One more star would make the Celtics a legitimate title contender, and remember: even if things don’t work as planned, Boston gets Brooklyn’s 2018 first-round pick too, which could very well end up No. 1 overall for a second straight season. They will be followed by the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers.
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The Philadelphia 76ers will select third.
Everything lined up suspensefully when the Sixers, who would have drawn the 5th overall pick, invoked their right to swap with the Kings.
The reaction was a positive one, although team representative Joel Embiid seemed upset to not get the first pick. “Obviously, we would’ve loved to be in the top two or three, but it was what I expected”, Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough said. Now that the lottery results are in, we will take a peak and detail what the Kings do moving forward. A trade would open up a spot in the rotation for a draft target like Lonzo Ball, giving Los Angeles the opportunity to bolster its frontcourt or add future assets. If they had fallen out of the top three, they would have lost their 2019 first-round pick to Orlando in addition to seeing their pick in this year’s draft disappear. Underclassmen who have not signed an agent have until May 24 to pull out of the draft. “I think that they can add to our team and help us in some capacity, but I think it’s unsafe to think that a 19-year-old’s going to come in and transform our franchise”. Washington guard Markelle Fultz is the consensus “best player” in the draft, with UCLA guard Lonzo Ball and Kansas swingman Josh Jackson in the mix.
He averaged 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game in his freshman season. They have a few other prospects they are targeting, one of whom is Kentucky point guard De’Aaron Fox. They also had a small chance to move down with a 6.3% chance of selecting 12th and 0.1% chance of drawing 14th.
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However, because of the vesting schedules for both picks, L.A. had a chance to lose both picks tonight if they landed outside of the lottery.
