The Lakershave been involved in nearly every trade rumor out there since they landed the No. 2 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. Los Angeles wants to be a contender ASAP and the only way the storied franchise will get there is if it deals away the pick for a proven talent. If Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak is prudent, however, he will keep the pick and simply draft Duke’s Brandon Ingram … errr, orrrrr …Dragan Bender. Kupchak threw many for a loop this week, telling Turner Sports’David Aldridge: “One is always better than two. If you’re one, you can get anybody you want; if you’re two, you can get anybody you want, minus one. I’m not sure there’s as dramatic a cliff as people think between two and three. Any way you look at it, we feel we’ll get an excellent player at two.” Speculation predictablyarose from that comment that Kupchakisn’t in love with Ingram and that Bender might be a good choice for LA.
Sorry, not buying. This is probably Kupchaksimplytesting the waters to see if any team would overspend for the chance to draft Ingram.
This week’s Mock is the same as last week’s, with the Lakers still taking the Dukie.
1. Philadelphia 76ers: Ben Simmons, PF, LSU
2. Los Angeles Lakers: Brandon Ingram, SF, Duke
3. Boston Celtics: Jaylen Brown, SG/SF, California
4. Phoenix Suns: Dragan Bender, PF, Croatia
5. Minnesota Timberwolves: Buddy Hield, SG, Oklahoma
6. New Orleans Pelicans: Kris Dunn, PG, Providence
7. Denver Nuggets: Domantas Sabonis, PF/C, Gonzaga
8. Sacramento Kings: Jamal Murray, PG/SG, Kentucky
9. Toronto Raptors: Malik Beasley, SG, Florida State
10. Milwaukee Bucks: Marquese Chriss, PF, Washington
11. Orlando Magic: Jakob Poeltl, CB, Utah
12. Utah Jazz: Skal Labissierre, PF/C, Kentucky
13. Phoenix Suns: Deyonta Davis, PF/C, Michigan State
14. Chicago Bulls: Dejounte Murray, PG/SG, Washington
15. Denver Nuggets: Henry Ellenson, PF/C, Marquette
16. Boston Celtics: Furkan Korkmaz, SG, Turkey
17. Memphis Grizzlies: Brice Johnson, PF, North Carolina
18. Detroit Pistons: Guerschon Yabusele, PF, France
19. Denver Nuggets: Stephen Zimmerman, PF/C, UNLV
20. Indiana Pacers: Daniel Hamilton, SG/SF, UConn
21. Atlanta Hawks: Malachi Richardson, SG, Syracuse
22. Charlotte Hornets: Diamond Stone, C, Maryland
23. Boston Celtics: Caris LeVert, SG, Michigan
24. Philadelphia 76ers: Denzel Valentine, SG/SF, Michigan State
25. Los Angeles Clippers: Taurean Prince, SF, Baylor
26. Philadelphia 76ers: AJ Hammons, C, Purdue
27. Toronto Raptors: Timothe Luwawu, SG/SF, France
28. Phoenix Suns: Damian Jones, C, Vanderbilt
29. San Antonio Spurs: Cheick Diallo, PF/C, Kansas
30. Golden State Warriors: Tyler Ullis, PG, Kentucky
Second Round
31. Boston Celtics: Thon Maker, PF/C, Australia
32. Los Angeles Lakers: Anthony Barber, PG, NC State
33. Los Angeles Clippers: Michael Gbinije, SG/SF, Syracuse
34. Phoenix Suns: Demetrius Jackson, PG, Notre Dame
35. Boston Celtics: DeAndre Bembry, SF, St. Joseph’s
36. Milwaukee Bucks: Wade Baldwin, PG/SG, Vanderbilt
37. Houston Rockets: Joel Bolomboy, PF, Weber State
38. Milwaukee Bucks: Juan Hernangomez, PF, Spain
39. New Orleans Pelicans: Melo Trimble, PG, Maryland
40. New Orleans Pelicans: James Webb, SF/PF, Boise State
41. Orlando Magic: Ante Zizic, C, Croatia
42. Utah Jazz: Patrick McCaw, SG, UNLV
43. Houston Rockets: Ron Baker, SG, Wichita State
44. Atlanta Hawks: Tyrone Wallace, PG/SG, California
45. Boston Celtics: Perry Ellis, PF, Kansas
46. Dallas Mavericks: Wayne Selden, SG, Kansas
47. Orlando Magic: Malcolm Brogdon, SG, Virginia
48. Chicago Bulls: Jaron Blossomgame, SF, Clemson
49. Detroit Pistons: Gary Payton II, Oregon State
50. Indiana Pacers: Isaiah Cousins, PG/SG, Oklahoma
51. Boston Celtics: Josh Hart, SG, Villanova
52. Utah Jazz:PetrCornelie, PF/C, France
53. Denver Nuggets: Zach Auguste, PF, Notre Dame
54. Atlanta Hawks: Isaia Cordinier, SG, France
55. Brooklyn Nets: Rade Zagorac, SG/SF, Serbia
56. Denver Nuggets: Damion Lee, SG, Louisville
57. Memphis Grizzlies: Zhou Qi, C, China
58. Boston Celtics: Pascal Siakam, PF, New Mexico State
59. Sacramento Kings: Danuel House, SG/SF, Texas A&M
60. Utah Jazz: Petr Cornelie, PF/C, France