Here’s how the June 23 draft shaping up:
1. Cleveland. Kyrie Irving, PG, Duke. Oddly enough, the trade that brought on PG Baron Davis’ salary will get the Cavs their point guard of the future.
2. Minnesota. Enes Kanter, C, Kentucky. GM David Kahn likes to roll the dice, and Kanter is a bit of a gamble. Plus, the Wolves need a big man.
3. Utah. Derrick Williams, F, Arizona. The Jazz could use wing help, so if they’re thinking Williams can play small forward, he’ll be a good fit.
4. Cleveland. Jonas Valanciunas, C, Lithuania. The Cavs have a very thin roster, so they can go in any direction here—but big seems like a good idea.
5. Toronto. Kemba Walker, PG, Connecticut. They’re not entirely confident in PG Jose Calderon. Walker or Brandon Knight figure to be the pick.
6. Washington. Kawhi Leonard, SF, San Diego State. The Wizards need a good athlete on the wing, and in a thin draft, Leonard will be the best available at this spot.
7. Sacramento. Brandon Knight, PG, Kentucky. The Kings will keep G Tyreke Evans at shooting guard, so they are in the market for a point guard.
8. Detroit. Jordan Hamilton, SF, Texas. A point guard would be helpful here, but with Tayshaun Prince hitting free agency, so would a small forward.
9. Charlotte. Jimmer Fredette, G, BYU. The Bobcats need shooting help, and no one in this draft does it better than Fredette.
10. Milwaukee. Tristan Thompson, PF, Texas. He is undersized, but the athletic Thompson can run the floor and will add depth to a front line that needs it.
11. Golden State. Bismack Biyombo, F/C, Congo. The Warriors could fulfill their promise to make defense a priority with a shot-blocker like Biyombo.
12. Utah. Alec Burks, SG, Colorado. He’s very quick and gets to the basket, and the Jazz are desperate for shooting guard help.
13. Phoenix. Marcus Morris, PF, Kansas. Morris is the kind of polished, ready-to-play prospect that could help the Suns in the short term.
14. Houston. Donatas Motiejunas, C, Lithuania. The Rockets are stockpiling young assets—look out for a draft-day trade.
15. Indiana. Shelvin Mack, PG, Butler. The Pacers badly need a backup point guard and local-hero Mack will be among the best available.
16. Philadelphia. Markieff Morris, PF, Kansas. He is not as smooth offensively as his brother, but he is tough inside and would fit in well with the Sixers, who need frontcourt depth.
17. New York. Darius Morris, PG, Michigan. The Knicks know there will not be much available as far as size goes, so a backup point guard could be the target.
18. Washington. Kenneth Faried, PF, Morehead State. The Wizards are looking to bolster their depth at all positions, and they could use some dirty-work guys like Faried.
19. Charlotte. Jan Vesely, SF, Czech Republic. He is big (6-11) and athletic, but he is strictly a perimeter small forward.
20. Minnesota. Klay Thompson, SG, Washington State. Maturity issues hang over Thompson, but he has talent and is worth a chance at this point in the draft.
21. Portland. JaJuan Johnson, PF, Purdue. The Blazers need to bolster their depth and Johnson is an established big man who can play.
22. Denver. Trey Thompkins, F, Georgia. The Nuggets aren’t sure about Kenyon Martin going forward—Thompkins can have an impact.
23. Houston. Chris Singleton, SF, Florida State. The Rockets are stacked with up-and-coming players, and Singleton would be a solid, athletic young asset.
24. Oklahoma City. DeAndre Liggins, SG, Kentucky. Liggins could slip into the first round with good workouts—he is an ideal defensive stopper off the bench.
25. Boston. Nikola Vucevic, PF, Southern Cal. Vucevic is a solid big man who is fundamentally sound at both ends of the floor.
26. Dallas. Reggie Jackson, PG, Boston College. The Mavs will eventually need to think about replacing Jason Kidd. Jackson has upside.
27. New Jersey. Tobias Harris, F, Tennessee. The Nets have a point guard and a center, but they need more talent on the wings.
28. Chicago. Tyler Honeycutt, SF, UCLA. Honeycutt is long and versatile, and should be able to get himself into the first round. Doubtful that the Bulls keep this pick.
29. San Antonio. Davis Bertans, F, Latvia. If it’s the Spurs’ pick, it’s likely to be an obscure international player. Bertans sounds about right.
30. Chicago. Lucas Noguiera, C, Brazil. He’s big, long and very raw. But he does have Anderson Varejao hair
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