NBA Draft Buzz: Hawks, Eason, Wizards, Smith, Cavaliers, Knicks, No. 1

by Chris Crouse

May 12, 2022

Reading Time: 5 mins read

The Hawks brought in Tari Eason for a workout on Wednesday and the LSU product is an intriguing candidate to be selected with the No. 16 overall pick.

Eason, who stands at 6-foot-8, saw his stock rise considerably during his lone season in Baton Rouge, leading the basketball program to an NCAA Tournament appearance. The 21-year-old is a rangy defender, capable of picking up wings and bigs, even though he played a large percentage of his minutes at center in college. Eason has to further develop his shot, though for the Hawks he would come in and compete for a play-making role off the bench immediately.

Atlanta is looking to trade for a second star to pair with Trae Young, so it’s possible they end up trading this selection (Ben Simmons and Rudy Gobert are among the players to keep an eye on, per reports).

Eason wasn’t the only draft prospect brought by the Hawk this week. Anthony Duruji (Florida), Collin Gillespie (Villanova), Kellan Grady (Kentucky), Kameron McGusty (Miami), and Andrew Nembhard (Gonzaga) participated in the workout. None of the five are considered to be in contention to be first-rounders, though it’s worth noting that Atlanta also owns the No. 44 overall selection.

More NBA Draft Notes

If the Wizards land the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery (3.0% chance), Jabari Smith would be an ideal selection for the team, as we wrote in our latest mock draft that saw Washington and Portland rise to the top-2. The Bradley Beal–Kristaps Porzingis-Smith combo would create a ceiling for the organization that they haven’t experienced in quite some time with the 19-year-old arguably fit to ultimately become the leading star.
Pending a lottery shakeup, the Cavaliers will hold the No. 14 overall pick. Most will point to a wing at this spot given the roster construction but Cleveland would be wise to pick the best available player who also fits a need and in our latest mock draft, that’s Duke center Mark Williams. Jarrett Allen‘s injury late in the season severely hindered J.B. Bickerstaff’s rotation and if the team is going to continue with the double traditional big men lineups, adding the defensive-minded 20-year-old would be a wise fit (and allow the club to take to the trade market to fill their wing needs).
What happens if the Knicks get the first pick in the upcoming draft? Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has the club taking Smith. Wasserman writes that the Auburn product is seemingly becoming the “more preferable prospect” among scouts with regard to the No. 1 pick. The Knicks have a 2.0% chance of rising to the very top of the draft lottery.
The Kings brought in six prospects for workouts on Wednesday. Grayson Murphy (Belmont), AJ Green (Northern Iowa), Jalen Adaway (St. Bonaventure), Buddy Boeheim (Syracuse), Keve Aluma (Virginia Tech, and Grant Golden (Richmond). Sacramento holds two second-round selections: No. 37 (their own) and No. 48 (via the Bulls).