As the NBA is on a knife’s edge heading into what could be a momentous free agency period starting next week, the NBA Draft on Thursday night at Barclays Center could be equally chaotic.
With plenty of teams not only looking to maneuver around this year’s draft, but also to position themselves to make a run at LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and others in free agency, it’s sure to be a wild night.
Here’s how The Post projects things could play out:
1. Cleveland Cavaliers — Andrew Wiggins, Kansas, G/F
He has a few more faults in his game than it was expected he would a year ago, but he has a higher upside than Jabari Parker and is a better fit for Cleveland’s roster.
2. Milwaukee Bucks — Jabari Parker, Duke, F
Both Parker and the Bucks want this to happen, as he would get to be near his hometown of Chicago and the Bucks would get the go-to scorer they crave.
3. Philadelphia 76ers — Dante Exum, Australia, G
Exum is the international man of mystery in this draft, but if anyone would have inside info on a young Australian prospect, it would be 76ers coach — and fellow Aussie — Brett Brown.
4. Orlando Magic — Noah Vonleh, Indiana, F
With Exum off the board and Joel Embiid not fitting their situation, the Magic could instead go with Vonleh, a raw but athletic forward who could form a nice partnership with center Nikola Vucevic.
5. Utah Jazz — Aaron Gordon, Arizona, F
Instead of getting their hands on Parker — whom they desperately hoped to get all season long — the Jazz can take the hyper-athletic Gordon, who gives them an athletic presence up front.
6. Boston Celtics — Joel Embiid, Kansas, C
With Kevin Love seemingly out of their reach, Boston instead could go the other way and draft Embiid, who has the highest upside in the draft if he can get healthy after dealing with back issues and a broken foot.
7. Trade: Los Angeles Lakers send pick to 76ers — Julius Randle, Kentucky, F
After drafting Exum with the third pick, the Sixers have a point guard and can use Michael Carter-Williams to get the seventh pick and take Randle, a scoring power forward to play alongside Nerlens Noel.
8. Trade: Sacramento Kings send pick to Celtics — Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State, G
The Kings would like to move this pick for a veteran and find a suitor in the Celtics, who trade them Rajon Rondo. Boston then takes Smart, who is their point guard of the future.
9. Charlotte Hornets (from Detroit) — Doug McDermott, Creighton, F
McDermott can fill it up — something the Hornets really need — and coach Steve Clifford can find a way to hide McDermott’s defense inside of his excellent defensive system.
10. Philadelphia 76ers (from New Orleans) — Nik Stauskas, Michigan, G
After adding Exum and Randle, the Sixers could complete their trifecta of top-10 picks by adding Stauskas, an excellent shooter, to give them a nice complement to Exum in the backcourt.
11. Trade: Denver Nuggets send pick to Chicago Bulls — Gary Harris, Michigan State, G
There has been a lot of chatter around the league about this pick being in play, and the Bulls want to move up to save a little salary. We’ll make that happen for the Bulls’ second first-rounder, and give Chicago a tough-minded shooter in Harris — just the kind of player coach Tom Thibodeau loves.
12. Orlando Magic (from Knicks via Denver) — Elfrid Payton, Louisiana-Lafayette, G
After getting a big with their first pick, the Magic add Payton to pair with Victor Oladipo for an athletic, exciting young backcourt to build around.
13. Minnesota Timberwolves — Adreian Payne, Michigan State, F
The Timberwolves are as up in the air as any team in the draft, thanks to the possibility of trading Kevin Love. Payne would give Minnesota an immediate contributor.
14. Phoenix Suns — Rodney Hood, Duke, G
Adding Hood — an athletic wing who can shoot — to the up-and-down style the Suns employed under Jeff Hornacek will help them build on their surprising 2013-14 season.
15. Atlanta Hawks — Jusuf Nurkic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, C
The Hawks have dipped into the international market repeatedly and could do so again with Nurkic, who can come overseas immediately.
16. Trade: Denver Nuggets (from Charlotte via Chicago) — Zach LaVine, UCLA, G
An athletic guard, LaVine would give Denver another ball-handler with Ty Lawson and take some pressure off Nate Robinson, who is returning from a torn ACL.
17. Boston Celtics (from Nets) — Dario Saric, Croatia, F
With the Celtics going into a full rebuild, waiting for the chance to bring Saric — a top-10 pick before he signed a multi-year deal to play in Turkey — to the NBA is worth it at this stage.
18. Phoenix Suns (from Washington) — James Young, Kentucky, G/F
After getting Hood, the Suns can add another athletic young wing to their roster in Young, who projects as a possible “3 and D” player — the type every team is looking for.
19. Trade: Denver Nuggets (from Chicago) — T.J. Warren, N.C. State, F
As the other piece of the Bulls-Nuggets trade in this scenario, Denver could get its hands on a hard-nosed scorer in Warren, the type of player Brian Shaw would like to coach.
20. Toronto Raptors — Tyler Ennis, Syracuse, G
The Toronto-born Ennis is a perfect fit for the Raptors, who could use a third point guard even if they retain unrestricted free agent Kyle Lowry and restricted floor general Greivis Vasquez.
21. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Dallas via Houston, Lakers) — Clint Capela, Switzerland, F
After having previous success with a hyper-athletic big from overseas (Serge Ibaka), the Thunder can take another shot here with the first of their two selections.
22. Memphis Grizzlies — P.J. Hairston, Texas Legends (D-League), G
Memphis desperately needs shooting on the perimeter to surround Marc Gasol and, if he stays with the Grizzlies, Zach Randolph. Hairston can step right into that role.
23. Trade: Utah Jazz sends pick to Miami (from Golden State) — Shabazz Napier, Connecticut, G
LeBron James is a fan of Napier, and the Heat are reportedly trying to move up to get him. By swapping their first-round pick plus a couple of seconds, they convince Utah to move back three spots.
24. Charlotte Hornets (from Portland) — Jordan Adams, UCLA, G
After getting McDermott with their first pick, the Hornets can again address their scoring issues with this one by drafting Adams, who proved he could do that at UCLA.
25. Houston Rockets — Bogdan Bogdanovic, Serbia, G
The Rockets, who are intent on clearing cap space this summer to make a run at big free agents, would be happy to stash someone like Bogdanovic overseas if they’re unable to find a taker for this pick.
26. Trade: Utah Jazz (from Miami Heat) — Cleanthony Early, Wichita State, F
By bringing in Early, a four-year senior, the Jazz would have some extra depth on the wings entering free agency where it’s unclear what will happen with restricted free agent Gordon Hayward.
27. Phoenix Suns (from Indiana) — Kyle Anderson, UCLA, G/F
Point forward Anderson would be a perfect fit in this high-octane system, where he would give Phoenix an additional ball-handler, though it wouldn’t be surprising if the Suns move this pick.
28. Los Angeles Clippers — K.J. McDaniels, Clemson, F
McDaniels would give the Clippers a defensive presence on the wings and an athletic wing to pair with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.
29. Trade: Oklahoma City Thunder send pick to Knicks — Patric Young, Florida, F/C
Young worked out for the Knicks and would give them a physical presence to make up for the agreed-upon trade of Tyson Chandler. To get the pick, the Knicks could send Iman Shumpert into Oklahoma City’s trade exception.
30. San Antonio Spurs — Mitch McGary, Michigan, C
McGary was projected to be a lottery pick before his back caused him to drop down draft boards. So he’s the perfect pick for the Spurs, who excel in finding value later in the draft.