When a draft is as deep as the 2014 class is, many teams are desperate to move up and grab the cream of the crop. Other teams with picks stockpiled are equally interested in turning those lottery tickets into a proven commodity. This year, that proven commodity is Kevin Love, although he's not the only one.
Which teams are in the best shape to make a major move?
1. Phoenix Suns--The Suns have a roster chock full of young talent, the most cap room in the NBA (over $37 million) and three first round picks. Wow! They could, however, parlay those assets into something big. Why not offer something along the lines of Goran Dragic, Emeka Okafor's expiring contract ($14M) and the No. 14 and No. 27 pick overall for Love and Ricky Rubio? Complete rebuild for Minny, and a franchise cornerstone for Phoenix, who would still have the No. 18 pick. It's a slam dunk.
2. Boston Celtics-- The Celtics have less cap room ($6M), but two first round picks that are better than the Suns' (No. 6, No. 17). They also have Rajon Rondo as a trade chip. The C's could opt to trade for Love by offering one or both picks, plus Avery Bradley and Kris Humphries' expiring deal ($12M). Conversely, they can deal Rondo and Brandon Bass to Sacramento for Rudy Gay, Isaiah Thomas and the No. 8 pick.
3. Philadelphia 76ers-- Okay, Philly has seven picks...not a typo. The No. 3 spot is tough for them, because Joel Embiid is likely to be there, and he may be too talented to pass up. Philly's reportedly smitten with Andrew Wiggins, and may be willing to offer Cleveland the No. 3 and No. 10 pick to get him. Or the third pick and No. 32. Or two second-rounders? Maybe they sweeten the pot with a little Thaddeus Young action. Either way, after a truly abominable season they owe it to the fans to at least move in the direction of competitiveness. Trading up to snag Wiggins does exactly that.
4. Charlotte Hornets--The Hornets have a ton of cap space ($21M), a franchise center in Al Jefferson, and the No. 9 pick in the draft. Gerald Henderson, Cody Zeller and the No. 9 pick may not be enough to land Kevin Love, but somebody somewhere's going to be interested in that package and Charlotte can absorb a star's salary. Sell them on some sweet teal gear, getting to hang with Michael Jordan, and being a playoff contender in the East.
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