NBA draft: The biggest storylines to watch

The NBA draft commences Wednesday night, which means the Dallas Mavericks have precious few hours left to make another Earth-stopping trade just in case they don’t want to select Cooper Flagg with the first overall pick.

Assuming the Mavericks stick to the script — and that’s a pretty safe assumption — the real intrigue in this year’s draft appears to lie elsewhere.

What do the experts think will be the draft’s most interesting moments Wednesday? Here are some of the biggest questions heading into the first round.

What will the Philadelphia 76ers do with the third pick?

At the time of the lottery, the 76ers’ choice with the third pick seemed obvious: Rutgers guard Ace Bailey, who for a long time was widely viewed as the third-best prospect in the draft. Except Bailey’s stock has plummeted since then, both because of concerns over his actual play and because of his refusal to work out for any team during the pre-draft process.

That means the third pick should be the first inflection point Wednesday.

Will Philly take Baylor wing V.J. Edgecombe, as ESPN, USA Today and The Athletic all predict? Could the 76ers trade the pick? Will they maybe gamble on Bailey, anyway?

Philadelphia is in an interesting position. A year ago, it signed Paul George in free agency and expected to be one of the top contenders in the league. Instead, George and center Joel Embiid both had seasons marred by injury, and the 76ers ended up in the lottery.

Whatever Philly ends up doing, it’s worth analyzing the choice through the prism of whether the team is still interested in competing in the short term or whether the disastrous 2024-25 season portends a pivot to the future.

So where will Ace Bailey go?

Bailey is perhaps the biggest “slide” candidate of the first round. Both ESPN and The Athletic have him going sixth to the Washington Wizards, while USA Today believes he could still go fourth to the Charlotte Hornets.

The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie notes, though, that Bailey’s range could extend into “the middle portion of the lottery.”

A Bailey drop could throw a wrench into the proceedings. What if a team in the back half of the first round sees him falling and makes an aggressive move up, for example? What if that team just won the NBA Finals and has a surplus of draft picks to throw at teams to jump up in the first round? Just some things to consider.

Which teams are on trade watch?

The trade market has already been active this month — even the Indiana Pacers made a trade during the Finals.

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The Boston Celtics are a team to keep an eye on. The Celtics, in the wake of an Achilles tear to star Jayson Tatum, seem intent on reducing their massive payroll for next season. Boston has already shipped away guard Jrue Holiday, who was a member of the 2024 championship squad, to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Center Kristaps Porziņģis, who is on an expiring contract, could be a candidate to move. And teams could try to overwhelm the Celtics with a big offer for 2024 Finals MVP Jaylen Brown.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are also always on the trade radar. The Thunder have two picks in this year’s first round, as well as several other assets in future years. As OKC tries to manage keeping its roster affordable around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, don’t be surprised to hear its name pop up in trade speculation.