2021 NBA Mock Draft: Vendetta Sports Media Blogger Edition
A yearly tradition for us here at Vendetta Sports Media. We have our 2021 NBA Mock Draft: Blogger edition. Like many other mock drafts, we still have what we think is going to happen, but with a twist. Our bloggers here are the very GM themselves for a variety of teams. From there, they have to make the decisions on what they think is best for the team moving forward. This includes draft picks and draft-day trades. Still confused? Check last year’s results to get an idea of what is going on.
There were 7 bloggers that participated this time around. I, Alex Chick III, Trey Daubert, Karl Heiser, Garrett Burroughs, Jarrod Prosser, Jeremy Rinaldi, and Courtney Plumer were all GMs of certain teams. I had the Cavaliers, Spurs, Grizzlies, and the 76ers. Trey had the Raptors and the Wizards. Karl had the Rockets and the Thunder. Garrett had the Pistons, Hornets, Lakers, and the Nuggets. Jarrod had the Magic, Hawks, Nets, and the Jazz. Jeremy had the Warriors, Pelicans, and the Clippers. Lastly, Courtney had the Kings, Pacers, Knicks, and the Suns. There will be quotes on why this certain GM made this trade or pick just in case you forget which team had which GM. On draft day, we started at around 6 PM ET for the before-the-draft process and ended up starting our draft 4 hours later at 10 PM ET. Before the draft started, there was already chaos with draft-day trades. Here is the recap of trades before the draft.
Before the draft trades:
Pascal Siakam to Golden State for Andrew Wiggins, 7th overall pick, 14th overall pick
We have traded the 7th and 14th overall picks in the 2021 NBA Draft in an effort to pursue another title run. With Curry, Thompson, Green, Siakam, and Wiseman, our starting 5 is dangerous. Siakam greatly improves our size and gives us an additional playmaker to change the pace of the game. Siakam could elevate our squad to the top team in the West once again. – Jeremy Rinaldi
Once it became clear that Anthony Davis was available, I knew I needed to find a way to pull a switcharoo. Internally, we didn’t feel as if Pascal Siakam was a core piece to a championship team. I’ve never been fond of Siakam. The Warriors felt like the perfect team to trade with. They’re in win now mode and could really use a player like Pascal. By eating the Andrew Wiggins contract, it allowed us to acquire two first round picks which set the stage for future moves. – Trey Daubert
Anthony Davis to Raptors for Khem Birch, Fred VanVleet, Sign-&-Trade Kyle Lowry for 3 years, 66 million, and the 7th overall pick to Lakers
Our reason behind trading Anthony Davis was three fold. 1) it’s not an NBA off-season unless someone does something questionable and gets clowned on by the league. But don’t be surprised if this pans out for us. 2) Health was a major concern of ours in regards to Davis. And our championship window might be closing given how strong the West is. And 3) it gives us a little cap flexibility in the future regarding Kyle Lowry’s contract. Overall we are excited for what this brings for out storied franchise. – Garrett Burroughs
Trading Siakam was necessary when it became clear that Anthony Davis was far from untouchable. Dennis Schroder isn’t the long term answer for the Lakers. The Lakers made it pretty clear they were interested in our point guards. Make no mistake about it, I love Fred VanVleet. However, when you get a chance to acquire a superstar, you do it. We’re thankful for everything Kyle Lowry did for us and jumped at the opportunity to play for the Lakers. We love that fact that Davis is already under contract for the foreseeable future. He has no choice but to play for Toronto which made the trade appealing for us. We had a player our hearts were set on with the 4th pick. We didn’t believe he would be there for us at 7. For us, it made sense to trade Siakam and flip that pick for the Davis upgrade. We understand why the Lakers moved on. Davis hasn’t shown an ability to stay healthy. We understand the risk here. However, it became a unique opportunity to land a player that otherwise would have never chose us in free agency. We’re excited to land one of the most talented players in the NBA. – Trey Daubert
Ben Simmons, George Hill and the 28th overall pick to Russell Westbrook and the 15th overall pick
We’re going to play the stock market with this one. Ben Simmons knows he’s far from perfect and needs to continue to get better. We’re going to push him to do that. Keeping Russell Westbrook on this roster wasn’t beneficial for either party. We’re going to rebuild this puppy down to the studs and believe Simmmons can be a key piece of the rebuild. We’re handing the keys of the franchise to Simmons and building a team that best fits his skill set. – Trey Daubert
Ben Simmons was not going to work on the 76ers anymore. He refused to work on his range seriously and the offense was too congested in the paint. It sucks to give up on a young guy that does have potential but, the time to win for the 76ers is now. The way to win is to clear up the spacing for this offense. While Russell Westbrook is not all that much better as far as spacing, it is better than Ben Simmons. We also got to move to the 15th spot to aim to draft a solid shooter in this draft. It was necessary. – Alex Chick III
Andrew Wiggins (Raptors), the 14 overall pick, unprotected 2022, 2024, 2026 First rounders, 2023, 2025, 2027 1st round pick swaps for Bradley Beal
I was in charge of both the Wizards and Raptors so I don’t have a fancy answer for you. The Wizards need to blow this thing up. The Raptors now are in a position to win a championship if we can just acquire that other superstar to pair with Anthony Davis. Call it a match made in heaven. The time to win is now with the Raptors. – Trey Daubert
Kemba Walker, Lu Dort, 16th overall pick, 18th overall pick to Charlotte for Gordon Hayward, Vernon Carey, and the 11th overall pick to OKC
The Hornets organization wanted to bring back Kemba Walker to provide a veteran presence for our young group of guards. Plus the acquisition of two draft picks and Lu Dort was something we could not pass up. – Garrett Burroughs
Right off the bat, the Thunder were actively shopping Kemba as soon as they got him, so me doing the same thing is pretty realistic. We saved some money on this deal picking up Hayward on a cheaper contract at a position of need. The forward rotation in OKC is kind of a disaster. Vernon Carey is also a plus and a big man I believe in for the future. In a guard-heavy draft, I wanted to move up to the lottery so that we had two lottery picks and could get the best guards to put alongside Shai. Letting go of Lu Dort wasn’t really my preference because of how solid he is defensively, but I picked up a good defensive guard with the pick who is a much better shooter than Dort, so I think that’s okay. – Karl Heiser
Total Hauls:
GS now has: Pascal Siakam
Lakers now have: Khem Birch, Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry and the 7th overall pick
Raptors now have: Bradley Beal, Anthony Davis
Wizards now have: Andrew Wiggins (later traded) Raptors 2022, 2024, 2026 unprotected first-rounders, pick swaps on 2023, 2025, 2027, Ben Simmons, George Hill
76ers now have: Russell Westbrook and 15th overall
Charlotte now has: Kemba Walker, Lu Dort, 16, and 18 overall picks
OKC now has: Gordon Hayward, Vernon Carey, 11th overall pick
Complete pandemonium in our NBA chat. We hadn’t even started the draft yet and you had a feeling it only got crazier from thereon. With the trades now confirmed, we had our new draft order and were ready to draft. Here are the results below. If you don’t want to read and watch our make our picks in the war room, here is the recording!
1: The Detroit Pistons Select: Cade Cunningham, PG From Oklahoma State
It was the obvious choice as Cade Cunningham is the best player in the draft. – Garrett Burroughs
2: The Houston Rockets Select: Jalen Green, SG From G-League Ignite
It looks like this pick is going to happen in real life, so Houston fans better get ready. I’ve been on the record saying Jalen Green has the highest ceiling in this draft class. He’s an exceptional scorer with crazy athleticism and bounce. If anyone in this class is going to average 30 PPG one day, it’s him. For a rebuilding Rockets team, it’s hard to do better than this. – Karl Heiser
3: The Cleveland Cavaliers Select: Evan Mobley, C From USC
It’s simple, the Cavaliers have to go with the best availabe player at 3. That just so happens to be Evan Mobley. With Jarrett Allen being a RFA and Kevin Love wanting out of Cleveland, some dpeth at Center would not kill the Cavs at all. He’s a great defender even at his size and can score efficently for a big man on the other end. This was a no-brainer for me. – Alex Chick III
4: The Toronto Raptors Select: Jalen Suggs, SG From Gonzaga
Jalen Suggs was the number one player on our board so we were thrilled to land him at 4. Truthfully, we were a bit nervous to sit there and wait but felt as if he would fall to us. Holding on to the 4th pick became important to us because we believe this is THE DUDE of the draft. The trades of VanVleet and Lowry clear the way for Suggs to be a day one contributor. This is our starting point guard for the next decade plus. We love everything about the Gonzaga product. I’m going to bet on the guy related to Terrell Suggs. Great size at 6-foot-4, the athletic traits and shooting prowess are already there. We believe we landed a grown up and a bonafide superstar point guard. A starting five of Suggs, Beal, Anunoby, Davis, and Boucher (with Trent off the bench) gives us a hell of a chance to win multiple championships. – Trey Daubert
5: The Orlando Magic Select: Scottie Barnes, SF From Florida State
Of course it’s Orlando’s lot to pick at 5 in a 4 player draft!
Positionally, we need wings – Blind Freddy and his deaf dog could tell you that. So that makes the choice here between the offensive potential of Jonathon Kuminga and the all-round elite role player potential of Scottie Barnes. As much as Kuminga might have a slightly higher ceiling, he’s certainly got a lower floor. We’ll back our ability to develop Barnes’s offensive game and take him. We do hope that Kuminga drops to us at 8. – Jarrod Prosser
6: The Oklahoma City Thunder Select: James Bouknight, SG From Connecticut
Jarrod called this a reach, which it might be a little bit, but there’s no shot Bouknight falls to 20 like he asserted. I realized I forgot about Moses Moody, but I got him at No. 11 so it doesn’t really matter. Bouknight has the tools to become an offensive superstar. He needs to work on his efficiency and playmaking, but letting him play off-ball with Shai at point guard would be great. – Karl Heiser
TRADE: Raptors are sending Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry (Sign-&-Trade For 3 years, 66 million), Khem Birch, and the 7th overall pick to the Lakers for Anthony Davis
7: The Los Angeles Lakers Select: Jonathan Kuminga, PF From Congo
We we’re unsure that Kuminga would be available at 7, but we were ecstatic that he was. He will look to fill the void we have in the front court and get valuable minutes this season. Plus playing alongside LeBron James should help his development as well. – Garrett Burroughs
8: The Orlando Magic Select: Keon Johnson, SG From Tennessee
Dammit! With Kuminga off the board, we can look at another wing, or perhaps go with the upside of Davion Mitchell. We’re still high on Markelle Fultz and want to give Cole Anthony a proper run at it before burying him, so we’ll take another wing. With apologies to Moses Moody, who we think highly of, Keon Johnson is our man. – Jarrod Prosser
9: The Sacramento Kings: Select: Franz Wagner, SF From Michigan
The Kings can use another player with the ability to play multiple positions. With Franz Wagner being 6’9 and his versatility to guard at any position, it would have been a mistake to pass him up. Wagner is also good at using his size to get inside the paint. Wagner isn’t the best three-point shooter but the Kings have others who can fill that void. The court vision and the dribbling skills that he has would be beneficial for the team. I believe he would fit right in. – Courtney Plumer
10: The New Orleans Pelicans Select: Davion Mitchell, PG From Baylor
With the 10th overall pick, we were in a position to take the best player on the board. That is, without question, Davion Mitchell out of Baylor. Mitchell was the best defender in college basketball last season and additionally was one of the top scorers. He also is a stellar shooter from beyond the arc, can rebound, and is a capable playmaker. Mitchell can do it all and on a high level. The Pelicans now have another stud to pair with Zion Williamson. – Jeremy Rinaldi
TRADE: The Thunder are sending Kemba Walker, Lu Dort, 16th, and the 18th pick to the Hornets for Gordon Hayward, Vernon Carey, and the 11th overall pick
11: The Oklahoma City Thunder Select: Moses Moody, SG From Arkansas
I didn’t know when I traded for the pick that Moody would be there, but it turned out to be a great move considering he was still available. Moody is a real possibility to come off the board in the top 10. He’s a long athlete who is an excellent two-way player. Behind Jalen Green, he might be the best two-guard prospect in the draft, and I like getting him to replace Lu Dort. Moody is also just 19 years old, which is another plus for this rebuilding team. – Karl Heiser
12: The San Antonio Spurs Select: Kai Jones, PF From Texas
The Lord has blessed us Spurs fan to have a player like Kai Jones drop to the Spurs. The biggest Spurs’ weaknesses last year were scoring and a stretch 4/5. Kai Jones can fill all of those boxes. He can be a fantastic player especially under the guidance of Gregg Popovich. This was the best case scenario for the Spurs. – Alex Chick III
13: The Indiana Pacers Select: AJ Lawson, SG From South Carolina
AJ Lawson has plenty of guards to help him with his game here. Lawson is a 6’6 guard who is athletic and can finish around the rim. Lawson will add depth to the guards and contribute to the Pacers style of playing small ball.- Courtney Plumer
TRADE: Raptors are sending Andrew Wiggins, 14th pick, 2022, 2024, 2026 unprocted first-round picks, 2023, 2025, 2027 first-round pick swaps to the Wizards for Bradley Beal
14: The Washington Wizards Select: Corey Kispert, SF From Gonzaga
Building a team around Ben Simmons as I said earlier has become the priority. Simmons is going to be a distributor for a team that can shoot the lights out of the ball. Buddy Hield does that for us. Davis Bertans is already on the roster. Adding Corey Kispert gives us another sharpshooter. We feel as if there is very little risk here. Kispert is a proven college commodity that likely won’t flame out. He’s mature and we sort of feel we know what we’re getting. The rebuild is fully on but we think this could turn into a sneaky contender with perfection roster construction. – Trey Daubert
TRADE: The Washington Wizards are sending the 15th overall pick and Russell Westbrook to the 76ers for Ben Simmons and the 28th overall pick
15: The Philadelphia 76ers Select: Chris Duarte, SG From Oregon
The 76ers have gotten rid of Ben Smmons and moved up in the draft. That seems to be a win for me. While there are many criticisms of Russell Westbrook’s game, he does fit the 76ers better than Ben Simmons. It was almost perfect for the 76ers. The spacing would have been cleared up more with Simmons gone and perfect enough for the 76ers to take Corey Kispert. The 76ers will have to settle with the older Chris Duarte. Still one of the best shooters in the draft and a decent 3-D guy. The 76ers get better after today. – Alex Chick III
16: The Charlotte Hornets Select: Jalen Johnson, SF From Duke
Jalen Johnson will provide added depth at the forward position, a place where we are currently lacking in a promising player opposite Dort. Johnson will see pivotal minutes this season and has a chance to crack the starting rotation.
17: The Memphis Grizzlies Select: Jared Butler, PG From Baylor
Jackson Law was not happy with this pick, which will make me lose sleep at night disappointing Jackson. His exact comment was “You made this bed, now lie in it.” The thought process behind this was the Grizzlies need a backup PG. De’Anthony Melton, Grayson Allen, and Tyus Jones simply just doesn’t get it done. Jared Butler can score all over the floor and set up his teammates nicely. This works perfectly for a team that needs a backup PG for when Ja Morant sits. – Alex Chick III
18: The Charlotte Hornets Select: Alpreren Sengun, PF From Turkey
Alpreren Sengun impressed us with his overseas play, and has a chance to be a PF/C we can use for depth right now until he comes along with our style of basketball. A long term project we are excited to see the results of. – Garrett Burroughs
19: The New York Knicks Select: Day’Ron Sharpe, C From UNC
After watching the playoffs,I realized that NewYork’s biggest issues was Julius Randle playing heroball and that they neededsomeone in the backcourt. Taj Gibson, Nerlens Noels,Obi Toppin and MitchellRobinson in the backcourt isn’t going to be enoughfor the Knicks. Although, TajGibson has the veteran experience and he is stilla decent player for his age, theKnicks need another player to add to that defensivequickness in the paint.Nerlens Noel biggest issue in the playoffs was thathe stayed in foul trouble sowhen he was out, the Hawks attacked the rim.I felt like Day’Ron Sharpe would be a good fit. He’s6’11 with a decent size build.He’s tough in the paint when it comes to reboundingand scoring. Sharpe is ableto make plays when needed with his passing. Sharpealso averaged 8 rebounds inthe 2020-2021 season and 10 points per game. – Courtney Plumer
20: The Atlanta Hawks Select: Trey Mann, PG From Florida
We’re deep at every position bar the point (assuming we don’t re-sign Sweet Lou Williams). A straight choice between Josh Giddey and Tre Mann – two very different ballers. Giddey is a pure point with the size to play alongside Trey as we try to run him off the ball more often. Mann is almost a Trae Light: great shooter and dizzying ball handler. Given the depth on our wings and the minutes that Young will play, we don’t think Giddey will be the best value at this pick, despite the fact that he’s the better basketballer. We’ll draft for fit and take Mann. – Jarrod Prosser
21: The New York Knicks Select: Sharife Cooper, PG From Auburn
Another position that the New York Knicks needed was another point guard. They need a point guard who is not afraid to demand the ball and set up the play. That’s one thing that Derrick Rose needed to do in the playoffs. Sharife Cooper would be a good fit here. He’s a good leader on the court. He can shoot, pass and get in the paint against big defenders. Rose could be a good teacher for Cooper. They are both athletic and the same size. Cooper averaged 20 points and 8 assists per game at Auburn. He isn’t the best three point shooter but he can make them when needed. His court vision and his ability to facilitate is another addition that the Knicks will appreciate. – Courtney Plumer
22: The Los Angeles Lakers Select: Roko Prkacin, PF From Croatia
Roko Prkacin is an intriguing 18 year old prospect who can stretch the floor and move fairly well. We hope to have him as a sign and stash player while he develops his game and bring him along when he’s ready. – Garrett Burroughs
23: The Houston Rockets Select: Ziaire Williams, SG From Stanford
In the late first round, I was just looking to make value selections. Williams is a borderline lottery pick who didn’t have a fantastic freshman season at Stanford, but the potential is right there. At 6’9, he’s looking like he could be a very nice two-way player. Former five-star prospect for Houston. – Karl Heiser
24: The Houston Rockets Select: Josh Giddey, SG From Australia
Another steal in my opinion considering that I’ve seen mock drafts put Giddey as high as No. 7 overall. As a long facilitator, there’s a lot to like here. His shooting needs work, but he’s an excellent rebounder and passer who is just 18 years old. Really love this pick for the playmaking upside. – Karl Heiser
25: The Los Angeles Clippers Select: Cameron Thomas, SG from LSU
The Clippers offense stalled plenty of times in the 2021 NBA Playoffs, especially with Kawhi. In the past, the Clippers have performed well with a spark plug shooter as their sixth man, such as Landry Shamet or Lou Williams. Cam Thomas from LSU fits this mold perfectly. He’s a young scorer with great shooting potential and creative shot making. LA now adds another wing scorer to their All-Star lineup. – Jeremy Rinaldi
26: The Denver Nuggets Select: Usman Garuba, PF From Spain
Usman Garuba is a high-energy defense who can guard multiple positions on the court. We see him as a key role player in the future who can anchor a second group of players on the floor and provide defensive leadership. – Garrett Burroughs
27: The Brooklyn Nets Select: Charles Bassey, C From Western Kentucky
Given Blake Griffin’s free agency, Nic Claxton being a little too green and DeAndre Jordan ageing in dog years, we really need a centre. Ideally one that can protect the rim and hit the open jumper. We really liked Garuba at this spot, but with him off the board we’ll finger Bassey. He’s an excellent shot blocker who has smooth mechanics on his shot. We think we can stretch him out to the 3 point arc with a little work. – Jarrod Prosser
TRADE: The Wizards are sending Andrew Wiggins and 28th overall pick to the Kings for Buddy Hield
Yes, we are rebuilding. Yes, it would have made sense to pick a player at 28. However, I didn’t love any of the names available at the back end of the draft. Internally, we love Buddy Hield. This is the kind of player we want next to Ben Simmons. Someone that can space the floor and shoot the lights out of the ball. We believe we have the culture where Hield can thrive and entrench himself as one of the best two guards in the league. – Trey Daubert
Deciding whether this was a good trade or not was kind of tough. Trey Daubert offered two trades and the first trade one was definitely a hell no but this one caught my attention. My thought process for this trade was that Andrew Wiggins would add more options for Sacramento. The Kings would have another go to person in situations. The Kings would have the option to make their lineup either big or small. Harrison Barnes or Wiggins can play the four if they decide to have Marvin Bagley III as the five. The Kings lineup would essentially be the same except Wiggins would be replacing Hield that plays either the two or three. Wiggins will be a good addition for defense. – Courtney Plumer
28: The Sacramento Kings Select: Joel Ayayi, SG From Gonzaga
Joel Ayayi is a 6’5 shooting guard who will be good to have in the rotation. His ability to not rush his shot and get a good square base is the reason for his ability to shoot 52 percent from the field. Ayayi is good off-ball as he contributes well to executing offense and getting open. His quickness in closing out prevents the offensive player to make a quick play. Ayayi will be a nice addition to the team with his defense as the Knicks rank 29th in the league in points allowed. – Courtney Plumer
29: The Phoenix Suns Select: Makur Maker, C From Howard
The Suns have depth in almost every position except the backcourt. The Suns need another big who is as active as Deandre Ayton and can still sustain as well as Ayton does when he is off the court. Makur Maker is a 6’11center who can play dribble, pass, shoot and play defense. His game is similar to Kevin Durant’s except he isn’t much of a three-point shooter. Maker is very active inside and outside the paint. His contribution to the Suns would be his hustle and ability to add more shooters on the court when needed. – Courtney Plumer
30: The Utah Jazz Select: Trey Murphy III, SG From Virginia
We’re delighted that Murhpy has slipped down to us – we thought he’d go around 10 picks earlier. The playoffs exposed our fatal flaw: wing defense. We can’t rely on Rudy Gobert to do everything! So, with a 6’9, long and fluid athlete available who, as a huge bonus, happens to be an outstanding shooter, this is a no brainer call for us. – Jarrod Prosser
That will conclude our 2021 NBA Mock Draft: Blogger Edition. Was this 2021 NBA Mock Draft as crazy as it seemed? What changes in this 2021 NBA Mock Draft would you like to see? Who was the best GM in our 2021 NBA Mock Draft? Who was the worst GM? Tell us all on Twitter or leave a comment on Youtube with your thoughts!
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