Uncertainty at No. 3, potential of deals create intrigue

Every NBA Draft brings quality players into the league. Spending a lot of energy and brain power trying to figure out if this is "the strongest draft ever" or merely "the best draft since 2003" is a wasted exercise. One thing is for certain: It's not as deep a draft as it was before likely first-rounders in Georgetown's Roy Hibbert, Kansas' Brandon Rush and Croatia's Ante Tomic withdrew for various reasons.

While there is still a great deal of volatility in the lower third of the first round (picks 21 to 30), most of the changes that will undoubtedly take place higher in the June 28 draft will be dictated by teams trading up to select a particular player. There very well may be a lot of those types of trades on draft night. At this late date, a clear favorite for the third overall choice has not emerged. Just which team will be making that pick has a lot to do with the uncertainty.

Atlanta (Nos. 3 and 11), Boston (5), Chicago (9) and Philadelphia (12, 21, 30) are just some of the teams that may be active on draft night. The four teams currently without any picks in this draft -- Cleveland, Denver, Indiana and Toronto -- all have aggressive GMs who have not been afraid to pull the trigger on trades in the past. They could be responsible for a lot of the draft-day movement.

Remember that early-entry candidates have until Monday to withdraw from the draft. This mock draft reflects expectations that bubble first-round picks like DeVon Hardin of California, Ramon Sessions and Marcelus Kemp of Nevada and Petteri Koponen of Finland will withdraw.

Chris Ekstrand's Mock Draft -- Round 1 Pick Team Pos. Player School/ Team Class Ht. Wt. 1 C Greg Oden Ohio State Fr. 7-0 245 Elite teams have a rotation of at least three quality big men. With Oden, Zach Randolph and LaMarcus Aldridge, the Blazers have them. Nevertheless, most NBA observers feel it's a slam dunk that Randolph will be leaving town. While getting full value in a trade for a talented, yet troubled player like the six-year veteran is a tricky thing, Oden's immense potential makes moving Randolph possible. 2 F Kevin Durant Texas Fr. 6-9 215 Durant should be able to score in double figures right away for the Sonics, who have a much harder decision to make regarding what to do with free agent Rashard Lewis. If Lewis can be encouraged to stay, Seattle would have one of the league's most potent offensive attacks with Ray Allen, Lewis and Durant. Will the taxpayers of Seattle take note? 3 F Brandan Wright North Carolina Fr. 6-9 210 The last time GM Billy Knight had two first-round picks was 2004, and he came away with forwards Josh Childress and Josh Smith, who have both developed into excellent players. But since Knight passed on Chris Paul and Deron Williams in 2005, there's been a drumbeat for him to secure a top-flight point guard. Will he parlay this pick into a veteran point man, or will he add to his seemingly endless collection of talented forwards? 4 F Al Horford Florida Jr. 6-10 245 The sculpted Gator possesses good footwork in the low post, and he developed into a good interior passer while teaming with Joakim Noah. Horford's rebounding contributions are even more vital, since his abilities there will take some of that burden away from Pau Gasol. Horford, a tireless worker, is one of the most NBA-ready players in this draft. 5 F Corey Brewer Florida Jr. 6-9 185 Celtics director of basketball operations Danny Ainge understands offense, and he's unlikely to pass up a player with Brewer's expansive offensive repertoire and vast potential. Brewer is a quick, rangy player who should be able to contribute right away on both ends of the court. The potential is there for Brewer to become a major offensive force one day. 6 F Joakim Noah Florida Jr. 6-11 230 Noah has declined to work out for the Bucks, who in turn say they are considering other players for this pick. One thing that Milwaukee might consider is trading this pick to a team that wants Noah. The other gambit would be to draft Noah anyway, since he owns a lot of the skills the Bucks lack (shot-blocking, rebounding). 7 G Mike Conley Jr. Ohio State Fr. 6-1 180 Since Stephon Marbury left town, the Wolves have needed a point guard who could push the tempo and create a few easy baskets to take some pressure off Kevin Garnett. Conley is not only super-quick and a nifty passer, but he also thinks pass first, unlike recent Minnesota point guards (Mike James, Sam Cassell). The Wolves don't want to hear about the future; they need results now. 8 F Jeff Green Georgetown Jr. 6-8 225 With its tiny backcourt and defensive deficiencies, Charlotte needs a defensive-minded small forward to pair with or replace Gerald Wallace (a free agent) and protect Emeka Okafor from getting in foul trouble. On the other end, Green is a smart player and unselfish passer who can score when needed. He is the type of fundamentally sound player this team needs to add to its nucleus. Al Thornton is also a possibility here. 9 F Yi Jianlian Guandong Southern Tigers (China) -- 6-11 240 Everybody in the NBA is waiting to see what GM John Paxson plans to do with restricted free agent forward Andres Nocioni. What Paxson does with this pick should begin to reveal the answer. Yi has excellent offensive potential, but is not someone the Bulls can count on to help them make a title run in 2008. Many teams have an interest in Yi, including Golden State, which could package a veteran along with its first-round pick (No. 18). 10 F Julian Wright Kansas So. 6-8 218 Geoff Petrie has a sizable rebuilding job ahead of him, so he'll take the long view on Wright, a player with obvious athletic attributes and a huge helping of potential. Wright has demonstrated a strong understanding of how to play unselfishly, a characteristic that Petrie prizes more than most GMs. In time, Wright's body will fill out and enable him to score down low. For now, versatility and rebounding are his strengths. 11 G/F Nick Young USC Jr. 6-6 195 Say what you like about Billy Knight's relentless drafting of athletic swingmen, but he hasn't had too many misses with athletic players like Josh Smith, Josh Childress, Boris Diaw and Marvin Williams. Knight must address the point guard problem, and if he doesn't make a move at No. 3, he may use this pick to do it. If not, Young is a fantastic athlete who can get to the basket and score. He'll fit right in. 12 F Al Thornton Florida State Sr. 6-8 220 Thornton has impressed in workouts around the league and may be moving up. The 76ers have bigger needs than a perimeter-oriented combo forward, but Thornton is a value pick. He is a polished one-on-one scorer and high-effort player who should play well off Andre Iguodala. Thornton is a prototype small forward who has perimeter shooting ability and can also get to the basket and finish. 13 C Spencer Hawes Washington Fr. 6-11 235 The Hornets are really masquerading as a lottery team after winning 39 games in a season fraught with injuries. Adding a high-percentage shooter like Hawes behind defensive-minded center Tyson Chandler could catapult them into becoming a perennial playoff club. The move would also allow the Hornets to bring Hawes along more slowly than most teams could afford to do. 14 G Acie Law Texas A&M Sr. 6-3 175 The Clippers need a point guard more than almost any team in the NBA. With Sam Cassell a year away from retirement and Shaun Livingston on the shelf, Law could step in and start for a club that made the playoffs in 2006. Law is a capable scorer who can also play off the ball as a shooting guard, if the Clippers retain free agent Jason Hart. 15 G Rodney Stuckey Eastern Washington So. 6-4 205 Stuckey floated the idea he had a guarantee from the Pistons, which probably isn't true; but that doesn't mean he won't wind up here. One of the better-kept secrets in college basketball the last two years, the explosive Stuckey can play both guard spots and has an NBA-ready body. Learning from stalwarts like Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton would only accelerate Stuckey's development. Mock Draft Continued