The buyout market is the primary focus for many playoff-bound teams, but May 20th is the next significant date on the calendar for other clubs. That’s the date of the draft lottery, when bouncing ping-pong balls will determine the future for a handful of franchises. No matter how it turns out, teams are no doubt preparing for every possibility, and we’ve got the latest on the 2014 draft here:
- Some scouts say Tyler Ennis is strongly considering a return to Syracuse for his sophomore season, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Still, the point guard is widely considered a top-10 talent, and most such prospects end up declaring for the draft, whether they hesitate or not. Ennis is No. 10 on the ESPN Insider board and No. 9 in the DraftExpress rankings. Executives around the league last month reportedly worried that Jabari Parker wouldn’t enter the draft, but Kennedy hears from scouts who are confident that he’ll turn pro (Twitter link).
- The Sixers would like to use one of their haul of second-round picks on Thanasis Antetokounmpo, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. He’s a fringe first-round pick, and the Sixers might not get a crack at him, particularly if the Bucks wind up with the top pick of the second round. Still, Bucks rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo tells Deveney that he isn’t sure he’d like to compete with his brother for playing time at the same position on the same team.
- Andrew Wiggins is the new No. 1 on the latest draft board from Chris Mannix of SI.com. Ennis checks in at No. 7.