2016 NBA Draft: 4 Trades In The Top 5?

The 2016 NBA Draft will be full of surprises, but perhaps the biggest surprise could be the number of teams that trade out of the top 5 of the draft.

Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram headline the 2016 NBA Draft class and from there the draft could take many twists and turns. The Philadelphia 76ers are on the clock after winning Tuesday night’s NBA Lottery. After that, madness could ensue.

The Los Angeles Lakers hold the second overall pick and are in a good position to draft either Simmons or Ingram. The Lakers are in a situation similar to that of the Seattle SuperSonics, now Oklahoma City Thunder, when they had the No. 2 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.

The Portland Trail Blazers had the first pick and chose Greg Oden over Kevin Durant and the rest is history.

That scenario played out differently than anyone wants to see. Oden’s injury-plagued career is something that nobody wants to see or wishes upon anyone, so hopefully this year’s draft doesn’t play out the exact same way.

The Lakers do have options with the second overall pick. With a young core that includes D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle returning, and still on their rookie contracts, the Lakers have a good base to start with.

They also have cap flexibility for free agency following the draft to potentially lure Durant, this year’s most coveted free agent.

Lakers GM Kupchick "We don’t think we can continue to lose at this pace and at some point you have to make a dramatic jump.."
— Liz Habib (@LizHabib) May 18, 2016

Los Angeles could quickly become a contending team if the cards fall the right way, especially after hiring Luke Walton as head coach. Drafting Simmons or Ingram would help for the long haul, but the Lakers could also trade the No. 2 pick to a team that needs it more than them.

That pick would bring the highest return out of any pick in this year’s draft because it guarantees a team landing either Simmons or Ingram. Would the Chicago Bulls be willing to offer Jimmy Butler, or is there another veteran star the Lakers could land?

That remains to be seen, but everything should be on the table for the Lakers.

3, 4, 5 …

Whether the Lakers stay at No. 2 or trade the pick, Simmons and Ingram are likely off the board when the Boston Celtics are on the clock with the third overall pick.

The Celtics will have their choice of international prospect Dragan Bender, Providence point guard Kris Dunn or even Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield as Hoops Habit’s Eric Laboissonniere suggests.

The Celtics could also trade the pick to a team that wants to move up and draft a player of their liking. Boston made the playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s fifth seed and dueled the Atlanta Hawks in a six-game series.

Adding veteran pieces could be the direction that Danny Ainge should look, instead of a player in the 2016 NBA Draft that may not help them advance in next year’s playoffs.

Lack of Premier Talent or Depth In Draft?

The 2007 NBA Draft is drawing a lot of comparisons to the 2016 NBA Draft because they are both considered as two-player drafts. Does that mean there is a lack of premier talent? Possibly, but it could also mean this draft has depth.

The 2007 Draft had Al Horford and Mike Conley drafted with the third and fourth picks. Following that, there was a pool of players that led to significant role players on today’s NBA rosters.

That draft class produced Corey Brewer, Jeff Green, Thaddeus Young, Joakim Noah and Nick Young among others.

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Draft classes can’t be fairly evaluated until several years afterwards to give the players an opportunity to adapt to the NBA and develop their games. There is no telling if the 2016 draft class is good or not, but the depth could be determined as their careers are developed.

The Vertical’s NBA Draft Lottery Show featured Adrian Wojnarowski, Bobby Marks and Draft Express’ Jonathon Givony discussing a number of things.

Among them was the game that agents play by holding medical records from specific teams with the hope that their player won’t be drafted by that team. Dunn is specifically mentioned in the show, since he did not file a physical at the NBA Draft Combine.

Dunn is trying to avoid the Celtics, Suns or any team with young guards that could keep him off the court due to a crowded backcourt.

Dunn may not be the only prospect that plays this game, which is why there could be plenty of trades inside the top five, but the teams ultimately hold the power.

Five teams hold multiple picks in the 2016 NBA Draft. That could easily play a role in trading away picks. Among the five teams are the 76ers, Celtics, Suns, Denver Nuggets and Toronto Raptors.

The Celtics and Suns could trade their picks that are inside the top four since they have multiple picks, or they could keep their top picks and trade their other picks.

The Nuggets and Raptors are the two players to watch out for. Holding multiple picks allows either team to catapult into the top five if there is a player they really want.

Next: 2016 NBA Draft: 8 Most Intriguing Draft Prospects

The 2016 NBA Draft is going to be wide open. This draft class is full of talented players, though the separation from the top two is what allows for this draft to be full of surprises. A new chapter awaits as the NBA’s June 23 draft nears.

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