NBA 2021 Draft Betting Predictions & Rumor Mill Update

July 29th is NBA Draft night! With draft night, there always comes lots of rumors surrounding who is going to be picked where, which teams may look to move up, and which teams could make a huge trade. This year is no different, as the rumor mill is already going strong. Let’s examine the draft and review some of the early draft rumblings so you can get ready to bet against their NBA Draft odds.

What to Expect for the 2021 NBA Draft

The Top 4

Right now, it sounds like there is a consensus on which four players will be picked with the first four selections. Unless there is a trade or they have a change of heart, it’s pretty much set that the Detroit Pistons will select Cade Cunningham out of Oklahoma State University with the first pick. Cunningham is a very versatile player that can handle the ball, get to the rim, and can shoot from the perimeter.

The next three selections could go in any number of directions. The players that are rumored to be the next three selected are Evan Mobley from USC, Jaylen Suggs out of Gonzaga, and Jalen Green from the G League’s Ignite squad. Houston owns the second selection, Cleveland has the third pick, and Toronto will be picking fourth in this year’s draft. We’ll see what happens with these teams.

Will the Warriors be the Talk of Draft Night?

One team that is being talked about as a team that could make some waves on draft night is the Golden State Warriors. It’s being rumored that the Warriors are looking to make a move that will help them win now. We’ve heard that Golden State is looking to package James Wiseman and the seventh pick in the draft (acquired from the Timberwolves in the Andrew Wiggins deal) for a big-name player.

Since the Warriors’ window is closing, they’re looking to acquire a player that can help Steph Curry and Klay Thompson win now. Ben Simmons, Damian Lillard, and Pascal Siakam are names that have been thrown around that the Warriors could be interested in acquiring. We’ll see what happens on the 29th.

A Magic Act

The Orlando Magic have the 5th & 8th picks in this year’s draft. They acquired the 8th pick from the Chicago Bulls in the Nikola Vucevic deal. With many seeing the draft dropping off somewhat after the top four, could the Magic package those two picks to move up in the draft or acquire another player? The Magic could also move back in the draft and gain more picks. We’ll see what kind of tricks Orlando has up its sleeve on draft night.

The Wild Card

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in a unique position. They have a ton of draft capital at their disposal. Not only do they have numerous first-rounders in future drafts, but in this year’s draft, they own picks 6, 16, & 18. Could they package those to move up, could they use them all, or could they try to package some picks along with newly acquired Kemba Walker to make a huge deal? The Thunder will be a team that many will have their eyes on.

I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?