The 2022 NBA draft is just over a week away, but the wheeling and dealing has already begun. The Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder completed a trade on Monday that included a 2022 first-round pick headed to Denver, and trade chatter is certain to intensify throughout the rest of the league in the coming days. Multiple teams currently holding 2022 NBA lottery picks are believed to be willing to deal, and a significant group of current NBA players are also potentially on offer via draft deals.
The makeup of ESPN's latest 2022 mock draft has also gone through some significant changes. While the Big Three of Auburn's Jabari Smith, Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren and Duke's Paolo Banchero have remained consistent, the order in which those three players are selected remains less than locked in as private workouts continue. New names have also moved up into the lottery zone in recent days, with players including Arizona's Bennedict Mathurin creeping near the top five.
How will the dominoes fall on June 23 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn (8 p.m. ET, ESPN and ESPN App)? Here's our latest projection: