Congrats, again, to the Celtics. As an open Celtics disliker, I have my thoughts on Tatum, how many injuries they faced, and all the other talking points. HOWEVER, none of those things make it so that any team in 2023-24 deserved this ring more than them. The criteria to get a ring is not to possibly have won in alternate circumstances, but to actually win in actual circumstances. The Bucks, Sixers, Nuggets, and other teams who faced injuries (or just lost) whose fans think they would have taken Boston out can go hang out with the 2018 Rockets, 2019 Warriors, 2021 Nets, and the 2023 Bucks and pour their hearts over how beautiful their hypothetical rings are. Boston got a real ring. Now the rest of us have to deal with it!
I doubt the readers have noticed, but I have a bone to pick with draft coverage. Not its entertainment value, but I feel like draft people take themselves too seriously. The highest tier for most expert draft people are the ones who draft for NBA teams, and they miss on an annual basis. They get judged on their picks, not on their player rankings or draft boards. The next tier are those who cover the draft for media outlets or on Twitter, and make money on it. They are given the luxury of having their draft boards public, so they can say “I had X player 7th, which was above consensus, and he was the 5th best player in the draft! Look at me!” Then, the lowest tier are the rest of us, and I don’t think the difference between tiers two and three are that different, we just have day jobs.
But it is VERY FUN. And I like to remind myself of that. I don’t get as frustrated with big boards and mock drafts when I just think about how fun the whole draft ecosystem is.
So, for fun, and hopefully to inform a little bit, my good friend, Jack, and I did a little mock draft. Jack puts together a big board every year, and his hard work and hot takes every year are always a joy to consider. Here’s the format of our mock draft:
I am every team’s GM. I am a GM who recognizes my lack of knowledge on the draft, so, except in very specific circumstances, I take the player my head of scouting suggests. I do provide the focus for the team in the draft, our “High-level needs”, and the head of scouting makes the choice accordingly. Nevertheless, I may demand a player be picked, because GM’s do that sometimes.
For some of the picks, I’ll also react to the previous picks if it feels pertinent to the team.
Jack is every team’s head of scouting. He provides justification for each pick.
We added some reasonable trades to the draft here, mainly to get more teams into it who didn’t initially have picks in the first round.
You can go through this whole draft for the drama, or you can just go find your team. But hopefully this helps you understand what the teams need and some things about some of the players being selected next week. Hope you enjoy!
The Draft
#1 - Hawks
High-level needs
In Atlanta, we are at an interesting crossroads: we have an all-star point guard, numerous good to great vets, various young guys on rookie deals or cheap second contracts, and a well-respected coach who probably doesn’t feel like tanking. Many people are proposing different avenues for us, from trading no one to trading everyone. But for me, as the GM, I think that what I’d like to do is:
For sure: Trade Murray and Capela
If we can: Trade Hunter
If a team offers enough: Trade Bogdanovic.
Then, we’ll go ahead and have Trae, Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, and this year’s #1 pick as our main 4 building blocks for the next iteration of this team. So, I think that SG and SF are where we have the greatest need, but if we can get a versatile 4 who can fit next to Jalen Johnson, then that would work great as well.
The pick: Alexandre Sarr, PF/C, France/NBL
The reasoning: After making a 10 minute speech why Cody Williams is our guy, I was reminded this is the first overall pick. Sarr is the highest upside player in the draft and provides the versatility needed to fit between Jalen Johnson and Okongwu on both ends of the floor.
#2 - Wizards
High-level needs
Seeing that we’re basically going into year 2 of a likely 5 year process of rebuilding this team (for the first time, I might add), we’re fine with any type of player who can potentially become a star. We LOVE Bilal Coulibaly, and we really like Deni Avdija as a swiss-army knife player. We are waiting for a desperate team to come in and offer the moon for Kyle Kuzma, and for a… not smart team to come in and offer anything for Jordan Poole. So, any high-ceiling player will do for us, but our biggest holes looking forward are at the guard and big positions.
Reaction to #1 pick: Sarr seemed cool, primarily because of his ceiling and maybe the french connection. But again, we aren’t picky, we just want upside.
The pick: Zaccharie Risacher, SF, France
The reasoning: Risacher will give the Wizards plenty of upside and star potential, and he also brings an element of high-flying athleticism that is largely absent on this roster.
#3 - Rockets
High-level needs
We’d like to thank the Brooklyn Nets for providing us with this opportunity. We gave our pick to OKC at 12, and now we get to pick here! We have built up a depth machine here in Houston, with our beloved Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and Cam Whitmore being our primary 4 guys we plan on keeping forever. We really like Jalen Green and Tari Eason, but we recognize that their future with this team may not be as eternal as we hope it is for those other 4. With Smith and Alpi locked in, we don’t plan on using this pick on a center (thank you very much, ESPN, but no, we are not picking Clingan). But a point guard to be trained behind Fred VanVleet does feel like the best scenario for us. Hopefully, in 1-2 years, we’ll have our table setter who can maximize the young guys here and we can WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE OKC DOES.
The pick: Nikola Topic, PG, Serbia
The reasoning: Topic isn’t the “table setter” that we are hoping for here, but he fits what we are building here perfectly. His creative scoring and size/length should allow him to develop into the lead guard of the future.
#4 - Spurs
High-level needs
With picks both here and at 8 (thanks, Raptors!), we are excited to try and kill three birds with two stones. We don’t have great talent beyond our “just so happened to get the best big since Duncan by coincidence, not planned at all!” superstar, Wemby, and Devin Vassell, so our main priority is (1) just overall talent. Then, we need (2) playmaking and (3) shooting at the guard position. We see what the Pelicans did in squandering Anthony Davis’s tenure by not obtaining the necessary pieces to succeed, and we don’t want to make the same mistake with our even-more-generational big man. So, whether it’s with this pick or #8, I think that we need to have confidence that we will be showing progress in the ability to make Wemby’s life easier by getting him the ball then being able to get out of his way.
Reaction to #3 pick: Good thing this draft is pretty deep in point guards, since Topic did seem like the highest upside guy with his size and skill leading an offense. We can still get either a good point guard or a high upside guy here after that.
The pick: Cody Williams, SF, Colorado
The reasoning: Cody is the perfect complement to Wemby, and will be a seamless fit in a Wemby-centric offense without cannibalizing touches of some of our other young guys.
#5 - Pistons
High-level needs
Year 1 (or was it 2?) of trying to get back to the playoffs clearly didn’t work, so we’re going to try this again. We have been picking decent players for years now, and can’t seem to put it together for the wins column to see an increase. There are only really two options here:
Just go for the highest upside guy, now that we have Fred Vinson to fix all of our shooting woes.
Find a starting-level point guard (we loved Marcus Sasser this year, but we don’t see him as a starter), and move Cade into his “125% Peak Khris Middleton” role that he may have been destined for all along.
If there’s a good bet to be made on a point guard for option 2, then we’ll listen. But it probably makes more sense to go with option 1.
Reaction to #4: I think we needed someone that’s higher upside athletically than Cody, so that’s fine with us. We probably would have really considered Topic.
The pick: Ron Holland, SF/PF, G-League Ignite
The reasoning: His skillset is a little redundant with Ausar Thompson’s, but he’s arguably the highest upside guy left on the board. We should be able to develop a lethal defense built around the trio of Holland, Thompson, and Jalen Duren.
#6 - Hornets
High-level needs
It’s not that easy being us. We’re excited about the new coach, Charles Lee, but this offseason we have to do the following:
Start paying LaMelo Ball a max contract when he plays like 40 games per season.
Try to re-sign Miles Bridges even after all the stuff in the last couple years with him.
Just try to get better with this tough roster.
Brandon Miller is a nice ray of sunshine in this, but it feels like wing depth is needed more than anything. Playmaking is nice, but shooting should be the #1 priority here. We want to give LaMelo every chance to make it work.
Reaction to #5: That was our guy. Super athletic, has offensive upside but loves defense (says he wants to be like Jaden McDaniels). But alas, that’s how it goes.
The pick: Dalton Knecht, SF, Tennessee
The reasoning: Front office wants shooting, so this is the guy. Knecht may not be the highest upside player, and is one of the older guys in the draft, but provides sure floor-spacing for a roster in need of structure.
#7 - Trailblazers
High-level needs
We’ve done a great job at the easy part of being a GM: tearing down a team. We have picks, tradable pieces, and young talent that a lot of people like. I think that here, we need to take a swing on a high upside but also a good player who can play on the wing. Jerami Grant will not be here forever, and it seems like we need to add to our stoutness. Pretty simple. Just the hardest thing to find in the NBA. I’m considering calling Indiana about last year’s #8 pick in Jarace Walker, but I don’t want to seem desperate.
Reaction to #6: Dalton was probably our main guy, but there are a couple other high-upside wings here that we can go for.
The pick: Matas Buzelis, PF, G-League Ignite
The reasoning: One of the last high-upside wings left in the draft, Matas will give us size and versatility, but he is far from perfect here because he doesn’t solve our floor spacing concerns.
#8 - Thunder
TRADE: Sam Presti calls the Spurs because he sees his guy is still available. 12 + Utah’s top 10 protected 2025 pick + Philadelphia’s lightly protected 2025 first for 8.
NOTE: We had originally pegged Josh Giddey to be part of this trade, but now he’s going to be a Bull.
Presti is targeting a specific guy, and the Spurs get to pick at 12, get their point guard (who’s an elite passer and a good-enough shooter for the stage the Spurs are at), and get another pick that’ll be in the 20’s next year.
High-level needs
This trade was made specifically so that we can get our 5-man to play part-time next to Chet. We saw that size (with rebounding and post defense) was a big downfall this season, and felt the need to address that. The Grizzlies are missing a center as well, and we had to jump them to get our man.
The pick: Donovan Clingan, C, UConn
The reasoning: Pretty simple. Presti wanted his 5 of the future who can provide size and strength next to Chet and Clingan is that guy. We’re lucky he’s still available at 8.
#9 - Memphis Grizzlies
High-level needs
We, the Grizzlies, went from being one of the deepest teams to one lacking good depth. Ja, JJJ, Bane, and Smart are definitely four of our starters, but behind them, we are pretty thin. Yes, Vince Williams Jr was a cool story this year, and GG Jackson looks like he could turn into something in a year or two. We also like Santi Aldama! But Clarke is coming back from a year-long injury, Jake LaRavia and Ziaire Williams haven’t worked out, and Luke Kennard can’t play in the playoffs because of his defense. We are missing a lot at the 1 and the 5, given JJJ’s shortcomings at the 5 and Ja’s tendency to miss games for all sorts of reasons. Best player available at those two positions is probably the way to go.
Reaction to #8: Shambles. Clingan was our young Steven Adams! He was the chosen one!!!
The pick: Stephon Castle, PG/SG, UConn
The reasoning: Castle may not be the highest ceiling guard left on the board, but he is more of a sure thing than the other options. On a team that lacks offense when Ja is out, I think Castle can bring us a scoring punch.
#10 - Utah Jazz
High-level needs
In year 3 of our rebuild, it’s about time to take steps toward the playoffs. Our 4 pieces we’re building around are Lauri Markannen, Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George, and Walker Kessler. In terms of fit, we’d love to have a shooting guard who can slot in there. But, we’d be happy with a wing as well since Lauri and Taylor are both natural power forwards more than wings. We are planning on pursuing veterans who can help, similar to how we seriously pursued Jrue Holiday last offseason (if only I, Danny Ainge, could have prevented a Celtics championship, right?!). So if there’s an upside play here, that could be good as well. We just don’t want to have a situation in which Keyonte’s defensive issues are only magnified with playing next to another guard who can’t defend. So, yeah. TL;DR: wings.
Reaction to #9: After the Grizz clearly got rocked by OKC, it looks like we had our guy drafted to Memphis. Castle may have been the best pick here for us, since he brings playmaking and defense at the guard position. But, we aren’t broken up about it. Not like those Grizzlies over Clingan.
The pick: Reed Sheppard, PG, Kentucky
The reasoning: He’s not the size at the two-guard position you are hoping for, but his athleticism should at least put a solid enough floor on his defense that he can play next to Keyonte. Also, who doesn’t love his shooting ability?
#11 - Bulls
High-level needs
Everything? We’ve been trying to put on a brave face for years, but it’s been rough. What we really need is a prototypical wing, since it doesn’t seem like our roster is changing much. Demar Derozan has expressed wanting to return, LaVine isn’t tradable at all, and we have 5 guards who are all pretty decent to very solid. If the best player here is a center we won’t be mad, since Vuc is only signed for two more years. But we just need upside with size. We just traded for Josh Giddey, who’s 21 and looking for a new start in a more favorable offensive environment.
Reaction to #10: We’re mainly bummed that none of Knecht, Matas, or Holland dropped here. But hopefully there’s a good swing to take on a wing here.
The pick: Bobi Klintman, PF, NBL
The reasoning: I know we’ve had our disagreements over Bobi’s ceiling, but you’re going to have to trust my eye as a scout on this one. He’s one of the few guys left with true All Star potential.
#12 - Spurs
See #4. (Previous pick: Cody Williams)
The pick: Rob Dillingham, PG, Kentucky
The reasoning: This was a tough decision, because the options are endless. Ultimately, Dillingham offers us something we don’t really have on the roster today, high-end scoring. And with the size and versatility of the rest of the roster, we don’t have to worry too much about his size being an issue.
#13 - Kings
High-level needs
Ideally, Kevin Durant. But since that’s not possible at this pick. Keegan Murray is the franchise darling, but ideally they could have someone better on defense on the wing. Harrison Barnes is a dedicated locker room presence guy, but they probably need to look for someone better there. Fox, Sabonis, Murray, and newcomer Keon Ellis are the four guys that will be starting next year, and we’ll see about that fifth spot. With Monk coming back, we don’t need a backup point guard.
The pick: Tyler Smith, PF, G-League Ignite
The reasoning: Upper management wanted a swing pick and they get one. Smith could end up being a top 3 player in this class and is a perfect fit (theoretically) to the rest of our roster.
#14 - Nets
TRADE: Sean Marks wants his Giannis. Suns 2025 first + Philly’s top 8 protected 2027 first for #14.
High-level needs
We are anticipating big cap space and the opportunity to trade for a star next summer, but were too in love with a Frenchman at this spot. They knew that the Kings were eyeing him as that forward to pick, but those guys went with a safer pick for their forward needs. We believe strongly that this will prepare us to go and reclaim our spot as the kings of New York that we were meant to be!!!
The pick: Tidjane Salaun, PF/C, France
The reasoning: We’ve finally found our Brook Lopez replacement. I present you with Tidjane Salaun, the new face our rebuild.
#15 - Heat
High-level needs
We’re at a weird place, having overachieved numerous times in the playoffs but now we feel like we’re stuck in the mud. At the end of the day, we want to win with Bam, Jimmy, Jaime, and our squad, but the guys don’t seem to have it in them to put together a healthy season. Spo needs help, so we’re looking for an experienced player who we can form into a Heat Culture man in year one, similar to Jaime last year. But we want more offense-leading potential, since we’re secretly not sure about how much longer we’ll have Tyler around.
The pick: Bub Carrington, SG, Pittsburgh
The reasoning: At the top of my big board of Heat Culture guys, he is a perfect fit for us. He can lead an offense, has some scoring prowess, is an underrated athlete, and is all business. He’s our guy.
#16 - Sixers
High-level needs
Anyone who will not take away from Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. We don’t know who’s coming in free agency, but we just want anyone. We don’t need a backup center, and we’ll probably be getting some of our guys back (Batum, Oubre, Melton) from last season. But we need role players who can excel in the role of bringing us to a championship.
The pick: Ja’Kobe Walter, SG, Baylor
The reasoning: Walter reminds me of Philly legend Nick Young. I think Ja’Kobe will give us exactly what we need alongside Embiid and Maxey without taking away too much attention (on the court).
#17 - Warriors
TRADE: LeBron James LOVES Moses Moody’s game, and always has, since he was born. So the Warriors trade Moody, #53, and a 2026 ATL second round pick for #17 Some other contracts need to go back and forth, but you get the picture). Intel says that Bronny will be available well-into the later parts of the draft.
High-level needs
After their successful Podz/Jackson-Davis picks last year, the Warriors officially have a type as long as Steph and Draymond are playing at high levels. They see a Warriors-type guy (smart player, moves the ball), and are enthusiastic in their Metaverse virtual workspace when he becomes available.
The pick: Tristan Da Silva, PF, Colorado
The reasoning: Da Silva might be the most talented scorer in the class, so he gives us some good “Steph is getting older and probably is going to be playing less” insurance. He’s a good addition to our young core.
#18 - Magic
High-level needs
Our young core of Paolo, Franz, and Suggs, surrounded by younger vets and more unproven guys feels like something easy to build on, so it may be best to just select the best player available. I think there are some centers here that could be interesting for us, since Carter and Isaac are often injured, but also we have Fultz going off to free agency this offseason. So yeah… a point guard or a center, or just an awesome shooter! What’s the worst that can happen?
The pick: Kel’el Ware, C, Indiana
The reasoning: Tall, big, and intimidating, we’ve got our guy who can anchor our defense and let Suggs play more freely. He should seamlessly fit into the offensive side of the ball too.
#19 - Raptors
High-level needs
We were undecided on whether we wanted to keep our pick this year and to extend the obligation, but in this draft, it’s nice to have another shot here. We have some awkward depth with Quickley, Barrett, Barnes, Grady Dick, Poeltl, Olynyk, Agbaji, and a few other guys. In all reality, just more shooting to surround Scottie Barnes would be nice, but probably with some perimeter defense to go along with it. Or, if there’s an elite defender in there, we always love those. None of our guys are lock-down defenders at the moment.
The pick: DaRon Holmes II, PF, Dayton
The reasoning: Taking a page out of Minnesota’s book, we need to establish an identity and Holmes can play the Naz Reid role perfectly. He has everything you’re looking for, shooting, perimeter defense, versatility, etc.
#20 - Cavaliers
High-level needs
We’re not telling anyone what our plan is, but it is clear to everyone that we want to build around Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley. We may keep Jarrett Allen and/or Darius Garland, depending on trade offers that come in. That said, we want athleticism and shooting. Ideally, someone who can do both, but we love the idea of Evan Mobley being able to be our full-time 5 of the future. So positions 2-4.
The pick: KyShawn George, SG/SF, Miami
The reasoning: Limited on the athleticism side, but he provides plenty of shooting. KyShawn also slots in nicely next to Mitchell because he doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be effective.
#21 - Pelicans
High-level needs
Here in NOLA, what we really want is someone who can take our offense to the next level. Zion is extremely fun as a point forward, but we need more of a traditional #1 with the time he misses. We are figuring out the Ingram situation, and we know that we messed up on giving CJ his big extension as soon as we did. We love Trey Murphy III as a lifer, and we adore Herb Jones at the moment. So, it may be that we want someone who can, as soon as possible, be a leader of our offense on their rookie contract.
The pick: Devin Carter, PG, Providence
The reasoning: A little bit of an older prospect, but Carter gives us a guy who can lead our offense. This may be an ideal situation for him because he won’t have to do too much with this roster (depending on how the rest of the offseason shakes out).
#22 - Timberwolves
TRADE: Seeing that there are numerous quality point guards available at this point of the draft, and that they need more than one guy on rookie contracts, Phoenix trades #22 to Minnesota for #27 and #37.
High-level needs
In Minnesota, we are encouraged by last year and are excited to build on it. With Mike aging, but recognizing the need to find the best possible point guard replacement for him as we can, there was an opportunity here to trade up and choose our guy.
Reaction to #21: That guy wasn’t Devin Carter, so we pulled the trigger on the trade. Let’s go!
The pick: Jared McCain, PG, Duke
The reasoning: McCain has two-way guard written all over him. I can’t think of anyone better to act as a mentor than Mike. We got our guy!
#23 - Bucks
High-level needs
This is an important pick, as we’ve traded all our picks for this team featuring 5 good to great players and not much else. We’ve tried the raw route, and I think here we need to go the skill route. So, basically, we’re looking for anybody but a center who is a sure thing when it comes to an NBA skill set.
The pick: Cam Christie, SG, Minnesota
The reasoning: He’s not our best player available, but he has one key skill that is almost a lock to translate to the next level, shooting which is (surprisingly) sorely needed on our roster.
#24 - Knicks
High-level needs
As a team with lots of picks and depth to spare, it feels like the right time to take some shots and see what sticks. We love our team and are enthusiastic about our future, but could benefit from guys who can take us to the next level once our team’s payroll situation gets more expensive in the next few years. But, in all reality, we can see that help being needed at any position besides small, ball-dominant point guard.
The pick: Yves Missi, C, Baylor
The reasoning: A bit of an upside play here. Missi can be our 5 of the future and seamlessly fits into our play style is a young version of Mitch. Also, he gives us some insurance in case we lose iHart this offseason.
#25 - Knicks
High-level needs
See #24.
The pick: Harrison Ingram, SF/PF, North Carolina
The reasoning: The biggest takeaway from the playoffs is that we are thin on the wing, and potentially thinner if we lose OG. Ingram’s star has dulled a bit, but he should be able to step into the three and D role nicely.
#26 - Wizards
High-level needs
See #2.
The pick: Isaiah Collier, PG, USC
The reasoning: I can’t believe he’s still on the board here. He’s not an ideal lead guard due to his shooting concerns, but he continues to inject much-needed athleticism and talent to the roster.
#27 - Suns
High-level needs
In Phoenix, what we really need is size. Four of our best six players were 6’5 and under, and that made it so that we had a lot of shooting without the ability to go small, which would have been a massive difference maker. The KD-at-the-5 lineups worked well on offense, but it would have been so helpful to have a 6’7 guy who could act as the 4. Many say that we need a point guard, and if there’s one to take here that would be great, but size is more important at the moment.
The pick: Adem Bona, C, UCLA
The reasoning: Bona is a beast and he is going to be a tone setter for us. He adds much needed size, and gives us an anchor down low. I think he’s more helpful to us here than adding a guard.
#28 - Nuggets
High-level needs
After a disappointing end to the postseason, we want to continue building out our depth with youth who may become Jokic-compliments. We like the guys we selected in last year’s draft, but none of our young guys should be considered fully-established except for Braun and Watson. Go crazy, scouting department! Just remember that we’re looking to win somewhat soon.
The pick: Kevin McCulllar Jr., SF, Kansas
The reasoning: I think McCullar is our guy here. It felt like we were lacking some toughness this postseason, and McCullar can bring plenty of that. I also like his fit next to Jokic because he’s a slasher who can feast off of Jokic dimes.
#29 - Pacers
TRADE: The Pacers see an opportunity here to add to their endless young depth, partially because they have 3 seconds and won’t be able to roster all of these guys.
High-level needs
Yeah, maybe we have too many young guys. But at the end of the day, we are willing to have any of them become our future pieces around Haliburton and Siakam. Those two are our foundation for the next 4 years. If we need to trade some of these guys in a year or two because we don’t have the space, then that’s fine. But we aren’t satisfied with just a injury-assisted conference finals berth.
The pick: Terrence Shannon Jr., SG, Illinois
The reasoning: Shannon is going to give us productive minutes from the jump. He will fit in nicely into our up and down offense and has the talent to develop into a potential building block for us.
#30 - Celtics
High-level needs
The champs. This team has a short term window of insane team building with our top 6 locked down. But there will come a time, sadly, when guys will age-out or price-out. This means that we need guys who can develop within a few years to keep our dynasty alive. We have 8-9 more years of the Jay’s. Let’s make them count.
The pick: Kyle Filipowski, C, Duke
The reasoning: Of all the guys on my board, Kyle is the closest thing there is to a perfect Celtic. From a roster perspective, he can learn from KP and fill in when he’s healthy to eventually be our starting 5 a couple years down the line.
Teams that weren’t discussed
Some thoughts from the Dallin-GM from each of these teams.
Lakers
We’re going to go after Bronny. But, in addition to that, we’d like to get another shooter, similar to Maxwell Lewis and Max Christie, in the hopes that he sticks around. Who knows, maybe it’s Bronny!
Mavericks
After a successful playoff run, we have our backcourt and center position figured out. We need shooting at the wing position.
Clippers
Would Bronny want to come and be with us? It seems like we could use him for our new arena that’s coming. Another option is Zach Edey.
Definitely the most fun mock draft I will read this year!
Zack Edey YOU are a Philadelphia 76er