JONATHAN FEIGEN’S MOCK DRAFT.
All the NBA draft needed to become as irresistibly compelling was a major trade and some uncertainty at the top. It is almost there. • The widely reported deal in which Boston would send the No. 1 pick to Philadelphia for a package including the 76ers’ No. 3 pick could solidify the initial draft order. • There had been signs that the Celtics would not take Markelle Fultz, after all, with talk building about Josh Jackson. Now they can likely get him at No. 3, unless Lonzo Ball is not Magic Johnson’s choice to play at his old position. • Like a Jenga tower, pull one piece so significant from its place, and much of the presumed draft order would fall in many directions. • Even if Thursday’s first round unfolds as now generally expected, it offers a healthy mix of name-brand prospects going from championship-loaded programs to glamour franchises choosing nearly as soon as Adam Silver welcomes the audience to Brooklyn, N.Y. • For the second consecutive season, the Rockets are positioned to spend the day waiting long into the night before they are on the clock, having sent their first-round pick (to be the 28th chosen) to the Lakers in the Lou Williams trade. • One of seven teams without a first-round pick, the Rockets are slated to pick 43rd and 45th (with picks acquired from Denver and Portland), though they could look to package picks to move up, rather than add two more second-rounders. • They more likely will spend much of the night watching. But at least the draft promises to be a good show.