The NBA draft is set for Thursday, June 26 starting at 8 p.m. EDT.
The draft will be broadcast on ESPN, through which the live stream will also be available.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Philadelphia 76ers have the top three picks.
The Orlando Magic, Utah Jazz, and Boston Celtics are also near the top.
See the full draft order below and the latest news below that.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Milwaukee Bucks
3. Philadelphia 76ers
4. Orlando Magic
5. Utah Jazz
6. Boston Celtics
7. Los Angeles Lakers
8. Sacramento Kings
9. Charlotte Hornets
10. Philadelphia 76ers
11. Denver Nuggets
12. Orlando Magic
13. Minnesota Timberwolves
14. Phoenix Suns
15. Atlanta Hawks
16. Chicago Bulls
17. Boston Celtics
18. Phoenix Suns
19. Chicago Bulls
20. Toronto Raptors
21. Oklahoma City Thunder
22. Memphis Grizzlies
23. Utah Jazz
24. Charlotte Hornets
25. Houston Rockets
26. Miami Heat
27. Phoenix Suns
28. Los Angeles Clippers
29. Oklahoma City Thunder
30. San Antonio Spurs
Round 2
31. Milwaukee Bucks
32. Philadelphia 76ers
33. Cleveland Cavaliers
34. New York Knicks
35. Utah Jazz
36. Milwaukee Bucks
37. Toronto Raptors
38. Detroit Pistons
39. Philadelphia 76ers
40. Minnesota Timberwolves
41. Denver Nuggets
42. Houston Rockets
43. Atlanta Hawks
44. Minnesota Timberwolves
45. Charlotte Hornets
46. Washington Wizards
47. Philadelphia 76ers
48. Milwaukee Bucks
49. Chicago Bulls
50. Phoenix Suns
51. New York Knicks
52. Philadelphia 76ers
53. Minnesota Timberwolves
54. Philaldelphia 76ers
55. Miami Heat
56. Denver Nuggets
57. Indiana Pacers
58. San Antonio Spurs
59. Toronto Raptors
60. San Antonio Spurs
Story
Hats will be changing on NBA draft night
Tom Penn was an assistant general manager with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2006 when they struck a deal with Houston before the draft.
If LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay or Brandon Roy was available when the Rockets came on the clock at No. 7, the Grizzlies would send veteran Shane Battier to Houston for the pick. Gay was still there when it was time for the Rockets to pick, so the Grizzlies had a deal.
If only it were that easy.
Because of the complex machinations behind getting a trade involving players already under contract approved, the deal could not be announced immediately. So Commissioner David Stern announced that the Rockets were picking Gay, and the UConn swingman came out from backstage and donned a Rockets cap.
In the interim, the story leaked out and it wasn’t until much later in the night that all the steps were completed to allow the teams to officially announce the trade. That kind of limbo is commonplace onNBA draft night, creating confusion for players and viewers about who is going where.
“I think we need to change this process on draft night to clean up the awkwardness because it’s terrible,” said Penn, now an analyst for ESPN. “And it gets worse every year because of our connectivity and the social nature of things and the fact that facts leak out in real time now.”
In the NFL, trades are made quickly and announced immediately, but normally those deals only involve current or future draft picks.
In the NBA, veteran players often change teams as part of draft-night deals. When that happens, teams must disclose that player’s medical history, the league has to make sure that the trades conform to theNBA’s complex collective bargaining agreement rules and both teams have to conduct a trade call to finalize the deal.
The league is looking at options to expedite the process, but wants to avoid rushing deals through that may fall apart upon closer examination.
“I think we need to be able to do sort of conditional trade announcements,” Penn said. “If one of these things does fall apart on a technicality, everybody will understand it and we'll just undo it. It would be a more honest way to do it.”
Here are five spots to watch for potential deals on Thursday night:
—No. 1: The Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly trying to decide between Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker for the first overall pick. They also are taking calls on trade offers and are looking to make a splash in an effort to entice LeBron James to come back home. The Cavs were interested in dealing for Timberwolves All-Star Kevin Love, but Love has given them the cold shoulder so far.
—No. 3: The Philadelphia 76ers have two picks in the top 10 and GM Sam Hinkie already has a reputation as a wheeler and dealer in just over a year on the job. If the Sixers decide to pass on Joel Embiid, the Kansas big man who just had foot surgery, they could be looking to move up for Wiggins, or down to accumulate assets and continue their rebuild.
—No. 5: The Utah Jazz have a frontcourt stocked with good, young talent. And by the time they land on the clock, the best players available figure to be power forwards like Indiana’s Noah Vonleh and Kentucky’s Julius Randle. That has prompted speculation that the Jazz will try to move up for a chance at grabbing Parker.
—No. 6: The Boston Celtics have two picks in the first round and also covet Love. But the Wolves have rebuffed their advances so far. Would packaging Nos. 6 and 17 be enough to get the No. 1 pick from Cleveland, which they could in turn try to flip to Minnesota for Love?
—No. 11: The Denver Nuggets are coming off a disappointing season in GM Tim Connelly’s first year on the job. They want back into the thick of the Western Conference playoff race, and the 11th pick in a deep draft is one of their more attractive assets to help Connelly make something happen.
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