NBA Draft Lottery: Who wouldn’t pick John Wall #1?

The NBA Draft Lottery is tonight, and as always, there is a lot riding on a few ping pong balls. Here is a list of the lottery teams (with their chances of winning the top pick in parenthesis) along with some discussion of their possible strategy if they do win the #1 pick.

ALMOST A SURE THING

Nets (25%)
The Wall-to-New Jersey/Brooklyn rumors have been strong all season, thanks to the Nets’ woeful record and Devin Harris’s struggles. Harris is now viewed as expendable, which means Wall would be a Net if the balls bounce their way tonight.

Wizards (10.3%)
Winning the right to draft Wall would allow the Wizards to cut ties with Gilbert Arenas and the franchise’s gun-toting past. It might also convince a free agent or two to sign for the chance to play with Wall.

76ers (5.3%)
Jrue Holiday is nice, but he’s not going to dissuade the Sixers from drafting a franchise-savior like Wall.

Pistons (5.2%)
See 76ers above but substitute “Rodney Stuckey” for “Jrue Holiday.” That is all.

Pacers (1.1%)
Indiana arguably needs a point guard more than any other team in the lottery, but with just a 1.1% chance of winning, they’re hoping against hope.

Grizzlies (0.7%)
Memphis would be buzzing with the arrival of Wall, who would seemingly be a great fit with O.J. Mayo, a re-signed Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. Memphis would likely make the playoffs next season.

Raptors (0.6%)
The chances are very slim, but winning the right to draft Wall would offset the likely loss of Chris Bosh this summer. Neither Jarrett Jack nor Jose Calderon would be enough to convince the Raptors to draft Evan Turner.

VERY LIKELY

Clippers (2.3%)
They already have Baron Davis and they could use a wing like Turner, but the Clips are still almost a shoe-in to draft Wall if they have the chance.

Kings (15.6%)
Sacramento’s strategy largely depends on what position they think Tyreke Evans should play. Personally, I think he’s a small forward, but if the Kings are set on him running the point, then Wall isn’t a good fit. However, if they see him as a wing, Wall would be their pick.

Rockets (0.5%)
MIP Aaron Brooks is a good player, but it’s doubtful that they’d go with Turner or one of the bigs (Derrick Favors, DeMarcus Cousins) when they already have Kevin Martin, Luis Scola and Yao Ming on the roster.

MIGHT GO ANOTHER DIRECTION

T-Wolves (19.9%)
GM David Kahn is so infatuated with the idea of Ricky Rubio that he just might pass on Wall and pick Turner instead to fill a need. He’d be better off going with Wall and moving Rubio and Flynn for other assets, but he has tunnel vision for Ricky right now.

Warriors (10.4%)
Golden State has their point guard, don’t they? Stephen Curry made a push for Rookie of the Year and averaged 22-6-8, 47% shooting, and 44% 3PT after the All-Star break.

Jazz (2.2%, via the Knicks)
Deron Williams recently re-took the “best point guard in the league” crown, do the Jazz really mess with that when Turner would be an upgrade on the wing or Favors and/or Cousins would shore up the middle after the likely departure of Carlos Boozer?

Hornets (0.8%)
Chris Paul desperately needs one or two talented wings to set up, and Turner looks to be a great fit. Besides, the Hornets already have a great backup in Darren Collison.

The draft lottery will be held at 8 PM ET just before the Magic/Celtics game tonight on ESPN.

Follow the Scores Report editors on Twitter @clevelandteams and @bullzeyedotcom.

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