With the NBA Draft coming up, some big teams could be looking to trade up or down to address their roster needs.
The NBA Draft Lottery proved to be quite surprising, with some even suggesting that the status quo of the draft process has been changed.
In the biggest lottery night jump in NBA history, the Dallas Mavericks landed the first overall pick, despite having just a 1.4% chance.
The Spurs also made an astronomical jump, landing the second overall pick despite having mediocre odds. This marks their second top-3 pick in the last three seasons.
But with the NBA Draft lottery serving as a boon or a bane to several teams in the NBA, there is a lot of talk about trades involving these first-round picks.
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It’s hard to see why, after the turbulence of the Luka Doncic trade and the subsequent fan backlash that the Dallas Mavericks would trade away what was a gift from the NBA gods.
But then again, few would have expected them to even consider trading Luka Doncic. Nico Harrison is a wild card. And despite reports saying governor Patrick Dumont won’t entertain a trade, Nico can’t be ruled out.
The Celtics have emerged as an outside bet to potentially trade for the pick, as they have the pieces that could make the Mavericks contenders under Nico’s timeline.
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The San Antonio Spurs might choose to give up their 2nd overall pick for a decent package. Dylan Harper is a generational talent and the obvious pick. But he poses a problem for the Spurs.
Harper is a guard, the two spots the Spurs filled out last season with the De’Aaron Fox trade and by drafting Stephon Castle, who won Rookie of the Year.
The Spurs could use the pick in a package to land Giannis Antetokounmpo. But they also have the 14th overall pick, which they could use to sweeten the deal for the Bucks.
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Similarly, the 76ers might also choose to move their pick for the same reason as the Spurs. After drafting Jared McCain and the rise of Tyrese Maxey to superstardom, the 76ers have little use for players like VJ Edgecomb or Ace Bailey.
But there is another reason. The 76ers offered Paul George a massive contract last year – one that they immediately regretted.
Packaging the pick with George to trade with a rebuilding team with cap space could allow them to land a second option, with Lauri Markkanen and Kevin Durant being potential options.

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No team has more right to be upset about the NBA Draft Lottery than the Wizards. After yet another atrocious season, the Wizards miss out on a top-5 pick.
There is chatter that the Wizards are looking to trade the 6th pick to acquire some future assets and veteran players as they rebuild their culture.
It would be better for them to target the 2026 or 2027 NBA Draft class, as they’re not getting what they need out of this one.
Perhaps the most likely team to make trades involving their picks is the Brooklyn Nets. Only because they have four first-round picks.
The Nets were hoping for a top-3 pick to begin rebuilding around. But unfortunately, they fell to the 8th pick in the lottery.
Luckily for them, they have several picks from this year’s and future drafts to use to move up. Although Nets’ hopes of landing the Spurs’ 2nd overall pick may have been decimated after the latest reports.

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The Houston Rockets are no longer a rebuilding team. After a 52-win season where they secured the second seed, the Rockets must be in win-now mode.
The big talk surrounding the Rockets is a potential trade for Kevin Durant. They have the right assets, securing the Phoenix Suns’ draft picks in a trade with the Nets last year.
They could package the 10th overall pick, some cap filler, along with the future Suns picks in exchange for Durant to build a contending team.