The NBA Draft Has Arrived And It’s Time To Play Let’s Make A Deal

With the first pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons select…

Yes, it is that time of year again, this time less than a year removed from the previous draft. According to most experts, the 2021 class is a much deeper draft class than in 2020. The number one overall pick this year is about as close to a 100-percent lock as Lebron James ended up being for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003.

Last year any of the top three players taken in that draft could have gone number one. It was still a toss-up for most just days before that draft as to who would be the number one pick. There is less of a dramatic feel around this draft as Cade Cunningham has been the prospective number one pick since he stepped foot on Oklahoma State’s campus a year ago.

Cunningham’s size, length, court vision, basketball IQ, and overall skill set will make it hard for the Pistons to pass on what looks to be a once-in-a-generation type of talent. Rumors have been tossed around about the Pistons potentially looking to trade out of the number one spot in the draft, but as we get closer to the day, those rumors seem to be only rumors.

That 2004 Pistons championship team led by Finals MVP and new Portland Trailblazers head coach Chauncey Billups seems like a long, long time ago. We’re talking about a franchise that has made the playoffs twice in the past decade. The Pistons got bounced out of the first round on both occasions. A new start is certainly, long overdue for the fans in the motor city. Cunningham may be that young star to help jump-start the rebirth of the Pistons organization.

AT NUMBER TWO…

The drama should get started with the number two pick this year. Last year’s number one is this year’s number two. The Houston Rockets hold the number two pick in this draft, and whether they trade out of the spot or stay put, most experts believe that this pick could potentially be one of two players. G League Ignite guard Jalen Green or USC big man Evan Mobley.

Both players are being projected as future NBA All-Stars. So, the Rockets shouldn’t be able to screw this one up. Or so one would think. This is a franchise that has been nothing but a big mess over the last year. At this point, you cannot rule out much of anything when it comes to the Rockets. If the Rockets stay in that number two slot, they really can’t go wrong taking Green or Mobley. But again, these are the Rockets.

A CLOSE CALL

Whichever player out of Green and Mobley is available for the Cavs at number three, should be a lock at that spot. According to sources, the Cavs are big on Mobley and wanting to pair him with Jarrett Allen in their frontcourt. That could likely be nothing more than a smokescreen since the Cavs look to be moving on from explosive point guard Collin Sexton.

If the Cavs are hellbent on trading Sexton, then the potential for them to make a deal with the Rockets to move up one slot and take Green could be something to look out for. If not Green, then the Cavs can stay at number three and take Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs instead. In most mock drafts, Suggs projects to go number four to the Toronto Raptors.

Pairing Suggs with Fred VanVleet in Toronto’s backcourt would not be a bad idea if Suggs is still hanging around when the Raptors pick fourth overall. We already know Nick Nurse is not afraid of playing a small backcourt, as we all witnessed in 2019 with VanVleet and Kyle Lowry. That team only won beat the Golden State Warriors in six games in the NBA Finals. The Raptors also had Kawhi Leonard and were blessed with injuries to key players on the Warriors’ roster. But who’s keeping track, right?

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A BLOCKBUSTER TRADE IN THE WORKS

Another interesting storyline to follow in the days leading up to the draft is that of the Warriors. Holding two lottery picks (7th & 14th) and having been rumored to potentially be in the market to trade one or both of those picks, the dubs may be the most intriguing team drafting within the top ten of this year’s draft.

If the Warriors are so infatuated with acquiring Bradley Beal’s services, they will have to press the issue as Beal himself is yet to have formally requested a trade from the Washington Wizards. At least he has not done so publicly. Plus, the Warriors should be prepared to part ways with young talent like James Wiseman, potentially, plus both of their lottery picks in this draft more than likely.

However, it all plays out this draft, should be full of drama and the storylines we’ve come to love when it comes to the NBA offseason. It should be fun, so get your popcorn ready.