Multiple Picks and Salary Cap Could Produce a Swap Meet

The National Basketball Association draft next week could be more of a swap meet.

The Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls each have three first- round picks in the draft, which is scheduled for Wednesday night at the Target Center in Minneapolis, home of the Timberwolves, who are among five teams without a first-round selection.

Teams are looking to trade because of salary-cap concerns and the absence of a can’t-miss prospect.

“We’ll listen to everyone,” said Magic General Manager John Gabriel, the NBA’s Executive of the Year, who has picks five, 10 and 13. “Everything is up for grabs.”

Chicago General Manager Jerry Krause can offer four, seven and 24, in addition to early second-rounders at 32, 33 and 34. The Los Angeles Clippers have picks three and 18, and the Utah Jazz traded the 26th pick, one of their two first-round selections, to the Denver Nuggets for a future pick.

Orlando and Chicago missed the playoffs this season after scrapping their rosters, clearing millions under the league’s spending limit to accommodate the salary demands of such free agents as San Antonio’s Tim Duncan and Detroit’s Grant Hill. Also available are Jalen Rose, Tracy McGrady and Eddie Jones.

Teams trying to maintain salary cap maneuverability avoid first-round picks, whose contracts are guaranteed and immediately count against the spending limit.

“With the cap room and all the picks, there’s a good chance that those teams will deal,” said Ryan Blake, the NBA’s assistant director of scouting.

NO NO. 1

Another factor is that no college player is the consensus first pick. Among the contenders are Cincinnati forward Kenyon Martin, who is recovering from a broken ankle and won’t be able to participate in individual workouts; Texas center Chris Mihm; Louisiana State forward Stromile Swift; and Iowa State forward Marcus Fizer.

The selection is allowing the New Jersey Nets, who have the top pick, to consider making a swap.

“We’re entertaining trade possibilities, and we’ve had some interesting ones,” Nets President Rod Thorn said. “If we’re going to trade for a No. 1, we would need to get some combination of draft picks and a player.”

Injury concerns could dictate New Jersey’s decision.

Thorn said former All-Star center Jayson Williams, who didn’t play last season while recovering from a severely broken leg, probably wouldn’t be ready for the start of 2000-2001 season. Also, guard Kerry Kittles recently underwent a second surgery on his right knee.

Before Martin’s injury, the Nets probably would’ve leaned toward drafting the 6-foot-9 National Player of the Year. Martin averaged 18.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.45 blocked shots as a senior and was injured in the opening game of the Conference USA tournament.

DIFFICULT TO TRADE

Trading the No. 1 pick might not be that easy, said New York Knicks General Manager Scott Layden, whose team has the 22nd selection.

“It’s hard to make a deal to move up in the draft because you have to give up so much,” Layden said. “When you talk about a draft, when not many players jump off the board as franchise players, you wonder if it’s worth it.”

Some general managers, including Gabriel, said they’d take Martin No. 1 - injury or not. Thorn wants to hear from the doctors. “Martin is a guy we have to give a real good look at,” the Nets president said.

Right now, some teams are on the outside looking in.

Besides draft host Minnesota, Golden State, Miami, San Antonio and Washington don’t have first-round picks.

What they’re missing is a draft deep in power forwards, Europeans, and, once again, underclassmen, including a pair of high school players.

Top prospects Mihm, Swift and Fizer were among a group of 34 college underclassmen that entered the draft. Skipping college entirely are 6-foot-5 DeShawn Stevenson from Washington Union High School in California, and 6-foot-9 Darius Miles from East St. Louis High School in Illinois.

More teams are interested in Miles, who’s even attracted the attention of Thorn, the man who drafted Michael Jordan when he was general manager of the Bulls.

“His upside is greater than anyone in the draft,” Thorn said. “You never pass up greatness if you think somebody can become a great player.”

POSITION PLAYERS

Many draft experts rate Mateen Cleaves, who led Michigan State to the national title last season, as the best point guard available. Fresno State’s Courtney Alexander tops the shooting guards, while Cleaves’s college teammate, Morris Peterson, is considered the best small forward. Martin tops the power forwards and Mihm is the best center prospect.

Among the Europeans, NBA executives have plenty of interest in 7-foot-2 Iakovos Tsakalidis, who averaged 9.2 points and 7.0 rebounds for AEK in Greece last season.

Blake, of the NBA’s scouting service, said this kind of draft makes him glad he’s only assessing the players and not selecting them.

“It’s a crapshoot,” he said. “Teams can go so many different ways.”