Our Mock Draft v. 6.1 came out early Tuesday morning, introducing a number of serious shake-ups in the lottery. As the day has worn on, I’m continuing to hear a lot of rumblings from teams. Here’s the latest update :
As I first reported on Tuesday, the Nets are now leaning toward Wesley Johnson with the No. 3 pick. But the key word here is "leaning." Nets sources suggest that Johnson at three is not a done deal and that Favors, and to a lesser extent, Cousins, are still in the conversation.
Sources in Minnesota are saying that they’ll take Derrick Favors at No. 4 if Evan Turner and Johnson are off the board. The Wolves may be bummed by this development, but I think it's a great deal. The team lucked into Rubio at No. 5 last year and get a steal with Favors at No. 4 this year. Those two together could be awesome down the road.
The Kings have not made up their mind at No. 5, but a well-positioned league source is telling me that they continue to lean toward DeMarcus Cousins with the pick. While there isn’t totally unanimity in the Kings’ war room, that’s where the consensus lies. Greg Monroe is still in the conversation and a trade isn’t out of the realm of possibility. But if the draft were to happen tonight, Cousins would be the man.
If the Kings take Cousins at 5, we’re left with an interesting scenario at No. 6 in Golden State. We’ve had Greg Monroe pegged there for a week, but after a poor workout, the Warriors are now leaning away from Monroe. A plugged in source tells us that Ekpe Udoh is now the favorite to land in Golden State if Cousins and Favors are off the board.
If Cousins and Udoh are gone, the Pistons will be choosing between Monroe or Ed Davis. As I first reported this morning, Al-Farouq Aminu fell out of the conversation on Monday after he refused to workout in Detroit. While our Mock Draft has the Pistons drafting Davis, that will change if Monroe is on the board. Sources insist that the Pistons have both Cousins and Monroe ahead of Davis and the other big they like, Udoh.
At No. 8 we continue to believe that Aminu is a lock at the Clippers.
At No. 9, the Jazz will have a tough decision between Davis Luke Babbitt, Gordon Hayward and Xavier Henry. While nothing is definitive, it looks like Davis has the lead, followed by Babbitt.
The Grizzlies had Fresno State's Paul George in for a workout on Tuesday, but I had a few of the facts wrong from Tuesday's mock. This was actually George’s first workout for Memphis (he canceled an earlier one) and owner Michael Heisley ended up not attending the workout. The Grizzlies would still take George if he’s on the board, but if the Pacers take George, it will be Babbitt.
Talk of the Wolves trading the 16th pick may be premature. While the Grizzlies and Wolves have spoken, sources say there’s no deal yet. The Wolves continue to talk to teams as high as five. Especially with it looking more and more like they’re getting Favors at four, they’d love to add another athletic wing to the mix.
Add the Cavs, Mavs and Wizards to the list of teams we discussed on Monday trying to move up in the first round. Neither the Cavs nor Mavs have first-round picks, but both desire big men. The Wizards already have two picks (1, 30) in the first but would like to add another in the teens. Right now it appears that the Miami Heat are exploring the possibility of selling their pick (18).
Finally, it looks like the Bucks aren't done dealing. This afternoon they traded Dan Gadzuric and Charlie Bell to the Warriors for Corey Maggette. Now sources say that the Bucks and Nets are in serious negotiations on a deal that would send Chris Douglas-Roberts to the Bucks for a second round pick. With the addition of Maggette and Douglas-Roberts, you have to wonder if the Bucks may look at something other than a wing with the No. 15 pick in the draft.
Check out the latest trade and draft talk in Rumor Central.