BY GERY WOELFEL
The NBA Draft Lottery is history and the selection order for the 2008 draft is set — for now.
Rest assured, there are going to be a slew of changes before the June 26th draft. Several teams have already been fervorishly working the phones, laying the groundwork for potential trades. One of those teams is the Milwaukee Bucks.
In the last week, several officials from both the Eastern and Western Conferences acknowledged the Bucks have been gauging the interest other teams may have in some of their players. The most notable one is All-Star shooting guard Michael Redd.
Redd is unquestionably the Bucks’ best player, the one who would bring back the most in a trade. However, while Redd is one of the most prolific scorers in the league, some teams are reluctant to take on his sizable contract. Redd will make $15.78 million and $17.04M over the next two years, respectively.
What’s more, Redd has a player option for $18.30M for the 2010-2011 season.
Besides Redd, Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva is drawing more than a passing interest from other teams. Several teams are intrigued with Villanueva’s potential, especially considering he is only 23.
In a recent interview with The Journal Times, Bucks general manager John Hammond said the one position he would like to "address’’ is small forward. Desmond Mason and Bobby Simmons are the Bucks’ current small forwards and both are coming off pedestrian seasons.
Hammond could find a potentially good forward in the draft with the team’s eighth overall pick. There is also increasing speculation small forward Ersan Ilyasova, whom the Bucks selected in the second round of the 2005 draft and who spent this season playing for FC Barcelona in Spain, will return to the Bucks next season.
Hammond could also acquire a veteran small forward via a trade. There are a surprising glut of talented small forwards who could be dealt, including Denver’s Carmelo Anthony, Miami’s Shawn Marion, the Clippers Corey Maggette, Sacramento’s Ron Artest, Washington’s Antawn Jamison and Chicago’s Andres Nocioni.
But back to the draft. Here’s how the lottery picks could shake out — for now:
1. Chicago — Derrick Rose, Memphis. point guard.
2. Miami — Michael Beasley, Kansas State. power forward.
3. Minnesota — Brook Lopez, Stanford. center.
4. Seattle — Jerryd Bayless, Arizona. guard.
5. Memphis — O.J. Mayo, Southern California. shooting guard.
6. New York — Eric Gordon, Indiana. shooting guard,
7. L.A. Clippers — Russell Westbrook, UCLA, combo guard.
8. Milwaukee — Anthony Randolph, Louisiana State. forward.
9. Charlotte — Kevin Love, UCLA. power forward.
10. New Jersey — Danilo Gallinari, Italy, small forward.
11. Indiana — D.J. Augustin, Texas, point guard.
12. Sacramento — Darrell Arthur, Kansas, power forward.
13. Portland — Donte Greene, Syracuse, small forward.
14. Golden State — Chase Budinger, Arizona, small forward.
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