In the pre-draft process, it can sometimes be difficult to separate what's just smoke and mirrors and what's reality. NBA teams love the art of deception, especially as the draft creeps closer. They want to throw the competition off the scent of what they're really thinking.
Perhaps the recent smoke connecting Cameron Boozer to the Utah Jazz is just that: smoke. But it's billowing to a point that it's getting difficult to ignore. That smoke is starting to be accompanied by a rising temperature, too.
Bill Simmons lit the match earlier this week by stating he believed Danny Ainge, someone he knows well from Ainge's time in Boston, would take Boozer over Darryn Peterson at No. 2. Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor just became the first draft expert to make an official change at the top of the draft.
In his latest mock published on Thursday, O'Connor kept AJ Dybantsa at No. 1 to the Washington Wizards, but has now placed Boozer at No. 2 to the Jazz, with Peterson sliding down to the Memphis Grizzlies at No. 3.
Cameron Boozer goes No. 2 to the Utah Jazz in Yahoo's latest NBA Mock Draft
O'Connor's reasoning is difficult to ignore and is similar to what Simmons said earlier this week on his podcast.
"I’m moving Boozer into this slot, and it’s not based on any intel at all. It’s just a gut feeling based on history," O'Connor wrote. "Once upon a time, the Celtics had the first pick in the draft. Then they traded it! Boston worked out Markelle Fultz, the consensus first pick in 2017, and something was just off. Fultz didn’t perform well at the workout, but he also didn’t display leadership qualities. Alarm bells went off. So the Celtics traded down and landed Jayson Tatum in what has gone down as one of the greatest trades in the history of basketball. So, you’re telling me that a Jazz front office, now led by Danny Ainge and Austin Ainge, will take Darryn Peterson? Peterson has the whole cramping saga. He also missed 11 of 35 games, and one of them came against undefeated Arizona when he pulled himself 15 minutes before the game because of “flu-like symptoms.” Peterson sits out of the biggest game of his life, and he calls himself an “anti-social loner.” I just don’t buy it when the alternate choice is one of the greatest college freshmen in recent history: Cam Boozer."
The consensus has had Boozer at No. 3 to the Grizzlies since the lottery results. The thought was that if he went higher than that, it would be because the Wizards fell in love with his ability to have an immediate impact on a potentially ready-made winner with Trae Young and Anthony Davis already on the roster. There has been some smoke connecting Boozer to being the No. 1 pick the last few weeks, though Dybantsa has remained the overwhelming favorite to end up in D.C.
The Jazz always felt like an afterthought because of how deep their frontcourt already is. After acquiring Jaren Jackson Jr. from Memphis at the Trade Deadline, he joined a frontcourt that includes Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler. That's not to mention last year's No. 5 pick - Ace Bailey - who is similar to Markkanen as a 3-4 hybrid.
A guard has always made the most sense for Utah, but Ainge has never drafted based on fit. He's going to take the best player available. If he believes that to be Boozer, then he's going to take Boozer, conventional wisdom be damned.
The Jazz could always throw out a super giant lineup anyway with Keyonte George, Bailey, Markkanen, Boozer, and Jackson, which might be the best way to try to combat Oklahoma City and San Antonio in the West.
Kesller could always come off the bench, or Utah could ultimately move him or someone else in another deal down the line. The fact remains that Ainge is not going to let the current roster construction in Utah impact his decision.
And it's becoming increasingly clear that Boozer should be considered a realistic option to leapfrog Peterson and come off the board at No. 2.
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