The NBA draft is coming this month and that means mock drafts for 2014 are starting to come out and the top picks will likely be a combination of Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker along with Julius Randle and Marcus Smart, as teams like the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia Sixers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz, Milwaukee Bucks and LA Lakers are targeting the stars in the top 10 this summer.
The Cavaliers got the number one pick in the draft for the third time in four years and for the second consecutive season and now they have the chance to turn that into another star player. According to ESPN.com, the Cavaliers are not opposed to trading the pick, but they are likely hanging onto it because of how talented this class is. Last season the team picked Anthony Bennett at number one and he likely wouldn't even be in the top 10 this season if he was in the draft and that is saying more about this class than the last class.
Check here for the NBA mock draft and top picks from the 2014 draft.
Bennett has not had enough time in the NBA to be labeled a bust, but right now he is on that path after a terrible rookie season and Cleveland will need to be smarter about this pick to ensure that Kyrie Irving stays long term. Coming into the season, Andrew Wiggins was considered the presumptive number one pick just ahead of Jabari Parker and now many see Embiid as the best number one option. Parker and Wiggins are about even to most scouts and Parker has more size than Wiggins and likely a higher upside after leading Duke in scoring and rebounding this season.
Embiid played with Wigging at Kansas and both were very good last season even with Embiid missing some time for the Jayhawks with a back injury. According to ESPN.com, Embiid is meeting with the Cavaliers and has had workouts for teams leading up to the draft and many have been looking closely at the stress fracture injury he had during the season. Parker has been called a min LeBron James, while Wiggins is looked at as a potential scoring champion if he develops the right way.
Some teams may look at trading up this year or even down like they do in the NFL, as this class has talent all over the first round. The top 10 and top 5 are very deep and talented, but so is the whole class and that means impact players could be taken in the top 20 when usually it ends around the top 10. Names like Aaron Gordon, Nik Stauskas, Doug McDermott and Kyle Anderson all could be top picks, while Dante Exum is moving up in drafts as well.
The Cavs won the number one pick with a 1.7 percent chance of getting it, while the Milwaukee Bucks had a 25 percent chance and did not get it. The team likely will sit tight at number two and pick one of the three main players, while Randle is also a wild card. The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are hoping to get impact players in the top 10, while the Sixers are the most likely team to trade since they have two lottery picks.
Cavaliers: Joel Embiid
Bucks: Andrew Wiggins
Sixers: Jabari Parker
Magic: Marcus Smart
Jazz: Julius Randle
