The pre-draft process is officially here following Sunday's NBA Draft lottery, and with the combine getting started this week in Chicago.
In this highly anticipated draft class, one of the biggest prizes is Duke's Cameron Boozer, the runaway National Player of the Year in college basketball after a sensational freshman season. Boozer, along with BYU's AJ Dybantsa and Kansas' Darryn Peterson, are widely considered the three best prospects in this class.
UNC's Caleb Wilson has seen his stock soar a bit, however, with some favoring him over Boozer.
It would not be a surprise to see a team outside of the Top 3-5 range try to make an aggressive trade to move up and snag one of the obvious prizes in this class, though the depth after the top three or four prospects is pretty darn strong, too.
Where does Boozer fit best following the lottery results?
5 realistic NBA Draft landing spots for Duke star Cameron Boozer
5. Utah Jazz
One of the teams that will undoubtedly do its due diligence on Boozer is the Utah Jazz, which will pick No. 2 in June. Cameron's father, former Duke star Carlos Boozer, enjoyed the best years of his NBA career in Salt Lake City, and remains associated with the franchise.
But in terms of it, it's hard to see the Jazz as making much sense with a crowded frontcourt. Utah already has Walker Kessler at center and made an aggressive trade at the deadline to acquire Jaren Jackson Jr. from the Memphis Grizzlies.
Boozer is good enough to force the Jazz to potentially move someone to make room for him, but there are better landing spots for the superstar power forward.
4. Brooklyn Nets
The Nets didn't have any lottery luck and slipped to No. 6, taking them out of the sweepstakes for the draft's big three. That is, unless Brooklyn decides to be aggressive and try to make a move up the board.
Unlike Utah, there would be little question of Boozer's fit, but it doesn't necessarily look like the Nets are anywhere close to being competitive in the Eastern Conference. He would be the unquestioned face of the franchise, but it would take years for them to add the pieces around him to be competitive.
3. Chicago Bulls
The Bulls are picking 4th, which means somebody would have to favor UNC's Wilson over him for Boozer to fall into that spot, but it's not out of the realm of possibility.
It would also be a pretty good fit for him.
The Bulls need some help in the frontcourt, but they are loaded with intriguing young guards like Josh Giddey, Anfernee Simons, and Rob Dillingham, among others. They also have budding star Matas Buzelis, who took a major leap in his second NBA season.
Chicago may not be that far away from being a factor in the East, and adding Boozer would certainly accelerate that process.
2. Memphis Grizzlies
The most popular mock draft landing spot for the Duke star in the aftermath of the lottery has been the Memphis Grizzlies, who pick at No. 3 behind the Wizards and Jazz.
The ping pong balls were in favor of Memphis as they leapt into the top three. Grabbing Boozer would officially flip the page into a new era for the Grizzlies, while giving Duke fans a vision of what could have been in Durham this season with Boozer teaming up with Cedric Coward.
It will be interesting to see whether Memphis hangs onto Ja Morant or fully embraces the new era by moving their star point guard.
1. Washington Wizards
It seems likely that the Wizards will either select Dybantsa or try to ransom the pick to the Jazz, who obviously covet the BYU superstar. If they do move back a spot, Boozer could be in serious consideration for the pick, and Washington looks like a team that could contend quickly after a pair of moves at the Trade Deadline.
The Wizards tanked the second half of the season, but added Trae Young and Anthony Davis to pair with a roster with some intriguing young talent. Adding Boozer to a frontcourt with Davis, with Young's shot creation on the perimeter, could make Washington an instant Eastern Conference contender.
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