NBA Draft Prospects
2023 NBA Draft: Dereck Lively II is being monitored by Golden State and Atlanta who could trade up to get him
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated19 Jun 2023
With the NBA Draft this Thursday night, the trade market is going to start to heat up real soon. Teams could trade away players and future picks in order to move up in the draft. It’s being reported that the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks are interested in the same player ahead of the draft. That would be 19-year-old Dereck Lively II from Duke.
He was once seen as a late first-round pick, but he’s propelled to near Top 10 status. After one season with the Blue Devils, Lievley has decided to take his talents to the NBA. In current mock drafts, Livley is going #10 with the Dallas Mavericks.
League sources have reported that the Warriors or Hawks would need to trade into the Top 10 to have a shot at drafting Lively. He was a five-star prospect coming out of high school and was the #3 player in the class of 2022.
Report: Dereck Lively is a player who is quickly becoming coveted in the draft. The Hawks and Warriors are among the teams interested in him. The feeling is you will need at least pick 10 to land him, per Moore. #MFFL pic.twitter.com/H1wAUuO0dC
— MFFL (@Mavs_FFL) June 18, 2023
Dereck Lively is being watched by the Warriors and Hawks ahead of the 2023 NBA Draft
With Lively’s draft stock rising, the chances of him being a Top 10 pick continue to increase. A number of teams would love to be able to draft the seven-foot-one big man who has raw talent coming into the NBA. His offensive game was limited last season, but his size and effort of defense made a difference.
The Hawks hold the #15 pick and the Warriors hold the #19 pick in the 2023 NA Draft. League sources have reported that they’d need to enter the Top 10 to draft Lively. In 34 games played with 27 starts for Duke, he averaged (5.2) points, (5.4) rebounds, and (2.4) blocks.
After size was a clear issue for the Warriors this postseason, the team is seriously interested in Lively. They would hope that he could be the player that James Wiseman never was with Golden State. With Clint Capela not under contract with the Hawks for next season, Lively could be Atlanta’s, next big man.
They could bring his offensive game to life by pairing him with an all-star PG like Trae Young. Whether it’s Golden State or Atanta, both will have to trade up in the draft to draft Lively. The 2023 NBA Draft is this Thursday night at 8:00 pm EST on ABC and ESPN.
