It’s highly interesting that in such a deep NBA draft class so many lottery picks might be available in a trade. According to ESPN’s Chad Ford (subscription required), this may very well be the case later this month.
I thought getting a lottery pick via trade would be virtually impossible this year,” one NBA GM told Insider. “It’s not. There are a lot of teams in the lottery right now that would prefer a proven player. A lot of owners have lost their patience with the rebuilding process.
This could very well benefit teams looking to sell high on veterans prior to the draft. There are multiple starter-caliber players available on the open market, but if reports that a few different teams in the lottery are looking to move out, the ball could almost literally be in the court of contending teams looking to either get younger or bring in some new blood.
According to Ford’s report, teams outside of the top four are those looking to trade for potential veterans.
Sources say the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, Charlotte Hornets, Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns are all open to offers.
It remains to be seen how much of a role this might play in the trade market moving forward. Of those teams listed above, the Celtics and Lakers have been linked to Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love. Possessing a top-10 pick could help them in trade discussions. Outside of that, players like Oklahoma City Thunder guard Reggie Jackson and Golden State Warrriors forward Draymond Green could be potential trade options for lottery teams.
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