Recapping the First Round of the Bluff City Media Community Mock Draft

The first round of Bluff City Media’s Community Mock Draft had no shortage of movement, as each of our General Managers maneuvered to upgrade their teams and pick their guys. It played out across three days, with BCM staff members and Insiders working as individual actors for each of the thirty franchises. Teams were allowed one trade per round, and were active in trading picks and players throughout.

By the time the second round came, many teams looked radically different, and a wide range of players found their rookie homes for the next several years. Let’s recap the action below:

TRADES

1. CHA 2, James Bouknight → ORL. ORL 6, 11, Jalen Suggs, Jonathan Isaac → CHA. ORL 2, 36, Markelle Fultz, Gary Harris → POR. POR 3, Anfernee Simons → ORL. CHA 11, 34, 41, Gordon Heyward, Mark Williams, Jonathan Isaac → BKN. BKN 21, Nic Claxton, Ben Simmons → CHA

2. WAS 8 → NOL. NOL 14, Herb Jones → WAS

3. DAL 10, Tim Hardaway Jr. → ATL. ATL Clint Capela → DAL

4. HOU 20, 24 2nd rounder, Kevin Porter Jr., Kenyon Martin Jr., Tari Eason → CHI. CHI Demar Derozan, Alex Caruso → HOU

5. TOR Pascal Siakam → IND. IND 26, 29, 2024 1st, Buddy Hield, Daniel Theis → TOR

6. MEM Tyus Jones, Luke Kennard, Ziaire Williams, 45, 56, 2024 1st (GSW), 25 FRP, 27FRP (Protected 1-5) → BOS. BOS 35, Jaylen Brown → MEM

7. PHX Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton → LAC. LAC 30, Marcus Morris, Eric Gordon, Robert Covington, Norman Powell → PHX

8. PHI 24FRP, Montrezl Harrell, Furkan Korkmaz, Tyrese Maxey → OKC. OKC 37, 24SRP, Josh Giddey, Isaiah Joe → PHI

The new pick order looked like this:

1-5; San Antonio, Portland, Orlando, Houston, Detroit

6-10; Charlotte, Indiana, New Orleans, Utah, Atlanta

11-15; Brooklyn, Oklahoma City, Toronto, Washington, Atlanta

16-20; Utah, Los Angeles, Miami, Golden State, Chicago

20-25; Charlotte, Brooklyn, Portland, Sacramento, Memphis

25-30; Toronto, Charlotte, Utah, Toronto, Phoenix

And here are the picks, complimented with some contributions from our BCM Staff:

1. San Antonio Spurs – Victor Webanyama

Nathan Chester

Wembanyama is a generational talent that will change the trajectory of our franchise.

2. Portland Trailblazers – Brandon Miller

Luke Hatmaker

My overall mindset heading into this draft was dependent on 2 things… 1) Dame and 2) How attainable was the number 2 pick. By sliding up into the 2 spot I was able to acquire the guy who arguably would go first overall in any other draft (Brandon Miller). All it took was shedding Anfernee Simons. The fact I was also able to net Markelle Fultz and Gary Harris AND get additional picks was sort of just the cherry on top. 

A Portland rotation of Dame/Matisse Thybulle/Jermai Grant/Miller/Jusuf Nurkic/Fultz/Harris/Cam Reddish/Shaedon Sharpe is immediately one that can contend now. Also didn’t have to mortgage the future; was able to draft Dame’s eventual replacement, (a NOT undersized guard) Jalen Hood-Schifino, after he slipped all the way to 24. Rip City may be back sooner than you think…

3. Orlando Magic – Scoot Henderson

Shawn Coleman

As the head decision maker for the Magic, my focus on draft night was quite simple.

What could I do to improve our offense, add shooting, and accelerate our rebuild? The answer was consolidating our quantity of picks, intriguing young players, and expiring contracts into high ceiling options, especially if they were in the back court. This is why we made the moves to get a top 3 pick, Anfernee Simons, and James Bouknight.

When you look at the league right now, offensive consistency matters. We were 26th in the league in OFF RTG last year, and badly needed outside shooting options. Also, when you look at some of the best young cores in the league right now, nearly every one of them has an All-NBA point guard as the engine– the Grizz, The Cavs, the Kings and so on. So with the addition of Simons, Henderson, and Bouknight, we feel we are in a much better position to be the next young NBA core to take a leap.

4. Houston Rockets – Amen Thompson

Andrew Katz

This [Chicago] trade was a no-brainer for Houston. Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green simply can’t work as a backcourt duo, so using the former to find a new partner for the 2021 no. 2 overall pick was important to me. 

Houston gets a star in Demar DeRozan, who has shown no signs of decline despite turning 34 this summer, and adds a high-level perimeter defender in Alex Caruso. The Rockets had almost too much young talent, so I was happy to package Kenyon Martin Jr., Tari Eason and the 20th overall pick. 

Houston added an elite talent without giving up significant draft capital and is ready to compete for a play-in spot with a lineup of Green, Amen Thompson, DeRozan, Jabari Smith and Alperen Sengun.

5. Detroit Pistons – Ausar Thompson

Holden Sherman

I went with Ausar Thompson because of the athletic upside. He’s 6’7, so he can surely play the 3, and pairing him up with Ivey puts immense pressure on defenses to stay active.

We always think about how shooters help young players, and distributors too. Well, giving Cade another athlete will also help his development. Look at how Jokic has been helped by Aaron Gordon. Obviously Jokic is better than Cade at the moment, but it’s still the same concept.

6. Charlotte Hornets – Cam Whitmore

Andrew Hanissian

There were some fantastic options in a dope draft class, but the #2 pick was too good of an asset not to use in upgrading a defensively challenged roster. My goal was to secure winning defensive players, and a young core with an optimistic ceiling. 

I pretty quickly settled into a fair deal with Orlando, trading 2 and Bouknight for 6/11, Jalen Suggs, and Jonathan Isaac. Cam Whitmore is one of my favorite prospects, and sangging him with 6 felt attainable. Adding a physical, upside forward with scoring instincts would bring a missing dimension to this team, with plenty of room to grow.

With 11, I went fishing for a starting rim runner and protector to pair with Lamelo, and had a lucky bite from Brooklyn. The Nets gave me 22 and Nic Claxton for 11, Heyward, Isaac, and Mark Williams, although I had to take on the Ben Simmons contract.  

The Lamelo-Suggs-Cam-Claxton core felt like a strong foundation to move forward with, attained without giving too many assets, even if I wasn’t thrilled with Simmons. Hopefully Claxton signs long-term. 

7. Indiana Pacers – Taylor Hendricks

Francis Carlota

Mediocrity has no place in the NBA. The Indiana Pacers have barely tread water for too long. With a rising superstar in Tyrese Haliburton, the future looks bright. There are two ways the 2023 NBA Draft could go for Indiana: 1. Keep all three first round picks – 7, 26, 29 – and continue the slow build around Tyrese; or 2. Make a trade for a star accelerating the Pacers’ timeline.

As the mock GM of the fledgling Indiana Pacers, it’s time to give their raucous fans something to cheer for again. My main goal was to turn weaknesses into strengths. While Tyrese is awesome, Indiana lacks another versatile ball handler who can score and pass. The Pacers also don’t have quality forwards. Luckily for me, there’s a certain team up north with a player who addresses both weaknesses.

No, not OG Anunoby. I’ll leave him for another team. Instead, I wanted to add some spice to Indiana.

Pascal Siakam

Even better, only picks 26 and 29 were included with a 2024 unprotected 1st and not pick 7. 

Pascal Siakam is the perfect forward for Indiana with strong scoring and playmaking abilities. He’s also a positive defensively and compliments Tyrese, certified scorer Benedict Mathurin, and two way center Myles Turner. But there’s one problem. Pascal has one year on his deal left. While I hope he buys into what I’m building in Indiana, there’s no guarantee he stays.

That’s why forward Taylor Hendricks was our guy. As a knockdown 3-point shooter with the ability to guard 1-4 – maybe even 1-5, his floor is high enough to contribute as a starter. Better yet, his ceiling makes Hendricks a key part of the young core next to Haliburton and Mathurin.

With uncertainty surrounding eastern conference heavyweights, a starting five of Tyrese Haliburton, Benedict Mathurin, Taylor Hendricks, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner could propel Indiana to new heights.

8. New Orleans Pelicans – Jarace Walker

Brandon Nwokeji

The New Orleans Pelicans were looking to add versatile, defensive playmakers with this draft class. We really want to surround our franchise stars in Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram with players who can guard multiple positions as well as make plays on the offensive end. We were enamored with certain prospects projected in the Top 10 of this draft because they really fit everything we were looking for in two-way playmakers with extremely high upside. The first trade we completed with Washington landed us there and allowed us to select Jarace Walker who we watched closely at Houston. His elite defensive play turned the Cougars into one of the best teams in the country last season. 

We were sad to see Herbert Jones go, but we could not miss out on the chance to pair a star defender in Jerace Walker with Zion Williamson in what will be a dominant frontcourt tandem on both ends of the floor. 

9. Utah Jazz – Anthony Black

Chip Williams Jr.

The Jazz came into the draft knowing they needed their lead guard of the future, and they had their choice of a few at No. 9, ultimately deciding on Arkansas freshman Anthony Black. At 6’7, Black gives the Jazz jumbo primary initiator with high-level defense and projectable creation. His shot is his swing skill.

[Later, Utah selected Sensabaugh at 16 and Whitehead at 28]

To help space the floor for Black, Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler, the Jazz added arguably the best shooter in the draft in Brice Sensabaugh, the freshman from Ohio St., at 16. Sensabaugh is an elite shooter on both guarded and open attempts, and his unique build allows him to get to his spots on the floor where he’s an efficient midrange scorer.

At 28, the Jazz added what they feel is another lottery talent — and a player they considered at 16 — in Dariq Whitehead. The Duke freshman was the RSCI No. 1 recruit in the 2022 class but battled through a foot injury last season. Whitehead still showed his offensive prowess, knocking down 43 percent of his threes, and the Jazz believe with a full offseason to heal his foot, he will show the full scoring arsenal he displayed at Montverde Academy.

Be on the lookout next week for a full write-up from Memphis Grizzlies Mock GM Joe Mullinax about his moves in the 2023 BCM Community Mock NBA Draft!

10. Atlanta Hawks – Gradey Dick

Parker Fleming

The Hawks wanted to make a play higher in the lottery, while paving a way for Oyenka Okongwu to finally start. An opportunity came to trade Clint Capela for a veteran wing and a top-10 pick, without sacrificing the 15th pick. With Gradey Dick, I nail a MO for any Trae Young team: more shooting and size. At 6’8”, Gradey was one of the country’s best shooters in the country — whether it was off catch-and-shoot, movement, or self-creation. His role in the league is crystal clear.

[Later, the Hawks select Kobe Bufkin at 15]

You can never be short of creators. Kobe Bufkin puts immense pressure on the rim, while possessing upside as a pull-up shooter as well. He gives Atlanta a youthful, change-of-pace off the bench as a guard that can spell Trae Young some minutes and play alongside Dejounte Murray.

11. Brooklyn Nets – Cason Wallace

12. Oklahoma City Thunder – Leonard Miller

13. Toronto Raptors – Jett Howard

14. Washington Wizards – Keyonte George

15. Atlanta Hawks – Kobe Bufkin

16. Utah Jazz – Brice Sensabaugh

17. Los Angeles Lakers – Dereck Lively II

18. Miami Heat – Nick Smith Jr.

19. Golden State Warriors – Kris Murray

20. Chicago Bulls – Jordan Hawkins

21. Charlotte Hornets – James Nnaji

22. Brooklyn Nets – Bilal Coulibaly

23. Portland Trailblazers – Jalen Hood-Schifino

24. Sacramento Kings – Rayan Rupert

25. Memphis Grizzlies – Colby Jones

26. Toronto Raptors – Amari Bailey

27. Charlotte Hornets – Gregory Jackson

28. Utah Jazz – Dariq Whitehead

29. Toronto Raptors – Trayce Jackson-Davis

30. Phoenix Suns – Maxwell Lewis