2014 NBA Draft preview

This evening at 7 p.m., Duke alum Adam Silver will step to the microphone at the Barclays Center to announce his first NBA draft as NBA commissioner. The first name he calls could be that of another Durham product in Jabari Parker, who appears to be vying with former Kansas swingman Andrew Wiggins for the top slot and the opportunity to team up with another Blue Devil—Kyrie Irving—in Cleveland. Former Blue Devil Rodney Hood is also expected to hear his name called in the first half of Thursday's first round, but sharpshooter Andre Dawkins will likely have to sweat it out into the second round and might go undrafted.

Here are some of the other compelling storylines to follow as the clock keeps ticking toward 7 p.m.:

All eyes on Cleveland: The Cavaliers hold the top pick in the draft for the second year in a row, and must make a splash this time around after taking a gamble on UNLV's Anthony Bennett last season. Bennett had one of the poorest rookie seasons on record in 2013-14—4.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG and 12.8 MPG—so the Cavaliers cannot afford to make another questionable decision Thursday night. It would seemingly be hard for them to go wrong with either Parker or Wiggins, and Cleveland fans can collectively thank the Cavaliers doctors, who diagnosed Kansas center Joel Embiid's fractured foot, throwing up a major red flag for the prospect reportedly coveted by the Cavaliers initially.

How far will Embiid slide? The center from Cameroon will miss the majority of the 2014-15 season recovering from surgery on his foot, and could be sidelined for the entire campaign. Entering the draft as damaged goods has sent Embiid careening down the pecking order from possible No. 1 pick to somewhere farther down in the lottery. Teams could be wary to select the 7-footer, who also missed time during his only collegiate season due to a back issue, fearing that he could turn into an injury-prone center a la Greg Oden.

Looking for Love: As if the draft wasn't stressful enough, teams are also trying to position themselves as potential landing spots for some of the summer's marquee free agents. One way to free up cap space to go after free-agents-to be LeBron James, Kevin Love and Carmelo Anthony is to swap players for draft picks—either current or future. The Golden State Warriors are without a pick in this year's draft because they shipped the picks away in trades that netted them Andre Iguodala and 2013 draft product Nemanja Nedovic. Teams like the Orlando Magic have reportedly been in contact with the Cavaliers about trading the top pick for the Magic's No. 4 selection and a player, and Cleveland—like everyone else—would also like to have a chance to go after James in free agency. Could a draft night deal be swung involving Love, the Warriors' Klay Thompson and the Los Angeles Lakers? We'll have to wait and see.

Scouting the Rest of the Field: Parker, Wiggins, Embiid and Australian point guard Dante Exum have been the four marquee names in the months leading up to the draft, but below them lies one of the deepest draft classes in several years. Members include Hood, Arizona forward Aaron Gordon, Kentucky forward Julius Randle, Oklahoma State point guard Marcus Smart, UCLA point-forward Kyle Anderson, Wooden Award winner Doug McDermott from Creighton, Michigan sharpshooter Nik Stauskas, and N.C. State's T.J. Warren, not to mention multiple products from Michigan State and Syracuse. Flying under the radar are NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player Shabazz Napier and Louisana-Lafayette star Elfrid Payton.

Wheelin' and Dealin': More than its NFL and MLB counterparts, the NBA draft is known for the frenzied swapping of draft picks for draft picks. Many turn out to be shoulder-shrugs, but they can also profoundly alter the future of a franchise, as the Charlotte Hornets know all too well from trading the rights to Kobe Bryant to the Lakers. The recently-concluded NBA Finals also would have looked a lot different without Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, originally drafted 15th overall by the Indiana Pacers in 2011.