Chad Ford just came out with his latest NBA Mock Draft, and in a bit of a stunner, he too has Enes Kanter falling into the Wizards' lap at No. 6. Here's his explanation:
The Wizards know they aren't taking a point guard -- not with John Wall in the fold. So the questions are: Who's the best player on the board and what do they need? The Wizards are very high on Vesely, but in this mock he's off the board.
Kawhi Leonard is an option. He brings toughness, defense and versatility to a team that can use all three attributes. But the Wizards are really looking for rebounding help up front and Kanter is a very good fit here. He's tough, he isn't afraid to be physical and he has good size. Tristan Thompson is a dark horse here as well.
Ford has Jonas Valanciunas going No. 4 to the Cavaliers, because he's hearing the Cavaliers are "cooling" on Kanter. He then has the Raptors taking Jan Vesely at No. 5. As many of you know, Draft Express has been pegging Kanter to D.C. for a while now.
This seems like a dream scenario of sorts, to be honest. It's also a bit surprising to me because from what I understand, Kanter is very much in play for Minnesota at No. 2, and dropping to No. 6 is a hard fall. But Ford definitely knows more than me, so who knows.
Other draft links:
- Ford has the Wizards then taking Jordan Hamilton at No. 18.
- A couple really good Bismack Biyombo features from Ford and Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Jonathan Givony of Draft Express also remains very high on him. I honestly think Biymobo's not getting enough love here and is being victimized by the reputation of guys like him. He strikes me as having a ton of defensive potential in today's NBA, and I'd be really careful passing that up even with JaVale McGee on the team.
- Don't know how reliable this is, but The Hoops Report is saying the Jazz are looking to trade down from No. 3, with the Wizards mentioned as a possibility.