Bulls Confidential 2018 NBA Mock Draft (With Trades!)

Bulls Confidential 2018 NBA Mock Draft composed by Editor-in-chief Michael Walton II based off the Big Boards of BC Editor Geoffrey Clark, and writers Evan McShane and Mike Bonomo .

1. Phoenix Suns: Luka Doncic, Point/Wing, Real Madrid
2. Sacramento Kings: DeAndre Ayton, Big, Arizona
3. Atlanta Hawks: Jaren Jackson Jr., Big, Michigan State
4. Memphis Grizzlies: Marvin Bagley III, Forward/Big, Duke
5. Dallas Mavericks: Mohamed Bamba, Big, Texas
6. Orlando Magic: Trae Young, Point, Oklahoma
7. Chicago Bulls: Michael Porter, Wing, Missouri
8. TRADE: Charlotte Hornets trade Kemba Walker and No. 11 pick to Cleveland Cavaliers for No. 8 pick (Collin Sexton) and Jordan Clarkson
9. New York Knicks: Miles Bridges, Forward, Michigan State
10. Philadelphia 76ers (via Lakers): Mikal Bridges, Wing, Villanova
11. Cleveland Cavaliers (via Hornets, see trade above): Wendell Carter, Big, Duke
12. Los Angeles Clippers (via Pistons): Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Point/Combo guard, Kentucky
13. Los Angeles Clippers: Zhaire Smith, Wing, Texas Tech
14. TRADE: Chicago Bulls trade Jerian Grant, Cristiano Felicio and No. 22 pick to Denver Nuggets for No. 14 pick (Kevin Knox) and Kenneth Faried
15. Washington Wizards: Lonnie Walker, Wing, Miami
16. Phoenix Suns (via Heat): Troy Brown, Wing, Oregon
17. Milwaukee Bucks: Jontay Porter, Big/forward
18. San Antonio Spurs: Donte DiVincenzo, Wing, Villanova
19. Atlanta Hawks (via Timberwolves): Khyri Thomas, PG/Wing, Creighton
20. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Thunder): Gary Trent Jr., Wing, Duke
21. Utah Jazz: Dzanan Musa, Wing, Cedevita Zagreb
22. Denver Nuggets (via Bulls, see trade above at No. 14): Isaac Bonga, Wing/Point, Franport Skyliners
23. Indiana Pacers: Jalen Brunson, Point, Villanova
24. Portland Trail Blazers: Chandler Hutchison, Wing, Boise State
25. Los Angeles Lakers (via Cavaliers): Mitchell Robinson, Big, USA
26. Philadelphia 76ers: Robert Williams III, Big, Texas A&M
27. Boston Celtics: Jacob Evans, Wing, Texas A&M
28. Golden State Warriors: Aaron Holiday, Combo guard
29. TRADE: San Antonio Spurs trade Patty Mills and Brandon Paul to Brooklyn Nets for Jeremy Lin and the No. 29 pick (Anfernee Simons)
30. Atlanta Hawks (via Houston Rockets): Tony Carr, Combo guard, Penn State

For this mock draft I used the position groupings of Ben Falk over at Cleaningtheglass.com, the positions used are POINT (for Point guard), Wing (ANY Shooting guard/Small forward), Forward (Small forward/Power forward), Big (Center/Power forward)

Trades And Favorite Picks Explained:

Phoenix Suns: Luka Doncic, Point/Wing, Real Madrid

I believe the Phoenix front office is more torn between the two prospects than many would think. Team owner Robert Sarver is a University of Arizona alumnus, so the pressure to take Ayton will be real. But after hiring Doncic’s former Slovenian national team coach Igor Kokoškov, the team can add a much needed jolt of stability with a long-term Doncic-Devin Booker backcourt. And if for some reason Booker starts to become uncomfortable with the Doncic-Kokoškov pairing, Suns General manager Ryan McDonough knows exactly who to call about a Booker trade.

Chicago Bulls: Michael Porter, Wing, Missouri

Indiana Pacers: Jalen Brunson, Point, Villanova

This is an ideal scenario for me. Seeing the hard-nosed, tough and scrappy Brunson paired in a backourt with Victor Oladipo would be awesome. Despite being closer to 6 feet 2 inches, the 2017–18 Naismith Award winner is a tenacious on-ball defender. He finished with a defensive rating of 102.3 over his three years at ‘Nova. He has shown that he is just as comfortable off the bench as he is as a starter. And for those concerned about his fit with Oladipo, Brunson, don’t be. Brunson is a perfect secondary guard, he shot 70.3 percent at the rim last year. Brunson also shot 40.8 percent from 3-point range, with 65.1 percent of his 3-point attempts being assisted.

TRADE: Charlotte Hornets trade Kemba Walker and No. 11 pick to Cleveland Cavaliers for No. 8 pick (Collin Sexton) and Jordan Clarkson

This trade is made with the assumption that LeBron James stays in Cleveland because…..there simply no particularly great options for him from a PR and basketball-fit standpoint. This trade allows Cleveland to convince James they are serious about winning right now, as Walker is coming off his third straight season of 20+ points and 5+ assists per game. Wendell Carter, who I have the Cavs taking with the No .11 pick, provides a quality defensive big on a roster that does not have a single one.

For Charlotte, this trade is about handing over the keys to the offense to new franchise star, Collin Sexton. I could easily see Team owner/Chairman Michael Jordan falling in love with Sexton’s intensity and attitude. The roster is weird forsure, but at worst Clarkson represents an interesting off the bench option for new Charlotte Head coach James Borrego. The Hornets are in rebuilding mode, so this trade is mostly about moving up to ensure they acquire Sexton as the new point guard.

TRADE: Chicago Bulls trade Jerian Grant, Cristiano Felicio and No. 22 pick (Isaac Bonga) to Denver Nuggets for No. 14 pick (Kevin Knox) and Kenneth Faried

This trade isn’t incredibly hard to grasp actually happening beyond the Faried contract. The Bulls could potentially use Faried as a small-ball 5 in spurts, but the emergence of Bobby Portis makes that unlikely. Whether they trade Faried or simply bench him, taking his contract on would be worth it for the Bulls to move up eight slots and get a second, high-ceiling forward in Kevin Knox.

Our cap-specialist Ryan Borja previously outlined why Denver may be interested in making a trade, and their cap situation (surprise!) is a huge reason why. After just barely missing the playoffs, Denver isn’t necessarily looking to add another player to the roster, if they can’t help immediately. So Bonga is a perfect draft-and-stash candidate. He is only 18 years old, so the 6 foot 9 inch do-it-all forward has a ton of room to grow. Bonga already spends time with the ball in his hands, and has shown impressive playmaking skills for his build based off of available footage.

With Denver already being competitive, they can let Bonga develop with his Bundesliga team in Germany and be a force (hopefully) by the time he joins the Nuggets. However, the main reason for Denver doing this trade is getting rid of Faried, and bringing in Grant and Felicio. Felicio was absolutely awful in the first year of his new four-year/$32M contract. He was worse on defense, with an abysmal defensive rating of 113 that doesn’t successfully capture his sudden lack of agility. But he still shot 69 percent from 0–3 feet from the rim, and so that figure supports the idea that he could create an effective 4/5 pick and roll with Jokic. That brings me to Jerian Grant, who despite taking much flak from Bulls fans for his occasional boneheaded decisions, played reasonably well. His true shooting percentage dropped, but it only made him slightly worse on offense. Grant’s calling card right now is his ability to run the offense in very limited spurts. He finished with a top-20 assist percentage, sandwiched right between Stephen Curry and….Nikola Jokic.

TRADE: San Antonio Spurs trade Patty Mills and Brandon Paul to Brooklyn Nets for Jeremy Lin and the No. 29 pick (Anfernee Simons)

The Nets have their own first rounder in 2019, the first time they will be able to use their own first-rounder since 2013. So on the surface, it seems like trading for Patty Mills and Brandon Paul would be a little backwards, but hear me out. Mills is a career 39 percent 3-point shooter, and the Nets take the second most 3-pointers in the league at 35.5 attempts per game. So Mills fits in their guard rotation nicely, especially if shooter Joe Harris leaves Brooklyn via free agency. Paul provides an interesting 3-and-D option if he ever develops the 3-point shooting part of the equation. At 27 years old it may be late, but he showed that he is a capable NBA player in his year in San Antonio. Paul’s 6 foot 10 inch wingspan certainly would provide Net Head coach Kenny Atkinson with a great choice for defense-first lineups. This trade would be made with the assumption that there is no prospects Brooklyn is in love with a No. 29.

The Spurs are in the midst of their ongoing saga with franchise cornerstone Kawhi Leonard. He seems disgruntled, but I’m sure it’s not that $200 million-plus can’t fix. But as far as the 2018 NBA Draft, I believe the Spurs will look to strike gold with an enticing young prospect. Their player development is so good, that looking far ahead into the future with prospects isn’t crazy for them. And that is why after the breakout year for 2nd Team All-Defense guard Dejounte Murray (21 years old) will inspire San Antonio to nab guard Anfernee Simons with the No. 29 pick.

Simons is 6 foot 4 inch combo guard with a knack from scoring from….well, everywhere at the high school level. But obviously his frame will have to fill out (which with NBA training, duh, it will) so he can finish strong through contact at the rim. Simons is a very athletic prospect, so combined with the great jumpshot, he easily has the potential to become a big-time scorer in the NBA one day. But getting valuable playing time against better competition — whether it be G-League or NBA — will be the likely plan for Simons in year one. But high-ceiling players who develop in the Spurs system have shown the ability to improve dramatically and produce at high levels in their first two-to-four seasons.

If the Spurs were to take Simons slick ball handing skills, smooth jump shot and devastating finishing ability and make it seamlessly translate to the NBA, I think it’s possible he could become the next, dare I say, no, OK yes. Simons, with the San Antonio Spurs franchise, could be the next: