It’s DCist’s favorite time of the year, and we’re not talking about our office’s summer hours which begin next week. No, it’s the NBA off-season, baby! Stat and fantasy geeks everywhere get to OD on rumor and innuendo tomorrow night when the NBA holds their annual draft. This may be the deepest draft in recent memory, so expect to hear the phrase “tremendous upside” more than you heard that crappy Rob Thomas song last week during the Finals.

With just over 24 hours to go before Milwaukee is on the clock, the rumors are flying hot and heavy. Portland is looking to trade out of the third pick, but who will give them the best deal? The Lakers are offering Caron Butler and #10. The Jazz are dangling #6, Kirk Snyder and Gordon Giricek. Will New Orleans trade Jamaal Magliore to Toronto for picks #4 and #16?

The Wizards don’t have a pick in this year’s draft(they traded it back in 2001 to get Brendan Haywood), but that didn’t stop this DCist (along with contributor Hayden Alfano) from taking a shot at predicting how the first round will unfold:

1) Milwaukee – Andrew Bogut, C, Utah
Rumor has it Bogut sealed the deal when he showed up at his Milwaukee workout and gave Bucks owner Senator Herb Kohl a copy of his resume. Bogut will be the latest in a long line of stiff white centers to play in Milwaukee(Jack Sikma, Randy Bruer, Paul Mokeski, etc.)

2) Atlanta – Marvin Williams, SF, North Carolina
With Bogut off the board, the Hawks have a tough decision to make: fill a need at point guard or take a can’t-miss prospect at a position they have pretty well covered. In the end, the versatile Williams – who many draftniks consider to be the best NBA prospect in this year’s class – is too good to pass up.

3) L.A. Lakers – Gerald Green, SG, Gulf Shores Academy
This pick is the biggest question mark in the draft. On Friday it looked like the Lakers would get it. Today it looks like it will be the Jazz. The Lakers want Green, a high schooler with tremendous upside, while the Jazz want Deron Williams. What happens here affects the rest of the first round.

Filed Under: andrayblatche, atlanta, baby, brendan haywood, brendanhaywood, Bucks, caron butler, dcist, Deron Williams, Gerald Green, green, hawks, Hayden Alfano, haydenalfano, Jack Sikma, jazz, Kyle Gustafson, Lakers, Milwaukee, nba, new orleans, north carolina, On Friday, portland, Rob Thomas, rumors, SF, sports, The Jazz, The Lakers, The Wizards, toronto, utah, wizards,