NBA Draft rumors: Pelicans looking to trade up for Scoot Henderson
The 2023 NBA Draft takes place on Thursday, June 22. The first-overall pick is a foregone conclusion, as Victor Wembanyama is expected to be selected by the San Antonio Spurs. The NBA Draft will officially begin with the second-overall pick if the Charlotte Hornets opt to trade down. If not, then the No. 3 pick, which is held by the Portland Trail Blazers, will be one to keep an eye on.
It appears that there are numerous teams dead-set on trading.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the New Orleans Pelicans are expected to "aggressively pursue a top pick" to select NBA G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson.
Charania notes that the Hornets have held a workout with Alabama wing Brandon Miller on Sunday, and will hold a workout for Henderson this Tuesday. From there, the Hornets will "solidify their draft board" later this week.
For the Pelicans to move up, Charania and William Guillory of The Athletic note in an article (subscription required) that they would have to "give up a large package of picks and/or young players or offer up one of its young stars."
New Orleans holds the 14th overall pick, their only selection in this year's NBA Draft. So, they would have to trade multiple future assets or players for a team like the Hornets to punt at the chance of selecting Henderson or Miller.
This season, Henderson averaged 16.5 points, 6.8 assists, and 5.3 rebounds while posting a 42.9 field goal percentage in 19 games played (18 starts).
It would be a bold strategy for the Pelicans to move up from the No. 14 spot to land the No. 2 pick, so let's see if it pays off for them.
NBA Draft rumors: Jazz eying trade up for Cam Whitmore
The Utah Jazz blew up the team last offseason with Danny Ainge taking over as CEO of basketball operations by trading away Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Even without their stars, the Jazz finished 12th in the Western Conference, just three wins out from the final play-in tournament spot.
This year, the Jazz have plenty of draft picks to work with, as they hold the No. 9, 16, and 28 picks in the first round.
Sarah Todd of the Deseret News notes regarding a potential trade-up that the Jazz have shown interest in multiple projected high draft picks, including Villanova forward Cam Whitmore. Interestingly enough, Whitmore revealed back on June 1 that he had a workout scheduled with the Jazz.
Whitmore would be a player that Utah would have to move up to ensure that he is available. Waiting around at No. 9 could be a risk.
In his lone season playing at Villanova, Whitmore averaged 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.4 steals while posting a 47.8 field goal percentage and a 34.3 three-point percentage in 26 games (20 starts). Whitmore won the Big East Freshman of the Year.
Todd notes that the Jazz are also interested in Alabama's Brandon Miller, who is going to be selected within the first three picks.
NBA Draft rumors: Pacers looking to trade up in the first round?
The Indiana Pacers are a team to keep an eye on in the 2023 NBA Draft. They hold three picks, the No. 7, 32, and 55 selections. With that, could a trade be possible?
According to NBA correspondent Marc Stein (subscription required), the Pacers could be looking to trade up in the first round.
"The rumbles are rising in volume that Indiana, which holds three first-round picks in the June 22 draft at No. 7, No. 26, and No. 29, will be looking to move higher up the board on draft night," wrote Stein, h/t Sports Illustrated.
With that being the case, Pacers fans are going to be wondering who the team will target. If it is one of the top prospects not named Victor Wembanyama, the Pacers are in a decent position. They hold the No. 7 pick, so the team that trades down with the Pacers won't have to fall as far as they would with the New Orleans Pelicans, who hold the No. 14 pick.
Indiana missed out on a play-in tournament bid by five games. They are in a position where they could bolster their roster to hopefully contend for a playoff spot next season. With over a week remaining until the NBA Draft, Pacers fans are undoubtedly going to follow reports and look at mock drafts to see which prospect they could end up selecting.