rockets trade their pick than the Raptors to acquire a player that brings value to their playoff ambitions.
The Rockets are said to have interest in Wizards wing Corey Kispert, sources said. This has led to some speculation about whether Washington would leverage Kispert in a deal that could move them up from the 18th pick to the 10th pick.
Let's make this clear before the aggregators go crazy: there is no confirmation that the Wizards are actively trying to move from the 18th pick to specifically land the 10th pick with Houston, ultimately trading Kispert in the process. Teams are constantly talking, and this was an idea that had bounced around like a game of telephone from one organization to another.
With this said, it does seem like Washington is actively looking to move up in the late lottery region with the No. 18 pick.
Well, do you see now why we are all saying this year's draft, specifically the top 10, is so unpredictable? So much trade activity will take place during the 2025 NBA Draft, which is why there is no telling where everyone ends up outside of Flagg and Harper at the top of the board.
Some quick hitters on some prospects in this year's draft:
Joan Beringer is drawing a lot of attention inside the top 15 of this year's draft. He could wind up going a lot earlier than many anticipate in mock drafts.
The debate between Kasparas Jakucionis, Egor Demin, and Nolan Traore as the next-best guards behind Fears varies from team to team. Some scouts aren't thrilled with Jakucionis' upside as a true offensive threat and lead guard. Demin put on a show at the combine in his workouts, and there are teams in the lottery that hold firm interest in him. Traore is likely to be selected in the 10-20 region.
Asa Newell is another prospect many are downplaying in projections and mock drafts. There is serious traction between the Georgia big man and teams with late lottery picks, as well as those right after the lottery.
Chaz Lanier and Adou Thiero are drawing interest late in the first round despite heavily being projected as second-round prospects. Keep an eye on one, or both, ending up in the 24-30 region.
