My attempt at a mock draft

[TheSundanceKid]

Disclaimer: I am not a draft expert, I may have missed out some prospects once it gets into the 20's, however I don't think what I've done is unreasonable.

Disclaimer 2: I'm not high on Maker, I have him going in the 2nd round. If you disagree then this mock is likely very different from your view.

I've done some trades as well just to add some controversy   

1. Philadelphia 76ers - Ben Simmons
BPA, you take him

2. LA Lakers - Brandon Ingram
BPA, may look to use the pick to trade for Cousins but if that happens it looks like the summer after the Kings fail to bring in any FA.

3. Boston Celtics - Kris Dunn (traded to 76ers)
Say what? But this guy LOVES Bender? I do, I think he's BPA here but I like Okafor more. The trade is Okafor for #3, #23, #31 and Hunter/Young or both. There will be argument of whether Philly will accept but I think they do.

4. Phoenix Suns - Dragan Bender
They get the guy they want. Tried to get into the Okafor sweepstakes but ultimately weren't willing to give up Knight or Bledsoe.

5. Minnesota Timerwolves - Jamal Murray
Great fit for them alongside Rubio or in place of him alongside Lavine.

6. New Orleans - Buddy Hield
They want ready made for the NBA and that's what Hield is. Uncertainty over Gordon, Evans and Holiday make this an easy pick

7. Denver Nuggets - Jaylen Brown
A project but physically perfect for the wing position. If he and Mudiay can develop their shots that is a great perimeter base to build from

8. Sacramento Kings - Denzel Valentine
A reach? Yeah probably, but they want ready made and they want to be safe. Fits quite nicely on their wing with his playmaking and 3 point shooting

9. Toronto Raptors – Skal Labissiere (traded to Denver)
Trade for 15, 19 and 51. Denver take Skal as a long term fit with Jokic. Toronto see value with the later picks over this pick

10. Milwaukee Bucks – Henry Ellenson
Stretch 4 alongside Monroe

11. Orlando Magic – Jacob Poeltl
Magic try to trade this for a veteran SF but have little luck. They go BPA and hope for the best

12. Utah Jazz – Furkan Korkmaz
They have a lot of youth on the roster already. Someone with good upside that can come across more developed in a year or two is helpful. Arguably BPA anyway

13. Phoenix Suns – Domatas Sabonis
After taking Bender they want the immediate impact of Sabonis

14. Chicago Bulls – Deyonta Davis (traded to Boston)
Difficult here, they lack youth but probably want immediate help. There is no one here for that who isn’t a reach. Trade the pick for #16 and #35 from Boston so they can get someone similar at #16 and a more senior player at #35. I love Davis long term for the C’s

15. Denver Nuggets – Marquese Chriss (traded to Toronto)
As part of the earlier deal, Toronto select Chriss for his upside. He has slid quite a way to here. You could argue 14 and 15 swap. Either way they are the next 2 off of the board.

16. Boston Celtics – Demetrius Jackson (traded to Chicago)
Chicago get Jackson to replace Rose long term but still be impactful from the start

17. Memphis Grizzlies – Wade Baldwin IV
Athletic and young. Exactly what they need. Could be losing Conley in FA too

18. Detroit Pistons – Tyler Ulis
Undersized but a very good PG. Detroit have a nice roster growing, someone behind Jackson would be a good fill

19. Denver Nuggets – Timothe Luwawu (traded to Raptors)
Stash option for the Raptors. Very good wing prospect that shouldn’t last this long but trades have probably made him drop. Raptors are having a great draft!

20. Indiana Pacers – Taurean Prince (traded to 76ers)
Traded along with Stuckey for #23, #24, #26. I think this might raise some eyebrows. However Philly likely want some veteran presence and they get it with Stuckey in the guard rotation and Prince at SF. Pacers get the opportunity to add depth as they get younger and build around George and Turner.

21. Atlanta Hawks – DeAndre Bembry
A playmaking wing that would fit nicely in Atlanta. Also insurance for Bazemore as I think they make Horford a priority

22. Charlotte Hornets – Malik Beasley
They need shooters.

23. Boston Celtics – Brice Johnson (traded to Indiana via Philly)
Athletic, would be a nice fit alongside Turner

24. Philadelphia 76ers – Dejounte Murray (traded to Indiana)
Depth behind Hill, nice guard with a lot of experience under his belt

25. LA Clippers – Damien Jones
A lot of mocks have him higher but there are question marks. LAC need some big man help, they’ve searched the last few years to little avail. No SF prospects here either. Jones has good upside here

26. Philadelphia 76ers – Zhou Qi (traded to Indiana)
A lot of people are high on him. Perhaps he’ll go sooner. However he is still a big question mark. Pacers have the 3 picks so it’s a worthwhile stash for them.

27. Toronto Raptors – Ante Zizic
Third pick for Toronto so I think they stash. There are good options here, in the end they go for the size of Zizic

28. Phoenix Suns – Ivica Zubac
3rd pick for Phoenix too. They go even bigger with Zubac

29. SA Spurs – Juan Hernangomez
I don’t want to predict this pick. They will inevitably make me look foolish by picking the next Ginobilli…

30. GS Warriors – Cheick Diallo
With Ezeli hitting RFA and Bogut a FA in a year they use the pick on Diallo. Why not take a flier? Yes you could say why not take a flier on maker too I guess…

[TheSundanceKid]

A few thoughts:

1) We end up with Okafor and Deyonta Davis as well as the #45, #53 and #58 picks.Do people like that?

2) Toronto come out with Chriss, Luwawu and Zizic. High risk picks maybe but huge potential

3) Denver come out with Skal and Brown. Imagine how that could go!

4) I imagine Philly and Indiana will generate the most discussion. I feel that Philly want an improvement now without sacrificing too much which they achieve. Much better balance on the roster. Indiana do appear to take a step back but I don't think they do. They add youth without losing a key piece. Johnson and Murray are probably better value than Prince and Zhou Qi has some real upside if he can get there. Philly had too many picks after the Okafor trade and Prince fits them quite nicely as well as getting Stuckey to add some experience to the back court.

5) With a couple of lottery teams seeming to take steps forward in the draft it looks good for the Nets pick!!

[footey]

TP, Sundance, very well thought out. One of the better mocks I have read.

Personally I think you have Celts over-paying here for Okafor.

Also, a lot will depend on health of, confidence in, Embiid.  Do Sixers trade Okafor before finding out if Embiid can hold up?  Seems imprudent for them to want to deal Okafor before finding this out. I could see Noel being more likely to be traded now than Okafor, for that very reason.

[TheSundanceKid]

TP, Sundance, very well thought out. One of the better mocks I have read.

Personally I think you have Celts over-paying here for Okafor.

Also, a lot will depend on health of, confidence in, Embiid.  Do Sixers trade Okafor before finding out if Embiid can hold up?  Seems imprudent for them to want to deal Okafor before finding this out. I could see Noel being more likely to be traded now than Okafor, for that very reason.

Thanks!

I have a feeling a lot of people will think it's an overpay. I was on the RealGM boards looking at what Philly fans have to say and obviously they were asking for a lot. Something like #3, Bradley and a future high 1st such as Nets 2017! Obviously not on but it is a gentle reminder that we often need to give up more than we think. Aside from the #3 we don't give up much of consequence and I do consider Okafor a sure thing. Others don't and that is of course fair.

RE the Embiid situation. You are right, however given this draft even if Embiid doesn't work out you have Dunn, Simmons, Noel, Saric to build around as a core with a future first coming from LA too. I still think that is preferable to Simmons, Okafor, Noel, Saric when you consider the added bits like Hunter, Prince and Stuckey for example. Much more balanced for growth as a team.

Noel is going into a contract year so I feel that his value is lower than Okafor. As a player he does have his upsides over Okafor but would you give the 3rd pick for him? Probably not but perhaps there is another package out there that Philly could find. I think we can agree they will be in no rush to dump any of them, Philly can wait and see what offers come in and then judge them accordingly.

[loco_91]

I'll be mad if we trade #3 for Okafor, but it would be significantly redeemed by getting Davis for #16 + #35. He's awesome and stats models love him.

[TheSundanceKid]

I'll be mad if we trade #3 for Okafor, but it would be significantly redeemed by getting Davis for #16 + #35. He's awesome and stats models love him.

I deliberated a little why Chicago would do that. From they're standpoint though they aren't so interested in Chriss or Davis who are clearly the 2 best left on the board (possibly Luwawu but I'm not sure Chi are interested) so it makes sense to trade back for the extra asset and still get Jackson.

Would Davis fall to #14? He could easily go to Milwaukee or Orlando, possibly even Phoenix. There's other options there if he's gone. Perhaps it means Sabonis or Poeltl drops. or we take Chriss, less keen on that. Or we keep the picks and go BPA again with likely Luwawu and Cornelie or Maker (I wouldn't but it would thrill some)

Edit: I actually quite like the move up to #14 or possibly #12 in this draft. The jump above either Denver or Phoenix (who have multiple picks) means we can likely snag a guy all of us may be coveting. In this mock, Toronto will already have got #15 in trade by the time the #14 selection comes around so it could be even more important to pick ahead of a division rival. The chips are well placed for this draft!