Draft Eve!
The NBA Draft is happening! It’s one of the watershed events in the NBA calendar, rivaling even the trade deadline in transaction volume. Some deals may need to wait until July 6, after the annual moratorium, but Tuesday (and Wednesday) should be wild.
Already, “minor” transactions are dropping, including an agreed-upon trade of Aaron Wiggins from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Atlanta Hawks (per Shams Charania of ESPN).
The giant question at hand has kept me busy the last couple of months: the fate of Milwaukee Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo. That answer may be clear by the time this hits your inbox. If not, here’s the collection, ranked, of trade concepts I’ve cobbled together at Bleacher Report: Ranking Top Potential Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Packages.
That includes the latest concept featuring the Orlando Magic: How a Surprise Team Could Win the Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Sweepstakes. The buzz seems to be either the Boston Celtics or the Miami Heat. If the former, a third team like the Atlanta Hawks or Portland Trail Blazers could end up with Jaylen Brown, though the former NBA Finals MVP could certainly land in Milwaukee.
I’m very much looking forward to putting Antetokounmpo behind me, but it was educational putting together 10 semi-realistic concepts. My prediction has been Boston for some time now, but the analysis can only take it so far. The actual human beings making these decisions add the vital element of unpredictability that makes life exciting.
Additionally, the draft itself is fascinating to watch. I didn’t work with a staff to build out a board this year, but that could change for 2027. I’ve always been more of a pro personnel guy than pre-NBA. With free agency, trades, draft results, and the new cap numbers coming out on the 30th, this remains my busiest time of year.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers have several free-agent decisions, starting with the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. I broke down his best options, based entirely on my opinion of what I’d like to see. And no, the Lakers are not the No. 1 choice: Ranking Top Landing Spots for LeBron James During 2026 NBA Offseason.
As for deals that have been “announced” via Charania, I had CJ McCollum projected back to the Hawks at $20 million for one year. He extended instead at $21 million.
I had Wigging getting dealt by the Thunder, and the Hawks were on the list of possible destinations. That wasn’t a surprise.
For the Phoenix Suns, I penciled in Jordan Goodwin at the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception price (just over $6 million)—not the actual TMLE, but the starting salary figure. It looks like he’ll get $5.86 million, functionally the same on a three-year deal ($19 million).
My Collin Gillespie prediction was also close, as I had him on a four-year, $53 million deal. Instead, Charnia reports $48 million over that same period.
I also punched in Mohamed Diawara back to the Knicks on a minimum deal. I didn’t guess the number of years, but it appears he’ll get four to return to New York.
Trae Young, however, got a ton more than I expected. I penciled him back to the Washington Wizards at around $35 million starting. Instead, he’ll get about $47.3 million.
Inevitably, a few players get significantly more or less than I expected. Good for Young. I’m not in love with it for the Wizards, but I’m open to being proven wrong.
More to come as deals are leaked!