The 2015 NBA draft is less than a month away and rumors have players like Emmanuel Mudiay, Jahlil Okafor, Karl-Anthony Towns, Justise Winslow and D'Angelo Russell as the top targets for the NY Knicks, LA Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers in the top 4 selections.
The draft lottery pushed the Knicks back to fourth and bumped the Lakers up to second before the Minnesota Timberwolves won the top overall pick and that could be a major factor in whether trades happen or not. The Knicks ended the season with the second worst record in the NBA and they ended up in fourth and reports have Phil Jackson considering trading the selection. The team still could get a top prospect at number four, but Jackson and the franchise had their sights set on Towns or Okafor all year.
Towns and Okafor are considered to be the top two prospects in the draft and like last year with Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker, there is not a main consensus on who will go first. Towns has been getting most of the attention heading into the draft after the NBA draft combine, but coming into the season it was Okafor who was considered to be the presumptive number one pick. Towns overtook Okafor in the eyes of some scouts with his strong NCAA tournament performance, but there are many that are still high on Okafor.
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The Timberwolves have the number one overall pick and many draft experts see the team selecting either Towns or Okafor. According to Draft Express, the Wolves are not necessarily locked in on Towns art number one as many mock drafts have predicted, as sources have said that Flip Saunders "really likes" Okafor and could take him number one. The Wolves also reportedly have interest in D'Angelo Russell, but he has been slotted in at three by most draft experts.
The Timberwolves will be the first team in NBA history with three straight number one overall picks on the same roster, as they added Wiggins and Anthony Bennett in a trade last summer with the Cavs. The Lakers pick at number two and they could go a number of ways with that selection, as the team has the chance to get the leftover player between Towns and Okafor, or they could shake things up by taking Russell or Emmanuel Mudiay.
According to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com, while the prevailing thinking is that the Lakers will take the leftover player from the Wolves, some NBA execs say "there is a logical case" for taking Russell at number two for Los Angeles. The Lakers have a major need at point guard and some scouts have said that Russell is the player with the most potential in the draft. The Lakers like both Towns and Okafor, but with Julius Randle getting drafted last year, the team could go with a guard over a big.
Pro Basketball Talk has their mock draft putting Russell to the Sixers and Justise Winslow to the Knicks at four. According to ESPN.com, the Knicks will consider Emmanuel Mudiay in the draft and they also are looking to workout Winslow and he is considered to be the favorite for New York heading into the middle of June.
