The 2019 NBA Draft is just a few hours away, and a number of teams are already looking to move up the board to select their player of choice. Teams like the Warriors, Nets, Kings, Mavericks and Spurs may look to be aggressive in trying to jump a few spots, especially in such a volatile draft where a number of players could go in the top 10 or fall toward the end of the first round:
There’s an ongoing flurry of trade discussion regarding picks 20-23, league sources say, with teams like Golden State, Brooklyn, Sacramento, Dallas and San Antonio expressing interest to move up into that range.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) June 20, 2019
Golden State in particular may be compelled to move up. With both Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson on the shelf and the bench unit looking fairly depleted, the Warriors need to add some depth and potentially take a chance on a young guy who might be an impact player.
The Nets initially had the No. 17 selection, but they traded with the Atlanta Hawks and dumped Allen Crabbe so as to open up their second max cap slot. Brooklyn currently has the No. 27 pick.
Sacramento and Dallas are a pair of teams that could make a serious playoff push next season. The Kings were battling for the eighth seed for a good bit of the season, and their young talent is starting to blossom.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks will be bolstered by the return of a healthy Kristaps Porzingis, the perfect kind of stretch big to complement Luka Doncic.
The Spurs find themselves in an interesting place. They made the playoffs as a 7-seed this past season, but they do not have a ton of frontcourt depth and have also flirted with trading DeMar DeRozan.
Needless to say, all five teams will have to do some maneuvering as they try to balance their offseason plans with their respective draft strategies. Expect plenty of action as the 2019 NBA Draft goes down on Thursday night.
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