In the latest edition of our NBA Mock Draft, the San Antonio Spurs make a shocking pick at No. 2, and the Portland Trail Blazers trade Damian Lillard.
The NBA regular season is over and the start for the offseason has already begun for nearly half the league. And that will only grow in the next few weeks. That means more than half the league is soon going to be in full-blown NBA Draft mode.
And as NBA Draft prospects begin to make their respective decisions on whether to stay in college or make the move to the Association, there has already been one surprise – Kyle Filipowski, a projected first-round pick, has elected to return to Duke for his sophomore season. I’d imagine there will be a couple of more surprises in the next few days, or weeks.
But in this specific NBA Mock Draft, there is one bigger surprise. Hypothetically, Damian Lillard has demanded a trade and the Portland Trail Blazers appease his request as they make the pivot toward a rebuild.
The blockbuster NBA Mock Draft trade: Damian Lillard is traded to the Miami Heat
With the momentum that is inching toward a potential Damian Lillard trade demand, I decided to simulate what one could potentially look like at the NBA Draft. In this hypothetical, the Miami Heat, as desperate as they are heading into the offseason, throw everything that they have to try to land Lillard. And they do, partly due to Lillard wanting to be in Miami as well (in this hypothetical, Miami is one of the Lillards’ preferred destinations).
In this deal, the Heat sends Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry (as an expiring contract, who could also be moved to a third team), Nikola Jovic (essentially an additional first-round pick, and three first-round picks (including this year’s), and potential future pick swaps to land Lillard.
Would this hypothetical deal be enough? Who knows. But Lillard being traded this offseason is now a very real possibility. With that in mind, let’s get to our latest NBA Mock Draft.
1. Detroit Pistons – Victor Wembanyama, C, France
Victor Wembanyama is still on top of every NBA Draft and it would be extremely surprising if that changed between now and June. The Detroit Pistons still have one of the three-best odds to win the NBA Draft Lottery and they get the nod at No. 1 until that is settled.
Victor will bring excitement to the franchise and the potential for the start of something special for the Pistons moving forward. Victor would be an excellent addition to any team’s young core and could finally be the piece, specifically for the Pistons, that really sparks the team heading into next season.