By Jonathan Coffman
Special to NKyTribune
Seven Kentucky players will wait to hear their names called during the NBA Draft Thursday night, and their anticipation could not be higher following trade speculation that may impact their stock.
Rumors of the Los Angeles Lakers “aggressively” attempting to trade for Sacramento Kings center and former Wildcat DeMarcus Cousins could cause the draft lottery to change drastically.
The proposed trade could move another former Wildcat, Julius Randle, to Sacramento from Los Angeles. The Orlando Magic would receive the second overall pick while sending breakout center Nikola Vucevic to the Kings. Sacramento would receive Orlando’s fifth pick and undisclosed other picks from the teams while the Lakers would receive Cousins and a pick, according to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix.
Yahoo! Sports sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski that Kings coach George Karl has been “leading the way” in an attempt to move Cousins, but team president Vivek Ranadive refuses to allow such a deal.
Karl-Anthony Towns was reportedly told that he will taken by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the first overall pick Monday, according to SNY.tv sources.
Timberwolves president and coach Flip Saunders was believed to be one of few in the draft process considering drafting Duke’s Jahlil Okafor. The Minnesota organization hosted a workout for the presumed top pick Towns Monday that reportedly sealed the deal.
Despite the report that the pick had been confirmed, college basketball analyst Jay Bilas has since made Okafor his first choice in his mock draft. If Bilas’ prediction proves true, a Cousins trade could land Towns on a team that was never considered to have a chance: Orlando.
Towns denied the report the pick was confirmed Monday evening when asked by The Associated Press.
“There is absolutely no promise at all,” Towns said. “Right now I’m just trying to see where I’ll be playing. I have no idea.”
While Towns’ stock is at an all-time high, former Wildcat teammate Willie Cauley-Stein future as a top 10 pick has become less certain. Uncertainty about the health of the big man’s ankle, injured during the 2014 NCAA tourney, could influence when his name is called Thursday, according to Jonathan Givony, president of DraftExpress.
Cauley-Stein suffered a stress fracture in his ankle during an NCAA tournament victory over Louisville. A pin was inserted to repair his ankle via surgery at the time. League executives tell Givony that there is a concern that the ankle may not have healed in the proper way.
If the power forward falls past Denver and Sacramento (barring a blockbuster trade) at the fifth and sixth picks, then a lack of need for the position may cause him to fall out of the top 10. Indiana Pacers President Larry Bird has shown interest in Cauley-Stein in the past, calling him “a $100 million player.” The Pacers hold the 11th pick in the draft.
The Kings had been considered a likely suitor for Cauley-Stein according to mock drafts, joining the two charismatic former Wildcats. But if a Cousins trade happens at the 11th hour sending Cousins to Los Angeles and Randle to Sacramento for the Kings’ sixth overall pick, the duo may find themselves united instead in Los Angeles.
Most mock drafts continue to have former Cats Devin Booker and Trey Lyles joining Towns and Cauley-Stein as lottery picks with big man Dakari Johnson and point guard Andrew Harrison going in the late first round or somewhere in the second round. Aaron Harrison is not expected to be drafted but will get a look with some team as a free agent.
Other players with Kentucky ties who are predicted to go in the first round include Murray State’s Cameron Payne (likely in the 10-14 range) and Louisville’s tandem of Montrezl Harrell and Terry Rozier, both of whom figure to be late-first round choices.
The NBA Draft will air at 7 p.m. on ESPN Thursday, June 25.
Jonathan Coffman is a senior journalism major at the University of Kentucky and an intern for KyForward.com