While the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks battle it out for the right to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy as NBA champions, the rest of the league is turning its attention to the upcoming NBA Draft and what it means for each team.
For some teams, that means acquiring young stars from colleges or international leagues, setting them up for future success and, hopefully, a shot at the most coveted prize in professional basketball.
For other teams, the draft is an opportunity to trade picks in exchange for superstar players who might be the missing piece for a championship-conquering team.
Ahead of the draft on June 26th and 27th, find out which teams are which with rumors, reports and gossip from around the association.
Sam Veceny of The Athletic reported that the Los Angeles Lakers are unlikely to select a player with the 17th pick in the upcoming NBA Draft: “Many believe this pick is ripe for a move as the Lakers scour the trade market for immediate contributors around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.”
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski Woj Pod The Lakers aren't even planning on selecting Bronny James with the 17th pick, mainly because they don't have to and figure to potentially select him at 55th in the second round if they want him on the team to play alongside his father.
It wouldn't be surprising to see the Lakers looking to move picks to find players who can win now in addition to James and Davis.
At this point, LeBron has fewer years left as a player than he has when he retires, and as the league gets younger and faster, teams' chances of winning are shrinking, which was made perfectly clear in this year's NBA Finals.
Winning another NBA title with one of the greatest players of all time and a dominant big man on the same team is what's most important to the Lakers, and if that means giving up picks and missing out on young talent in hopes of acquiring other assets, the team could make a move to acquire a superstar free agent.
As for Bronny, Woj previously reported that playing on the same team as his son is no longer a priority for LeBron, so the latest update that the Lakers don't plan on selecting him in the first round isn't a surprise.
ESPN's Jeremy Woo reports that Australian forward Alex Sarr will likely hear his name called early in the upcoming NBA Draft.
The Hawks have done plenty of research into the No. 1 overall pick and consider Sarr a candidate to take it, but Woo wrote, “If Atlanta doesn't select Sarr, Washington is seen as the likely landing spot, with rivals considering the Wizards at No. 2 as the floor for Sarr.”
Sarr's impressive athleticism and potential make him a highly attractive player to both the Hawks and Wizards.
At 7-foot-1, he's surprisingly agile and a solid defender in front of the basket — a skill set that doesn't come along in any draft.
Sarr averaged 9.7 points on 52% shooting in the paint and 29.8% from three-point range in 17.2 minutes per game in the 2023-24 season, along with 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks.
These numbers may not seem impressive, but potential If the coach can fine-tune Sarr's game, there's a good chance those numbers could go up and the Perth Wildcats star could become even more dominant on the court.
Both teams, looking to improve their game after disappointing results this season, will be looking to the Australian in the hope that the talented big man can grab rebounds and give them an athletic presence to dominate at the net.
If he performs as well as the video suggests, there's a good chance that either the Hawks or Wizards could end up drafting a game-changer in a class that doesn't have many such players.
University of Connecticut center Donovan Clingan is likely to be one of the most highly-anticipated players in this year's NBA Draft, with many teams looking to select him.
The two-time national champion with the Huskies has great potential and showed it at the end of last season, averaging 13 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.9 blocks over the final 18 games of the season.
It was a strong performance that proved Clingan could step up when the defending champions needed him most.
It wouldn't be surprising to see the talented young big man go first overall to Atlanta or seventh to Portland, with teams like the Bulls and Thunder potentially making moves to move up and select him, according to The Athletic's Vecenie and ESPN's Jonathan Givony.
Clingan's size, defensive ability and intensity make him a coveted player who could contribute immediately to a young, rebuilding team.
His experience playing in two high-profile games in the NCAA men's national championship game makes him even more appealing to a team looking to get back to the playoffs quickly.
The Trail Blazers, who both Veceny and Givony see as possible contenders for him, already have Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III at center, but Clingan's production, which he's already shown on the court in key situations, could be valuable and not to be overlooked.
He's not expected to drop lower than seventh, and even if he does, it might be too far-fetched considering the team is reportedly interested in one of University of Connecticut coach Dan Hurley's star students.
