By Hudson Ridley ’22

A Guide to NBA Offseason 2020

The current NBA hiatus has left many fans wondering what’s next for the league. With no current time table in place looking forward towards the offseason seems reasonable. While some team facilities will reopen at the beginning of May, a continuation of the NBA season seems unlikely. Here’s a guide to the draft lottery, the draft itself, and possible free agency additions for all 30 teams.

Draft Lottery Odds:

Golden State Warriors: 14%

Cleveland Cavaliers: 14%

Minnesota Timberwolves: 14%

Atlanta Hawks: 12.5%

Detroit Pistons: 10.5%

New York Knicks: 9%

Chicago Bulls: 7.5%

Charlotte Hornets: 6%

Washington Wizards: 4.5%

Phoenix Suns: 3%

San Antonio Spurs: 2%

Sacramento Kings: 1.3%

New Orleans Pelicans: 1.2% 

Portland Trailblazers: 0.5% 

Mock Draft 1.0:

(The order of the mock draft will be based on the lottery odds of each team and will only include lottery picks)

Golden State Warriors: James Wiseman – Center – Memphis

The Warriors have relied on guard play for nearly all of their success. They’ve been able to win championships by putting out line-ups with high caliber players at the 1-4 spots. However, the aging Steph and Klay duo need a solid third option and preferably at center. Wiseman is a towering physical presence at 7 foot 1 inch and 237 pounds and his aggressive style of basketball netted him 19.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. Wiseman is also a defensive force averaging 3 blocks per game in his stint at Memphis.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Obi Toppin – Power Forward – Dayton

The Cavaliers have taken the steps necessary to have a solid youthful rebuild. With a back court of Sexton and Garland along with Kevin Porter Jr. at the 3 and Drummond at the 5. That leaves 31 year old Kevin Love who has expressed his dissatisfaction with the organization. The best idea would be to replace him and what better way to do that than with the reigning NCAA player of the year. Toppin would be an NBA ready roll player with the chance to develop into a formidable scoring force.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards – Shooting Guard – Georgia

The Timberwolves still seem adamant about building around Karl Anthony-Towns so the best way to do that is follow the Bucks roadmap and surround him with shooters. The front office did an excellent job by acquiring D’Angelo Russell but that won’t be enough to make this team function. Anthony Edwards is a tremendous shooter who displays a quick and accurate release as well as the ability to score at will. Edwards has star potential written all over him which is exactly what a shaky Minnesota team needs.

Atlanta Hawks: LaMelo Ball – Point Guard – Illawarra

The Hawks are an incredibly talented team who just couldn’t put the pieces in place this year which resulted in a lottery pick. They relied too much on Trae Young’s scoring and didn’t have a solid starting center till they traded for Clint Capela mid-season. Even though LaMelo Ball is listed as a point guard he stands 6 feet 7 inches tall which allows him to play multiple positions. This pick would add another scoring option who can also rebound and distribute the ball.

Detroit Pistons: Onyeka Okongwu – Center – USC

The Pistons need multiple positions filled and because of their horrible development staff they need an NBA ready prospect. Okongwu is exactly that. Even though he stands a little shorter than most centers at 6 foot 9 inches his incredible strength and bruising style of basketball make him a force in the paint.

New York Knicks: Killian Hayes – Point Guard – France

The Knicks have had a long streak of disappointing point guards, their current starter Frank Ntilikina included. Many Knick fans may have their doubts about Hayes because Ntilikina was also an early first round point guard from France. However, Hayes is a little more proven than Ntilikina with a lot of room for growth. Maybe this might be the point guard the Big Apple was looking for.

Chicago Bulls: Isaac Okoro – Small Forward – Auburn

The Bulls had a disappointing season to say the least and injury riddled Otto Porter Jr. didn’t make matters better. The Bulls traded for Porter at the deadline of the 2018-2019 season hoping he would contribute a lot. Unfortunately, that didn’t work and now getting rid of his massive contract is a top priority. Okoro would be a solid fill in for Porter who can provide good minutes as the most NBA ready small forward in this year’s draft.

Charlotte Hornets: RJ Hampton – Shooting Guard – NZ Breakers 

The Hornets are an absolute dumpster fire plain and simple. Both their best players are point guards and no player on their team is near all-star quality. They need to swing for the fences on a potential all-star which is exactly what Hampton is. He has the most potential of anyone left in this mock draft. He can also play multiple positions which helps add depth.

Washington Wizards: Deni Avdija – Small Forward – Israel

The Wizard’s need a secondary scorer and distributor because they can’t rely on John Wall’s health. Avdija is this draft’s wildcard. He had a really high ceiling but also has the potential to be another European bust. He doesn’t average many points but is very effective when out on the floor. The risk seems to be worth the reward.

Phoenix Suns: Cole Anthony – Point Guard – North Carolina 

The Sun’s backcourt has been carried by Devin Booker for the past few years and could use some help. Anthony is a play maker and distributor who can provide a multitude of scoring opportunities for the Suns roster. 

San Antonio Spurs: Tyrese Haliburton – Point Guard – Iowa State

The Spurs have a good amount of scoring options but they need a Tony Parker esque point guard to make Pop’s offense work again. Haliburton averaged 6.5 assists per game which ranks second among first round prospects.

Sacramento Kings: Devin Vassell – Small Forward – Florida State

The Kings have loads of young talent on their team but something seems to be missing and with Bogdon Bogdonovich’s impending free agency there is a legitimate need to replace him. Vassell hasn’t proven himself yet but the potential is there and can be a solid defensive presence till the rest of his game fills out.

New Orleans Pelicans: Tyrese Maxey – Shooting Guard – Kentucky

The Pelicans arguably have the best young core of talent in the league. Adding depth by getting the best available player is the best option. Maxey is an explosive cobo guard with limitless range that could add to the unlimited cache of young weapons on the Pelicans roster.

Portland Trailblazers: Jaden McDaniels – Small Forward – Washington

The Trailblazers are only one small forward away from contending for a title. McDaniels is a high-flying physical small forward who knows how to get the crowd excited. He would be the perfect replacement as veteran Trevor Ariza fades into retirement.

Top Free agents:

• Anthony Davis

• Status: Player Option

• Best fit: Chicago Bulls

• Likely to: Re-sign with Lakers

• Brandon Ingram

• Status: Restricted 

• Best fit: Orlando Magic

• Likely to: Re-sign with New Orleans

• Andre Drummond

• Status: Player Option

• Best fit: Houston Rockets

• Likely to: Leave in free agency

• Demar Derozen

• Status: Player Option

• Best fit: Minnesota Timberwolves

• Likely to: Leave in free agency

• Marcus Morris

• Status: Unrestricted

• Best fit: Indiana Pacers

• Likely to: Re-sign with Clippers

• Danilo Galinari

• Status: Unrestricted

• Best fit: Cleveland Cavaliers

• Likely to: Re-sign with Thunder

• Hassan Whiteside

• Status: Unrestricted

• Best fit: Washington Wizards

• Likely to: Leave in free agency

• Montrezl Harrell

• Status: Unrestricted 

• Best fit: Boston Celtics

• Likely to: Re-sign with Clippers

• Evan Fournier

• Status: Player Option

• Best fit: Milwaukee Bucks

• Likely to: Leave in free agency

• Gordon Hayward

• Status: Player Option

• Best fit: Memphis Grizzlies

• Likely to: Re-sign with Celtics

Team needs:

76ers: Young Shooters

Bucks: Shooting Guard

Bulls: Small Forward

Cavaliers: Power/Small Forward

Celtics: Center

Clippers: Center

Grizzlies: Shooting Guard or Small Forward depth

Hawks: Shooting Guard

Heat: Point Forward

Hornets: Best available excluding Point Guard

Jazz: Small Forward

Kings: Small Forward

Knicks: Point Guard

Lakers: Guards

Magic: Scoring Small Forward

Mavericks: Point Guard

Nets: Shooting Guard

Nuggets: Power Forward

Pacers: Shooters of any kind

Pelicans: Shooters of any kind

Pistons: Youth at any position

Raptors: Center 

Rockets: A Center with range

Spurs: Explosive scoring

Suns: Point Guard

Thunder: Small Forward

Timberwolves: Shooting Guard

Trail Blazers: Small Forward

Warriors: Center

Wizards: Center

Who knows when free agency will start and what the NBA will look like moving forward, but what we do know that when the offseason comes around it should be a fun one.