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Utah Jazz Trade Up, Land UCONN's Stephon Castle in Wild Mock Draft

Since the NBA Draft order is determined after the lottery is revealed, it is officially mock draft season. The Utah Jazz now holds the No. 10 overall pick as well as the No. 29 and No. 32 picks.

Will the Jazz stay at No. 10? Here's what I can expect in the top 10. Consider this version 1.0 of many mock drafts as coming from you before the draft on June 26th and 27th.

Risacher scored a blast of 29 points in just 28 minutes in the second game of the French playoff quarterfinals. He grabbed six rebounds and shot 5 of 7 from three.

Risacher picked a great time to play his best basketball of the season. Atlanta's front office was in attendance at the first game prior to this game, along with head coach Quin Snyder, to get a close look at Risacher. The Hawks could go a few different ways, but ultimately the decision is between Risacher and Sarr.

I think the Wizards would be very happy if the Hawks traded on Sarr for Risacher. The 7-foot-1 center looks to be a great player on both ends of the court and would help jump-start the Wizards' rebuild while also helping build their defense.

It would pair Sarr with Bilal Coulibaly, the 7th overall pick in 2023.

The Rockets finished 12th in the regular season lottery standings, but thanks to a previous trade, they were the Nets' first-round pick that year. This pick jumped into the top 4 and landed at number 3.

This is essentially a luxury pick for Houston and fits Sheppard, who fits into any lineup and would pair well with Amen Thompson, the 4th overall pick in 2023.

The Spurs have two picks in the top eight and are widely expected to sign a point guard with one of their picks. Because of the way the board formed in this mock draft, the Spurs selected Topic as their point guard of the future.

Detroit was the biggest loser in the draft lottery, falling from one to five. The Pistons have former No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham as well as Jaden Ivey, selected 5th overall in 2022, in his place.

I think Detroit is betting on a quality connector wing like Buzelis and continues to build on the talent it has on the roster.

Trade: Utah trades picks 10, 29 and 32 to Charlotte for picks 6 and 42

April 8, 2024;  Glendale, AZ, USA;  Connecticut Huskies guard Stephon Castle (5) dribbles the ball

April 8, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Stephon Castle (5) dribbles the ball / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

I moved up the Jazz to select Castle at No. 6 overall. Utah traded its two first-round picks – 10 and 29 and No. 32 overall – to Charlotte for Nos. 6 and 42. Castle was one of the winners of the draft combine, standing 6-foot-5.5 without shoes, along with a wingspan of 6 foot 9.

He also shot the ball well from three-point position at the combine. The Jazz could desperately use Castle's defensive prowess, and his potential pairing with 2023 first-rounder Keyonte George is as ideal as it gets.

The Trail Blazers own two lottery picks this year and have a plethora of guards on their roster, including Scoot Henderson, the 3rd overall pick in last year's draft. I think they would expand their collection of young talent and have a quality wing like Holland here.

Holland was ranked very high at the start of the year and had an up-and-down season with the G-League Ignite, but the talent is clear and Portland isn't discounting him here.

Per ESPNSalaun's expected landing spot is the Spurs at No. 8. After taking their point guard of the future in Topic at No. 4, the Spurs are opting for the high-upside wing in Salaun, who their franchise player Victor Wembanyama knows in the summer of 2022 they trained together.

The way this board fell in love with the Grizzlies could be the best case scenario for them. Memphis probably has Clingan higher than No. 9 on the big board and he's ranked higher in places like ESPN.

This would be the easiest pick to predict – if Clingan actually manages to pick nine. He could have gone much higher, but when that taunt erupted, it fell right into the Grizzlies' lap.

Sarah Todd from the Deseret News reported that Williams is getting serious looks from Charlotte and Portland at Nos. 6 and 7. If the Hornets are focused on Williams and believe they could still get him in a trade down, acquiring an additional first at pick 29 and moving up from 42 to 32 in the same proposed deal with Utah would make a lot of sense.

If the Jazz were to stay at pick 10 in this particular mock draft, I think they would take Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham, Tennessee guard/forward Dalton Knecht and Colorado's Williams, who is projected to be the pick in this mock draft , take a close look.

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Anna Harden

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