Draft Needs: Southwest Division

The Southwest Division continues to be a race to keep up with the San Antonio Spurs, who won the division for the fourth consecutive time en route to another NBA championship.

Barring trades, the division as a whole won't be very active in the early going June 26; the Grizzlies will be first to make a selection, and that won't be until the No. 22 slot.

Here's a look at some of the positions and players the Southwest Division teams may be targeting come draft day.

Dallas Mavericks

Picks in 2014 NBA Draft: No. 34, No. 51

Area of need: Wings that can score

Not picking in the first round severely limits the chances of finding a future replacement for Dirk Nowitzki, so a more likely target should be helping build depth at the wings. Vince Carter played a vital role for the team in the postseason and is coming up on free agency; Shawn Marion and Devin Harris will be testing the free agent waters as well.

Potential targets: Jordan Adams, SG, UCLA; Nick Johnson, SG, Arizona; C.J. Fair, SF, Syracuse

Adams, Johnson, and Fair each represent players that can score the ball at will and rack up big numbers, but each also has flaws that one would have to expect from a second-round selection.

Johnson was barely on anyone's draft radar before a strong junior season in which he was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year. Fair may be the best fit as forward is a bigger need than guard for the Mavericks, and there's an outside chance he could be available at 51.

Houston Rockets

Picks in 2014 NBA Draft: No. 25, No. 42

Area of need: Wing players, Point Guard

The Rockets were thin on the wings even with Chandler Parsons, and the team could be letting the Florida product walk, leaving them even thinner at the position. Jordan Hamilton gave the team quality minutes off the bench, but he's set to become an unrestricted free agent. 

Troy Daniels was on the court for key moments in the playoffs, and while that was a fun story, the team can't afford to let that happen again. 

The team was also exposed at the point guard position with Patrick Beverley battling injuries and Jeremy Lin getting overmatched by his counterpart on most nights.

Potential targets: Shabazz Napier, PG, UConn; Glenn Robinson III, SF, Michigan

After a thrilling senior season in Hartford, Napier appears poised to step in and contribute to a team looking for an NBA-ready player; he certainly has what it takes to run the team's up-tempo offense from day one. 

If the team were to go the small forward route, Robinson could be the best player available in that spot. They would be buying low on Robinson, who had a disappointing final season in Ann Arbor but has the tools to be a starter at the next level.

Memphis Grizzlies

Picks in 2014 NBA Draft: No. 22

Area of need: Outside shooting

After seeing the kind of contributions the team can get from the likes of Mike Miller and Courtney Lee, it's hard not to like the prospect of the team adding more outside shooters. The team still ranked dead last in the NBA in three-pointers made by a fair margin, and with Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph forcing teams to collapse on the paint, the Grizzlies can be dangerous on the kick-out.

Potential targets: Kyle Anderson, SF, UCLA; Jerami Grant, SF/PF, Syracuse

Anderson fits the mold of a guy like Jerryd Bayless who enjoyed plenty of success in his time in Memphis. Anderson is a bigger body than Bayless and can play at small forward, and his ability to create offense has to be appealing the Grizzlies. 

Jerami Grant is an athletic freak who is going to offer tremendous value to whatever team selects him. He's raw, and has to be viewed as a project, but he and Ed Davis would have to leave the Grizzlies' brass feeling comfortable about life after Zach Randolph.

New Orleans Pelicans

Picks in 2014 NBA Draft: None

Area of need: Outside shooting, big man

Potential targets: Dwight Powell, PF, Stanford; Jahii Carson, PG, Arizona State

A call in to the Philadelphia 76ers, who hold five second-round picks, makes a lot of sense for the Pelicans if they're hoping to add a player late in the draft.

If they were to acquire a second round pick, Powell would be a good target for them to partner with Anthony Davis. The two can do a good job of protecting the rim, helping the team improve defensively as they did a year ago.

Alternatively, with Davis taking the big step forward he did a year ago, it's time to start thinking about getting some good outside shooters to help create some space for him. Carson does his best work when he gets into the paint, but he took a big step forward in his outside shooting a year ago, and while he remained inconsistent, he can be a good asset off the bench.

Then again, Pelicans are a wild breed:

San Antonio Spurs

Picks in 2014 NBA Draft: No. 30, No. 58, No. 60

Area of need: A big ready for big minutes

The Spurs' Big Three is quickly becoming the Old Three. The player who most needs help is Tim Duncan, who could use a Duncan to his David Robinson. While that's asking a bit much for a team holding the 30th pick, a guy who can eat up some minutes and get some tough boards can help Duncan avoid some of the pounding he's taken over his 17 years in the league - particularly coming off back-to-back long seasons into the Finals.

If Duncan were to call it a career, the Spurs would be staring down a potential Tiago Splitter-Jeff Ayres frontcourt next season, and even Gregg Popovich would have a tough time making that work.

Potential targets: Mitch McGary, PF, Michigan; Jarnell Stokes, PF, Tennessee

McGary's back issues have impacted his draft stock, but the Spurs made a similar gamble when they selected an injured DeJuan Blair near the end of the first round and that move paid off in spades. McGary showed enough in his freshman series that he's still on the first round radar. He is a solid offensive player who can rebound, but the back is a red flag.

Stokes is a guy who garnered national attention with a strong NCAA tournament. He has good athleticism for a big man, isn't afraid to get dirty under the basket, and doesn't get enough respect for his ability to score down on the block.