The NBA draft 2014 is hours away and trade rumors have been flying for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia Sixers about the number 1 pick, as the 76ers may be looking to trade up to draft Andrew Wiggins, while the Boston Celtics, Utah Jazz, Orlando Magic, LA Lakers and Sacramento Kings all could be looking at trading for the right to pick Joel Embiid.
The Cavaliers have taken numerous offers for the number one pick and as it gets closer to the draft, the less likely it will be that the team trades the pick. According to ESPN.com, the Cavaliers and the Sixers could be working out a trade, as the 76ers have long been interested in drafting Andrew Wiggins and they are looking at adding more to their initial trade proposal. The team was looking to trade the number four pick and Thaddeus Young and now they may add second round picks to get the deal done.
Pro Basketball Talk reports that the Sixers have increased their offer for the top pick, as they also have the number 10 pick in the draft and five second round picks. The chances of all five of those picks becoming solid players is nil and that is one reason why the team could try and pull off the trade. The team sees Wiggins as a great player potentially and rather than sit tight and take someone like Joel Embiid or Dante Exum, the Sixers could jump up.
The Cavaliers have a number of major decisions to make, including whether to trade the pick or not and then the team has to decide who they will draft if they stay put or trade. The Bucks have made it clear they are taking Wiggins or Parker at number two in the draft and while they praised Embiid, the new owners want a player they can get on the court right away. Whoever does not go number one will be picked by the Bucks, who had the best chance to win the draft lottery at 25 percent.
Wiggins was looked at as the presumptive number one pick heading into the season, but coming into the draft Embiid went to the top of most boards, but now he is injured. Embiid had foot surgery that could cost him millions and he also sent out a tweet that he was going to be a Laker, so figure that one out. The Lakers and Celtics reportedly want to trade up for him, as do the Kings, but the Cavaliers may sit on the pick and keep it for themselves. The team picked Kyrie Irving four years ago and took Anthony Bennett last season and now they want to get a star player to convince Irving to stay long term.
The draft starts at 7 pm ET from the Barclays center on Thursday night on ESPN and the coverage will also be online with a live stream from WatchESPN. This year Parker and Wiggins are the two names to watch and after that Marcus Smart, Julius Randle, Exum, Embiid as well as Nik Stauskas and Doug McDermott are also potential lottery picks.