The NBA Draft is Thursday night, and while there isn’t much drama associated with the top three picks, it appears the fourth pick is where the action is on draft night.
The New Orleans Pelicans are widely expected to draft Zion Williamson first overall, followed by the Memphis Grizzlies taking Ja Morant, while the New York Knicks are seen drafting R.J. Barrett third.
The fourth pick formerly belonged to the Los Angeles Lakers, who provisionally traded the pick to the New Orleans Pelicans in the deal for Anthony Davis, although that deal will not become official until next month. Still, the Hornets will control the pick, and numerous other teams are said to be interested in trading up for it.
ESPN NBA reporters Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst both appeared in different segments on ESPN’s Get Up on Thursday morning, per YouTube , and talked about some of the possibilities for a trade involving the pick. The Pelicans, Woj said, are “continuing to canvas the league” for the best deal they can find for the fourth overall pick. The team could trade the pick for an established player to go with its new nucleus.
One possibility raised by Windhorst was that the Minnesota Timberwolves could dangle a veteran player such as Robert Covington or Dario Saric in order to move up from the 11th pick in the first round to the fourth, presumably in order to select point guard Darius Garland. Windhorst added that New Orleans is not “enamored” with the players available at the fourth pick and would be interested in trading the pick for a player in order to compete as soon as next season.
The Cooler: Latest #twolves trade rumbling — Covington and No. 11 pick to move up to 4. … Rubio says good-bye to Utah … Latest (and hopefully last) NBA mock draft. https://t.co/6rIsgHoc1y pic.twitter.com/8rKMeLHpjL
— RandBall (@RandBall) June 20, 2019
Another “team to watch,” Wojnarowski said, is the Atlanta Hawks, who have the eighth, 10th, and 17th picks in the first round, as well as the ability to absorb a bad contract from the Pelicans.
The deal, Woj said, could go “all the way up to the clock” before the fourth pick is announced.
Both Covington and Saric came to Minnesota from the Philadelphia 76ers in the Jimmy Butler trade last November. Covington quickly emerged as a fan favorite in Minnesota but suffered an injury that kept him out for the entire second half of the season.
The NBA Draft will air on ESPN Thursday night, with the broadcast starting at 7 p.m. Reporters, including Wojnarowski, have announced their intention to tweet their reports of draft picks before they’re announced.
