Valley of the Suns Mock Draft 2.0

The Kings #1 priority is to find players who can fill it up. If Ranadivé thinks that Buddy is the next Steph, he’s going to think Markkanen is the next Dirk. Markkanen and their earlier pick will give the Kings a considerable offensive upgrade. Skal Labissiere can really play and if he was paired up with Markkanen, Hield, an elite point, and WCS they could at least be a watchable team. I don’t believe it would be a winning team, but I’d tune in just to watch them try.  VoTS Full Preview

The Mavericks will be thrilled if Fox drops this far to them. As much fun as the Yogi show has been, it’s not a long-term solution. Adding Fox to a core with Barnes and Noel is a good start on the long road to recovery. This team will have serious issues with getting the ball in the bucket, but they can shut people down on the defensive side long enough to be competitive. Fox is a great value selection this far down. This would be another chance for McDonough to work the phones and give Cuban assets to help Dirk make one last run in return for the Suns building their future core.    VoTS Full Preview

It is hard to imagine a scenario in which the T-Wolves draft a player who has a 3-4 year development arch. The fan base, coaching, and management are all growing impatient with the lack of success and the desire to be competitive now is very high. As a result, I don’t think there’s anyone left on the board that fits their desires. I believe that other teams value Issac in the top-five and if he drops this far, someone will be willing to overpay for him. I don’t know who makes the deal, but I’m pretty sure this would be a pick on the move.  VoTS Full Preview

If you haven’t read about how Vivek Ranadivé approached coaching basketball, then you should (click here). The man is a crazed manager, but his theory on the game may not be all wrong.  Regardless of what you think of the mad scientist and his theories, we can all agree it requires shooters. A lot of shooters. That’s why Dennis Smith makes the most sense here. He has a elite ability to get buckets and isn’t afraid to do it on the fly. That’s going to make him much more valuable to the Kings philosophy than an Issac or a Fox. If I were the Suns this is a spot where I’d be working the phones trying to steal Smith.  VoTS Full Preview

Speaking of organizational dysfunction, along come the New York Knickerboxers. In this scenario, they’ve got a lot of good talent to choose from as Monk and Tatum outperform projections.  Despite the increased options, I think the Knicks still come back to Nitilikina. They aced the selection of Porzingis and a return to that European pool should look awfully tempting. The American point guards left here are more polished, but the potential of Nitilikina is greater. He’d probably be boo’d by the garden faithful, but the last guy who got boo’d turned out ok. Frank will too.  VoTS Full Preview