The Pelicans only had a 6% shot at landing the #1 overall pick, but they did just that, winning the Zion sweepstakes.
Courtesy: Daily Express
New Orleans Pelicans – Zion Williamson will be selected #1 in the 2019 NBA Draft. But serious questions still need to be answered this summer. Will Anthony Davis gets traded or will he be paired with Zion? Davis wants to be traded. Will New Orleans move him this summer? At the very least, Zion will be paired with his look-alike, Julius Randle. Or will he? I look for Randle to leave the Bayou and join the Nets. And there’s one more thing to keep in mind. It would be interesting if the Pelicans traded Davis to the Knicks for the 3rd pick, RJ Barrett. That would keep two Duke teammates together. No matter what happens, a slim 6% chance leading into the Lottery turned into a bright future for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Memphis Grizzlies – Ja Marant will be selected second–at least that’s what analysts are projecting. If true, then the Grizzlies have a big decision to make regarding PG Mike Conley. Will they trade him? Will he become Ja’s mentor? One way to get an answer is to break down the financials of Conley’s contract. The Grizz gave Conley the max back in 2016–5 years at $153 million with $140 million guaranteed. But Conley, the topic of trade talks this year, has a contract that scares teams away. If the Grizz were to shop Conley, they’d be trading him and 66 million dollars, too. Bottom line? It will be hard finding a suitor with that massive contract. So my take is that Conley and Morant will co-exist this year.
New York Knicks – The Knicks tanked and ended up with the 3rd pick even though NY was hell-bent on landing #1. They’ll have to ‘settle’ on RJ Barrett … and Kevin Durant … and Kyrie Irving. Poor Knicks! Yes, the Knicks will look to add KD and Kyrie, but they’ll also try to land Anthony Davis by trading the #3 pick (and, perhaps, a whole lot of other assets, to get him). Even if the Knicks land all three superstars, the Knicks will still have drama, which is not what Durant wants. So the Knicks will need to make all the necessary moves–and that’s never easy for NY.
What’s a LeBron to do? (photo, Sporting News)
Los Angeles Lakers – Can you say ‘dysfunctional’? That’s LAL. The team hired Frank Vogel as head coach, but look for him to be kicked to the curb by season’s end. And because this year’s Draft is a three-player draft, nobody available will make an impact–at least not immediately. So who’ll the Lakers take? It’s probably Jarrett Culver, a promising prospect, who has work to do in most areas of his game. Yes, LeBron is still there–at least for now–and the team will once again enter the Anthony Davis sweepstakes. But the Pelicans won’t be interested in dealing Davis to a Western Conference foe. What does that leave the Magic-less Lakers? They have the best player on the planet with lots and lots of work to do.
Cleveland Cavaliers – John Beilein’s hiring was a big surprise, even though he was a great college coach with many players who graduated to the league. Beilein will inherit a bushel-load of problems. For starters, the unlucky Cavs landed in the 5th Draft spot. But the more significant issue is that this organization is so full of uncertainties that ‘overwhelming’ isn’t a wrong word choice. So I predict Cleveland will be in the same position next year … and the year after that … and probably for years after that. That is how bad this franchise is. At least, Cleveland fans, you have the Browns.
Quick Hitters
Phoenix Suns – What in the ‘Devin Booker’ are they going to do this summer?
Chicago Bulls – Chi is processing and loading and still needing to get more assets this summer.
Atlanta Hawks – The organization is in the right state of mind, and it’s replicating the Warriors front-office system. The 8th and 10th pick will add depth. Still, though, I think this team is about three years away from a playoff berth.
Washington Wizards – There’s not much moving space for these Wizards. Wall’s massive contract kicks in next year. It’s just that simple.
