The latest NBA Draft rumors include Scoot Henderson's pre-draft workouts, the Lakers' No. 17 pick and the Spurs getting the best of both worlds.
The NBA Finals may be dominating the spotlight right now but we're only a few weeks away from the NBA Draft and the rumor mill is spinning.
The draft will take place on June 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET from the Barclays Center in New York. Until it arrives, there will be plenty of murmurings and speculation about how the top picks will go down.
Let's look at some of the biggest rumors around.
NBA Draft Rumors: Scoot Henderson isn't accepting 4th
Scoot Henderson is considered the best guard in the NBA Draft and is arguably No. 2 behind Victor Wembanyama in terms of ability and potential. However, the draft lottery really didn't work out in his favor if he wants to be the No. 2 pick behind Wemby.
Now, the Hornets will have first crack at Henderson, then the Trail Blazers at No. 3. The problem? Neither of those teams are particularly in need of a guard. Some have even projected that Henderson will fall to the Rockets at No. 4.
It doesn't look like Henderson is buying into that speculation though. The G League Ignite star spent his weekend at a pre-draft workout for Portland and he'll also visit the Hornets. He has no other visits planned, not with Houston or anyone.
That's confidence from Henderson, who honestly should be able to convince one of those teams to take him, need or no.
Lakers may actually pick in the first round
The Los Angeles Lakers are a bit like their neighbors, the LA Rams, in one big regard: They've lived by the mantra of "F them picks" over the last few years.
The Lakers haven't made a first round pick since 2018, preferring instead to use their draft capital to trade for assets.
That might change this year with the No. 17 pick in hand.
According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, "the most likely outcome" is the Lakers making their pick at No. 17 instead of trading it away.
That's not to say the team wouldn't listen if another NBA team came calling looking to trade for it. But it would have to be a pretty sweet deal. Buha speculates LA would pull the trigger on a trade that involved getting "a starting-level upgrade" like Myles Turner.
Both of CBS Sports' mock drafts have the Lakers taking a shooting guard at No. 17 with Kyle Boone projecting UCLA's Amari Bailey to stay home while Gary Parrish has Arkansas' Nick Smith in purple and gold.
NBA Draft Rumors: How the Spurs can have their cake and eat it too
It's no secret the Spurs are going to take Victor Wembanyama with he No. 1 pick of the NBA Draft. The draft lottery was as much a lottery for him as it was anything else.
But Scoot Henderson is a talented prospect who in most years would be in contention for the top pick. San Antonio would be lucky to have him…and maybe they can.
FanSided's Christopher Kline proposed a draft trade between the Spurs and Trail Blazers that would result in the best of both worlds for San Antonio. They would get the No. 3 pick and the right to select Henderson in exchange for Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan.
"[Henderson's] three-level scoring and adept playmaking would pair instantly with Wemby's versatile offensive skill set. The Spurs would have two 19-year-olds with the potential to dominate the next decade of NBA basketball.
Meanwhole, the Blazers add a legitimate second star in Vassell who can cover gaps in the perimeter defense and relieve some of the playmaking pressure off of Damian Lillard in certain lineups. Sochan would give the Blazers a versatile defensive weapon in the frontcourt with Jerami Grant potentially leaving in free agency."
This all supposes the Hornets don't take Henderson at No. 2, which is certainly a possibility. Still, most mock drafts seem to think Charlotte will pick up Alabama forward Brandon Miller.
Then the task would be to convince the Trail Blazers that Henderson isn't the answer for them right now.
It's not the most realistic scenario (that would be none of the top picks changing hands), but the Blazers could be in a selling mood and the Spurs would have incentive to work with them for the chance to pair up Wemby and Scoot for years to come.
