Quick question: Have you read any NBA mock drafts yet? Of course you have, they’re everywhere. But I bet you haven’t seen one like this.

Debuting the Picks For Players Mock Draft – where I try to find 10 trades that swap a single pick for a single player that is as close to a win-win for both teams as possible. Here’s how it works. We’ll start with the first five picks and then pick a few more, swapping the pick for a player currently in the NBA. Easy enough. The hard part is making it make even theoretical sense for both teams. 

It should be noted that this will not be salary-cap compliant. This is more about assigning value to players, picks and specific team needs. Don’t worry, it’ll make sense as we go. Let’s get started.

1. Washington Wizards trade No. 1 to Dallas Mavericks for Cooper Flagg

We’re starting with a bang! ESPN’s Jeremy Woo recently wrote that Flagg, last year’s consensus No. 1 pick, would have also been the top pick in this loaded class. Whatever you think of that analysis, it begs a fasicaintg question: Would the Wizards trade the No. 1 pick this year for the No. 1 pick last year? I think the answer is yes, especially with the current roster. After acquiring Tre Johnson, Trae Young and Anthony Davis last year, Washington is in need of a super-glue guy. Flagg doesn’t project to be a 30-points-per-game scorer who controls the ball. He’s more like an elite cog, capable of doing everything at a high level. He’s the kind of player who makes every roster and lineup make more sense. The Wizards can use that kind of piece, who happens to still have All-NBA upside.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks are obviously thrilled with Flagg, but there is still a Luka Doncic-sized hole in their scoring profile. Flagg is less the engine of an offense and more like the chassis, providing a structural foundation that supports everything else. The problem is that there isn’t much else to support. The Mavs will be searching for a No. 1 scoring option for a while. What if they could get that player now? With the No. 1 pick, Dallas could take AJ Dybansta or Darryn Peterson, and then find their super-glue guys.

2. Utah Jazz trade No. 2 to Milwaukee Bucks for Giannis Antetokounmpo

After years of shameless tanking, the Jazz finally have a pretty decent roster that could push for a play-in spot next season. Keyonte George, Ace Bailey and Walker Kessler are foundational pieces. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen are versatile All-Stars. Another young player could step on George and Bailey’s development. Instead, let’s plop Giannis into the mix. A lineup of George, Bailey, Markkanen, Antetokounmpo and Jackson has enough scoring, shooting, length and defense to be a matchup nightmare for every team in the league. Meanwhile, the Bucks get to jumpstart a rebuild that they’ve basically told the whole league is coming with the No. 2 pick in the draft. It’s a no-brainer.

3. Memphis Grizzlies trade No. 3 to Philadelphia 76ers for VJ Edgecombe

The Grizzlies need a sure thing to build around, and as much as analysts love the top of this draft – nobody is a sure thing. But after watching Edgecombe’s rookie season, it’s clear he is going to be a star. Memphis can make him the face of the franchise, while the 76ers can reallocate a resource. Philadelphians love Edgecombe, but instead of having two star guards, it could make sense to have a star guard and a star forward. We’re projecting Cameron Boozer being available here, and he’d be a great fit alongside Maxey, Paul George and Joel Embiid, and can star in the frontcourt in a post-Embiid future.

4. Chicago Bulls trade No. 4 to Orlando Magic for Paolo Banchero

The Bulls need a star scorer and the Magic need to shake things up. This is a risky move for both teams, but there’s no doubting Banchero’s upside. Could he unlock a greater version of himself with a fresh start in Bean Town? Meanwhile, the Magic could use a slight reset. They still have Franz Wagner, Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs and could take their pick of Caleb Wilson and Keaton Wagler here. It makes them younger and cheaper, and also eliminates some roster redundancy.

5. LA Clippers trade No. 5 to Houston Rockets for Alperen Sengun

All this talk about trading Kawhi Leonard. Why not keep him? He’s good! (When available.) And it’s not like they are likely to get great value back. The Clippers have Kawhi, Darius Garland some solid role-playing wings. They are missing a center to tie it all together. Enter Sengun, a playmaking big with real scoring touch and a mean streak that would be welcome in LA. Meanwhile, the Rockets land the fifth pick and get their pick of an exciting group of guards (Wagler, Darius Acuff Jr., Kingston Flemmings, Mikel Brown Jr. and Brayden Burries).

6. Atlanta Hawks trade No. 8 to New Orleans Pelicans for Trey Murphy III

That’s right, another Hawks-Pelicans trade, and Joe Dumars didn’t hang up any of his phones! This one sees the Pels getting back the unprotected pick that they traded to move up last year for Derik Queen. Murphy goes back to Atlanta to fill in on the wing, giving them an intriguing two-way core of Nickiel Alexander-Walker, Murphy and Jalen Johnson to build around.

7. Golden State Warriors trade No. 11 to Sacramento Kings for Domantas Sabonis

According to the latest reporting, the Warriors are in the market for a star like LeBron James or Kawhi Leonard. The problem with that approach is that it’s addressing the wrong issue. Golden State’s flaw isn’t its ceiling – we know what Steph and Draymond can do on the right night – but its floor. Every Warriors loss feels embarrassing because, well, it often is. That’s because the worst version of this team is a turnover-prone, jump-shooting team with creaky players at the end of their careers. Domantas Sabonis is a limited player, but there’s no questioning his night-to-night impact. He’s a rebounding, paint-scoring fiend who will address two of the Warriors’ biggest limitations and give them the kind of playmaking at the position that they’ve been searching for since the dynasty years. Just keep Sabonis’ new locker on the other side of Draymond Green.

8. Charlotte Hornets trade No. 14 to Detroit Pistons for Ausar Thompson

Maybe you think this is selling low on Ausar Thompson, but he’s entering the final year of his rookie contract and has made fewer 3s in his four-year career (38) than someone named Taelon Peter made all of last season (41) for the G League-looking Pacers. He may never learn to shoot. So the Pistons send him to Charlotte, where Ausar can lean into what makes him special on an up-tempo team that can use him in the full court. Meanwhile, the Pistons get to hit reset on an asset, elevate Ron Holland II in the rotation and address a need with a lottery pick.

9. San Antonio Spurs trade No. 20 to Dallas Mavericks for PJ Washington

The Spurs need a true power forward with a track record of playing championship-level defense and making 3s. PJ Washington, who played a key role in the Mavs’ run to the 2024 Finals, would be a great fit next to Victor Wembanyama. The Mavericks have less of a need for him with Flagg and can add another young player to their rebuilding core.

10. New York Knicks trade No. 24 to New Orleans Pelicans for Saddiq Bey

With Bey, the champs get a perfect rotation piece who can fill in for any of their wings, make open 3s, rebound and keep the ball moving on offense. Bey was arguably one of the Pelicans’ better players last season, but the odds of them keeping him when his contract expires after next season are slim. So they turn him into a draft pick and take another swing at the end of the first round.