The 2023 NBA Draft is right around the corner, and there’s been a ton of rumors relating to the annual event in New York City.
We know that French sensation Victor Wembanyama will go No. 1 overall to the San Antonio Spurs. He’s a generational product and someone who could be an All-Star out of the gate.
Outside of that, nothing is really settled. Who are the Charlotte Hornets going to take between Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller at two? The Portland Trail Blazers are listening to offers for the third selection as a way to find a running partner for Damian Lillard. Something is unlikely to happen on that front until Portland is on the clock.
Speaking of trades, several big-name players find themselves on the block leading up to the NBA Draft after the Bradley Beal blockbuster. Which ones will be moved? These are among the top storylines for the 2023 NBA Draft inside Barclays Center Thursday evening.
Related: Updated 2023 NBA mock draft
Charlotte Hornets choosing between Scoot Henderson, Brandon Miller
Michael Jordan selling a majority share of the Hornets less than a week before the NBA Draft was interesting. Still meeting with Scoot Henderson as a member of the front office a few days later was even more interesting.
Previous indications were that the Hornets preferred former Alabama forward Brandon Miller over Henderson with the second selection. It makes sense with the frontcourt being more of a need. However, the idea of teaming Henderson up with LaMelo Ball at guard could very well be enticing to Charlotte. In a typical draft, Henderson would be the consensus top prospect. He can play both guard spots and would complement Bell pretty darn well. Right now, it seems as if Charlotte is leaning in the direction of Miller.
Related: 2023 NBA Draft rumors
Portland Trail Blazers impacted by what happens at two
Portland has been in discussions with multiple teams about moving down from the third selection. General manager Joe Cronin and Co. must cater to long-time guard Damian Lillard if they want to prevent a trade request. Lillard is already on record indicating that he has no intention of sticking around for a rebuild after the Blazers’ disastrous 2022-23 season.
This becomes one of the biggest storylines in modern NBA Draft history. Teams looking to move up to three are either targeting Henderson or Miller. What Charlotte does with the second selection will dictate the type of interest Portland receives.
We know the Toronto Raptors have been linked to a top-four selection, primarily the Rockets pick at four. Meanwhile, Portland is said to have interest in All-Star power forward Pascal Siakam. Should Henderson go off the board at two with Toronto looking for backcourt help, that could end trade discussions. Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans (14th overall) are also interested in Henderson. If Miller does indeed go off the board at two, the Blazers will have ample trade offers. It could lead to Lillard remaining in the Pacific Northwest.
Related: Top 100 prospects in the 2023 NBA Draft
Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets as NBA Draft night wildcards
The defending Western Conference runner-ups boast the 17th and 47th picks in Thursday’s NBA Draft. The team that defeated them, the defending champion Denver Nuggets, will be selecting 37th and 40th in the second round.
Typically, we wouldn’t focus on teams picking so slow as wildcards. That has to be seen as the case with the Lakers and Nuggets.
Los Angeles is reportedly looking to trade down from the 17th spot to collect more assets. General manager Rob Pelinka wants to add multiple young players to the mix once things get going from Barclays.
Meanwhile, Denver pulled off a rare trade during the NBA Finals. This enabled the team to add an early second-round pick (37th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft) as well as a first-and-second-round selection in 2024. The defending champs are looking to move into the first round to collect more youngsters. Perhaps, the Lakers and Nuggets come together in what would be a rare trade between two teams who are a couple weeks removed from playing one another in the playoffs.
2023 NBA Draft and Zion Williamson trade rumors
Williamson deserves his own blurb. It now seems as if the former No. 1 pick no longer has a relationship with the Pelicans’ organization. It has led to widespread speculation that he could be moved during the 2023 NBA Draft.
What a dramatic fall from grace this has been for Zion in the Bayou. The former Duke star was seen as a generational talent heading into the 2019 NBA Draft. He’s since played a total of 114 games in four seasons due to numerous injuries. There’s now a widespread rift between the 22-year-old big and his organization despite Williamson having played well when actually on the court.
- Zion Williamson career stats: 26.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 4.6 APG, 61% shooting
The question here is value. How much can New Orleans realistically expect to get back for someone with a laundry list of injury issues? Add in the fact that everyone knows he’s on the market, and this is magnified further. Thus far, Williamson has primarily been linked to the Portland Trail Blazers with the third pick in Thursday’s draft heading back to New Orleans as the centerpiece.
Related: Updated NBA trade tracker with grades
Amen and Ausar Thompson can make history in 2023 NBA Draft
At this point, it has to be seen as a foregone cunclusion that these two former Overtime Elite stars will be top-10 picks in the draft. Both opted to forgo their final year of high school and play for the program in Atlanta over the past two seasons.
It ended up working out exceedingly well for the twins. They improved their stock each year working in Georgia. The two will now likely become the first set of twins to be selected within the top-10 picks of a draft. Sportsnaut has Amen Thompson going No. 4 overall to the Houston Rockets with Ausar Thompson landing at six with the Orlando Magic. Whether the talented but raw forwards end up performing at that clip in the NBA remains to be seen. It’ll take a lot of work to compare to Horace and Harvey Grant.
2023 NBA Draft surprises
We see it every year. Teams make surprising decisions in the lottery. The 2022 NBA Draft was a prime example of this when the Orlando Magic selected Paolo Banchero over Chet Holmgren at No. 1. A bit later in the first round, the Spurs surprised many by taking Baylor’s Jeremy Sochan at nine.
Obviously, the Spurs are set with Victor Wembanyama at one. Charlotte seems to be leaning in the direction of Brandon Miller at two. We could see a few surprises after that.
Two surprise names in that of Santa Clara’s Brandin Podziemski and Marquette’s Olivier-Maxence Prosper received invites to the Green Room for the 2023 NBA Draft. Neither player was considered a first-round pick until relatively late in the pre-draft process. Could one of them actually go in the top-10? It’s certainly something to watch.
Potential blockbuster 2023 NBA Draft trades
We already saw three-time All-Star Bradley Beal dealt ahead of the 2023 NBA Draft. Indications around the league are that it will be a trade-heavy event when things get going inside Barclays Thursday night. That will include trades within the top 10 as teams jockey for position and build future draft capital.
However, there are also several players on the block leading up to the draft. Some of them could be moved with teams on the clock depending on who is available. It starts at three with the Blazers. If Scoot Henderson is indeed available, we envision a scenario in which several teams will offer up big-name players in trade-up scenarios.
As for the names potentially available during the Draft, there are several we’re keeping an eye on. That list includes Paul George, Chris Paul, Zach LaVine, Pascal Siakam, John Collins, Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga and the aforementioned Zion Williamson.
Victor Wembanyama as a generational talent
Wembanyama is potentially the most-hyped NBA Draft prospect since LeBron James. That’s not hyperbole. What we’ve seen from the media since it became clear that the 7-foot-4 generational talent was heading to North American has been nothing short of extraordinary.
There’s very good reason for this. Wembanyama’s size coupled with his insane athleticism and pro-ready game is just insane. He can hit the outside shot on a consistent basis, has an elite shot off the dribble and makes the plays in the low post. Not only that, Wemby has shown flashes as a passer and a potential defensive anchor.
The only question here is just how much of an impact he can make for the San Antonio Spurs once they select him No. 1 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft. We’re talking about the least-talented team in the Association, one that won just 22 games a season ago.
“They’re going to have a few years to figure it out and get it right because the team is so young,” an opposing NBA head coach told Sportsnaut. “They’re basically starting from scratch. Wemby is going to be a great talent. But it’s not going to happen immediately. People are going to have patience with him and the process.”
These are the expectations that come with being the No. 1 pick and the prospect of a generation. Will Wembanyama by judged by earning an All-Star appearance and leading a talent-stricken Spurs team to the playoffs? If so, people might end up being a tad disappointed.