The 2016 NBA draft is set to get underway in about 90 minutes, and while it may seem like we just finished watching Game 7 of the NBA Finals, fans of teams like the 76ers, Lakers, and Suns have been looking forward to this night for months.
There likely won’t be much drama at the top of the draft, where the Sixers have reportedly informed Ben Simmons that he’ll be the No. 1 pick. The Lakers also appear poised to take Brandon Ingram with the No. 2 pick, barring an unexpected, last-minute blockbuster trade.
After those two selections though, anything could happen — many teams in the first round are shopping their picks, and while most draft boards feature a consensus top eight (Simmons, Ingram, Kris Dunn, Buddy Hield, Jaylen Brown, Jamal Murray, Dragan Bender, and Marquese Chriss), no one is quite sure what order they’ll come off the board after the top two.
In order to make sure you’re all set for tonight’s draft, here are a number of Hoops Rumors resources for you to peruse as we wait for the Sixers to kick off tonight’s event:
- Need a refresher on the draft order, or what picks each team holds? All that info can be found in our breakdown of draft picks by round and by team.
- We conducted two separate mock drafts. Hoops Rumors writers Chris Crouse and Arthur Hill alternated picks in one we published this week, while we opened up the floor to our readers in a series of polls for our other mock. Both mocks were completed before the Hawks acquired the 12th overall pick and the Nets acquired the No. 20 pick.
- Our Prospect Profile series took an in-depth look at a dozen young players who are expected to be selected in the first round of tonight’s draft.
- A total of 73 early entrant college and international prospects are eligible to be drafted tonight. The full list of those players can be found right here.
- Here’s a breakdown of what teams are expected to pay their first-round picks, including their first-year salaries and the full value of their four-year rookie contracts.
- There are five teams controlling 14 of 30 first-round picks this year. We discussed those five clubs, since they may be more inclined to make deals tonight.
- As you consider which players teams might be targeting, be sure to check out the depth charts at RosterResource.com to keep tabs on which players those teams already have on their rosters.
- We previewed the coming offseason, including draft plans, for all 30 NBA teams.
- The latest news and rumors related to the 2016 draft can be found on this page.