The NBA announced this week some changes to the annual NBA Draft Combine process that should add some pretty interesting wrinkles to the mid-May draft evaluation window.
The jist of the changes will sort of merge both the G-League’s annual showcase event held in Chicago a few days before the Combine and the Combine itself.
In previous years select veteran free agent players were invited to work out and showcase in Chicago in front of G-League and NBA executive, then a day or so later the Draft Combine would begin. The Showcase event was meant to give veteran players another chance to be seen with all of the NBA gathered in Chicago.
This year the G-League event will not only feature invited veteran players, but it will also include several borderline draft-eligible prospects that will get to work out in front of G-League and NBA executives and then potentially earn a spot or two in the actual Combine.
Historically, roughly 70 percent of Combine invitees get drafted each year, however, there are always players that get the proverbial “snub.” This new G-League wrinkle not only lets teams look at more players, but it may also help ease the snub factor for players that get pushed out for would-be players that are “testing the waters.”
It will create an interesting wrinkle, especially for guys that have historically been left out of the process.
We will start our annual Consensus Mock Drafts the first week of May. Here is this week’s 60-pick Mock Draft.
There are a number of first-round picks that are owed. Here is how those picks landed where they are.
The Atlanta Hawks are to receive the Cleveland Cavaliers’ first-round pick as a result of the Kyle Korver trade in 2017, which is top-10 protected. But based on the standings, it will not be conveyed.
The Boston Celtics are to receive the Memphis Grizzlies first-round pick as a result of the three-team Jeff Green trade in 2015; the pick is top-eight protected and, based on the current standings, would not convey.
The Atlanta Hawks are to receive the Dallas Mavericks first-round pick as a result of the Luka Dončić – Trae Young swap on draft night in 2018. The pick is top-five protected and, based on the standings, would convey.
The Boston Celtics are to receive the more favorable of either the Sacramento Kings or Philadelphia 76ers first-round picks as part of the Markelle Fultz pre-draft trade in 2017. Based on the current standings, the Kings pick is the more favorable and would convey to Boston.
The Boston Celtics are to receive the LA Clippers first-round pick as a result of the Deyonta Davis draft day trade with Memphis in 2016. The Grizzlies got the pick in their Jeff Green/Lance Stephenson deal at the deadline in 2016. The pick is lottery protected and, based on the current standings, would not convey.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are to receive the Houston Rockets first-round pick as a result of the three-team deadline deal that sent out Brandon Knight and Marquese Chriss.
The Brooklyn Nets are to receive the Denver Nuggets first-round pick as a result of the Kenneth Faried – Darrell Arthur trade in July 2018. The pick is top-12 protected and, based on the current standings, would convey.
The San Antonio Spurs are to receive the Toronto Raptors first-round pick as a result of the Kawhi Leonard – DeMar DeRozan trade in July 2018. The pick is top-20 protected and, based on the current standings, would convey.
The Phoenix Suns are to receive the Milwaukee Bucks first-round pick as a result of the Eric Bledsoe trade in 2017. The pick has top 3 and 17-30 protections, designed to yield a lottery-level pick to Phoenix. Based on the current standings this pick would not convey. If the debt is not settled this year, the pick in 2020 would be top-7 protected.
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