1. Philadelphia (from Boston via Brooklyn): PG Markelle Fultz

Freshman

Age: 19

Ht./Wt.: 6-4/195

Washington

Philadelphia cashed in on its stockpile of assets to fill an immediate need at point guard and acquire the player most teams consider to be the most talented prospect in the draft. The Maryland native will step into far different circumstances with the 76ers than he would have with the Celtics, joining the talented Joel Embiid and the touted but untested Ben Simmons to form one of the NBA’s most interesting young cores.

2. L.A. Lakers: PG Lonzo Ball

Freshman

Age: 19

Ht./Wt.: 6-6/190

UCLA

The Lakers were lucky to keep this pick in the lottery and have been active, trading D’Angelo Russell in a cap-clearing move with an eye toward attracting the NBA’s biggest stars in 2018. In position to select the prospect many consider to be the second best in the draft and fill an immediate need at point guard, the Lakers rebuild is fully underway under president Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka.

3. Boston (from Philadelphia): SF Jayson Tatum

Freshman

Age: 19

Ht./Wt.: 6-8/204

Duke

Moving down in the draft and picking up a potentially high future draft selection in the process, president Danny Ainge repositioned the Celtics to acquire two high-level prospects at the expense of Fultz. But Tatum is perhaps the most gifted one-on-one scorer in the draft and would be an excellent consolation prize, although Josh Jackson could enter the conversation here as well.

Duke’s Jayson Tatum is an excellent scorer. (AP) More

4. Phoenix: SF Josh Jackson

Freshman

Age: 20

Ht./Wt.: 6-8/203

Kansas

Devin Booker emerged as a building block for Phoenix in his second season. Pairing him on the wing with a dynamic, two-way athlete such as Jackson seems like an excellent fit for a franchise looking to re-establish its identity.

5. Sacramento: PG De’Aaron Fox

Freshman

Age: 19

Ht./Wt.: 6-4/171

Kentucky

Fox has as much upside as almost any player in the draft and would also fill a position of need. Possessing great size and speed, he would be a great addition – on and off the floor – for a team hitting the reset button on the rebuilding process.

6. Orlando: SF/PF Jonathan Isaac

Freshman

Age: 19

Ht./Wt.: 6-11/205

Florida State

The Magic, perhaps more than any team at the top of this draft, are looking for direction and long-term pieces. In what has clearly become a six-player top tier, Orlando will be happy to settle for whichever marquee name falls to it. One of the top defensive prospects in the draft, Isaac is an interesting complement to Aaron Gordon and could help provide some shooting for one the NBA’s least prolific perimeter offenses.

7. Minnesota: PF Lauri Markkanen

Freshman

Age: 20

Ht./Wt.: 7-0/225

Arizona

The Timberwolves are one of the youngest teams in the NBA and might not be all that interested in adding another inexperienced player. Barring a trade, however, Markkanen could be a good fit with Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns. Markkanen’s versatile jump-shooting ability and the spacing that comes with it would be a welcome addition to a team that struggled from the perimeter last season.

8. New York: PG/SG Malik Monk

Freshman

Age: 19

Ht./Wt.: 6-4/197

Kentucky

Regardless of whether Derrick Rose stays in New York, the Knicks could absolutely benefit from bolstering their backcourt. Arguably the most explosive scorer in the NCAA this past season, Monk may not be the long-term answer at point guard but could be an excellent fit in the triangle and bring some needed excitement to Madison Square Garden.

9. Dallas: PG Dennis Smith

Freshman

Age: 19

Ht./Wt.: 6-3/197

North Carolina State

Even if they miss out on the top point-guard talent, the Mavs could benefit from the depth at the position. Smith could easily have been selected higher in a different year. He would be an ideal roll of the dice here for Dallas, which will also consider any of the consensus top-nine prospects who could potentially slide to them.

Story continues