2020 Collaborative NBA Mock Draft

Isaac Okoro
Auburn's Isaac Okoro was involved in the biggest trade in this NBA mock draft. (Photo courtesy of Auburn Athletics)

Back in September, members of the Hoops Prospects staff (Lee Branscome, TJ Brown, Riley Millett, and myself) plus two friends of the site (Dustin Barnes and Coleman Klein) got together for the first-ever HP Collaborative NBA Mock Draft.  Each participant represented multiple teams in the draft (see below), and each started with 10 picks.  Unfortunately, Lee had to leave the draft at the end of the first round, and Dustin kindly made his selections in the second round.  

You can watch the mock draft video, which also includes highlights and analysis of the 60 players selected, below.  I want to thank everyone who participated in the draft.  Special thanks goes to Connor Ullathorne and Eric Kerr, both of whom edited and produced the mock draft video.

Mock Team Owners

  • Dustin Barnes (@BuzzDraft): Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, New Orleans Pelicans Miami Heat, and Oklahoma City Thunder.
  • Lee Bransome (@WhichCarolina): Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, San Antonio Spurs, Orlando Magic, and Utah Jazz
  • TJ Brown (@TJ3rd_): Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, and Los Angeles Clippers 
  • Rich Harris (@HoopsProspects): Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Houston Rockets, who currently have no picks
  • Coleman Klein (@903coleman): Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, and Toronto Raptors 
  • Riley Millett (@riley_millette): Cleveland Cavaliers, Sacramento Kings, Boston Celtics, and Indiana Pacers

Draft Video

Trades Completed

Trades were permissible in this mock draft, but had to be completed before the draft began.  All trades had to work under the current NBA salary cap, and had to be approved by the majority of the team owners.  In total, three trades were completed, and I was involved in all of them.  

Trade 1:  The Golden State Warriors sent pick 2, Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney, and Alen Smailagic to the Chicago Bulls for pick 4, Zach LaVine, Wendell Carter, and Tomas Satoransky.  For the Bulls, this trade was sought mainly due to the Bulls’ desire to land LaMelo Ball, and it also filled a long-standing need for a small forward.  On the other side, the Warriors, being uncertain about the fit of any of their options at No. 2 (Ball, Anthony Edwards, and James Wiseman), selected a prospect who fits into their system, and Golden State also received two starting-level veteran players.  

Trade 2:  The Philadelphia 76ers sent pick 21, Josh Richardson, and Al Horford to the Sacramento Kings for pick 35, Buddy Hield, and Cory Joseph.  The Sixers need shooting and don’t want Horford’s contract that has two years remaining.  At the same time, Hield is unhappy with the Kings, who get two serviceable veterans and another first-round pick in return.  

Trade 3:  The Sixers sent picks 34 and 36 to the Lakers for pick 29.  After the trade with the Kings, the 76ers had three consecutive picks in the second round (34-36).  I had my eye on a particular player, and it didn’t make sense to have a total of five picks in one draft.  Unfortunately for me, the player that I had targeted, Malachi Flynn, was taken at pick 27.  Meanwhile, the Lakers are a team that lack young talent, and they have a heap of veteran free agents.  According to NBA draft trade charts, this swap was roughly equal, but as it worked out in this mock, the Lakers benefitted the most.  

The Selections

PickTeamSelection
1Minnesota TimberwolvesAnthony Edwards
2Chicago Bulls (via Warriors) *LaMelo Ball
3Charlotte HornetsOnyeka Okongwu
4Golden State Warriors (via Bulls) *Isaac Okoro
5Cleveland CavaliersJames Wiseman
6Atlanta HawksDeni Avdija
7Detroit PistonsKillian Hayes
8New York KnicksKira Lewis
9Washington WizardsTyrese Haliburton
10Phoenix SunsDevin Vassell
11San Antonio SpursPatrick Williams
12Sacramento KingsAaron Nesmith
13New Orleans PelicansGrant Riller
14Boston Celtics (via Grizzlies)Precious Achiuwa
15Orlando MagicSaddiq Bey
16Portland Trail BlazersJosh Green
17Minnesota Timberwolves (via Nets)Obi Toppin
18Dallas MavericksTyrese Maxey
19Brooklyn Nets (via Sixers)Aleksej Pokusevski
20Miami HeatCole Anthony
21Sacramento Kings (via Thunder) *Jalen Smith
22Denver Nuggets (via Rockets)Desmond Bane
23Utah JazzTheo Maledon
24Milwaukee Bucks (via Pacers)Tyrell Terry
25OKC Thunder (via Nuggets)Jahmi’us Ramsey
26Boston CelticsR.J. Hampton
27New York Knicks (via Clippers)Malachi Flynn
28Toronto RaptorsLeandro Bolmaro
29Philadelphia 76ers (via Lakers) *Immanuel Quickley
30Boston Celtics (via Bucks)Nico Mannion
ROUND 2
31Dallas Mavericks (via Warriors)Isaiah Stewart
32Charlotte Hornets (via Cavaliers)Xavier Tillman
33Minnesota TimberwolvesDevon Dotson
34Los Angeles Lakers (via Hawks) *Tre Jones
35Philadelphia 76ers (via Pistons) *Jaden McDaniels
36Los Angeles Lakers (via Knicks) *Daniel Oturu
37Washington Wizards (via Bulls)Zeke Nnaji
38New York Knicks (via Hornets)Sam Merrill
39New Orleans Pelicans (via Wizards)Elijah Hughes
40Memphis Grizzlies (via Suns)Cassius Stanley
41San Antonio SpursPaul Reed
42New Orleans PelicansTyler Bey
43Sacramento KingsVernon Carey
44Chicago Bulls (via Grizzlies)Isaiah Joe
45Orlando MagicJordan Nwora
46Portland Trail BlazersKillian Tillie
47Boston Celtics (via Nets)Robert Woodard
48Golden State Warriors (via Mavericks)Ty-Shon Alexander
49Philadelphia 76ersPayton Pritchard
50Atlanta Hawks (via Heat)Skylar Mays
51Golden State Warriors (via Jazz)Naji Marshall
52Sacramento Kings (via Rockets)Cassius Winston
53Oklahoma City ThunderFilip Petrusev
54Indiana PacersReggie Perry
55Brooklyn Nets (via Nuggets)Myles Powell
56Charlotte Hornets (via Celtics)C.J. Elleby
57Los Angeles ClippersMason Jones
58Philadelphia 76ers (via Lakers)Abdoulaye N’doye
59Toronto RaptorsUdoka Azubuike
60New Orleans Pelicans (via Bucks)Jay Scrubb

Best Available

The Draft Board (Big Board, if you like) that was used for this mock draft was based on a collective ranking survey from seven draft sites, including Hoops Prospects.  The top-ranked players that went undrafted are listed below.

Best AvailableRank
Markus Howard52
Ashton Hagans53
Nick Richards56
Nate Hinton57
Kaleb Wesson60
Jalen Harris61
Malik Fitts62
Nathan Knight63
Lamine Diane65
Lamar Stevens67
Paul Eboua69
Josh Hall70
Saben Lee71
Karim Mane72
Yam Madar73

The Biggest Winners

I’m not going into great detail about who did the best in this mock draft because I am biased and have very strong feelings on certain prospects.  I would give “A” grades to the Celtics, though I think Orturu should have been taken over Mannion, the Hornets, who greatly improved their defense, the Bulls, the Timberwolves, the Kings, and the Spurs.  I would give “B” grades to the Hawks, the Mavericks, the Warriors, the Lakers (two first-round types for the price of one), the Knicks, the 76ers, though I should have taken Reed over McDaniels, and the Wizards.  Of course, the teams with more than two picks had an advantage, especially over the clubs that had just one selection.  

Author

  • Richard C. Harris

    Richard has worked as a sports writer/editor/scout/analyst since 1998. He has been credentialed for a variety of special events and games by the NBA, the NFL, the G League, and numerous college athletic programs and conferences. He has contributed to various magazines, radio shows, and a number of other sites, including ESPN.com, SI.com, and USAToday.com. Richard is the former CEO of FantasyFootballExperts.com and a former member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). An active member of the US Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), Rich is currently the Managing Director at Hoops Prospects, a site that specializes in evaluating potential pro basketball talent. Follow on Twitter @HoopsProspects.

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