Now that the NBA Draft is over, we need to look back at it. This one came with some surprises, lots of trades, and expected picks too. Today, we will identify some winners and losers of the draft.
Winners
New Orleans Pelicans: The Pels won the draft back in May when they won the draft lottery. Not only did they get the premier talent in this class(Zion), but they improved their team much more. In a trade with the Hawks, they managed to dump Solomon Hill's horrendous contract, which gave them a max slot in free agency. With the picks that they received, they took Jaxson Hayes, the best center in this draft, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, an excellent playmaker and shooter. Props to David Griffin for really turning this team around after the disastrous Anthony Davis saga.
Atlanta Hawks: Atlanta might have the brightest future in the league after this draft. They managed to move up to the four spot to select one of the most NBA ready prospects in this draft, DeAndre Hunter. In the trade, they held onto the number 10 pick, which was used to select Cam Reddish, who has a huge upside as a scorer, and fits perfectly alongside Trae Young in the back court. Five years down the road, Atlanta could be vying for a championship.
Memphis Grizzlies: Like Atlanta, the future is bright in Memphis. The pairing of Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. will be a deadly pick and roll combination, and Memphis got a steal at pick 24 when Gonzaga forward Brandon Clarke fell to them.
Minnesota Timberwolves: The Wolves made a very smart deal with the Suns, dumping off Dario Saric and the number 11 pick to move up five spots, where they took Jarrett Culver. Culver heaps of potential, and fills in a need at shooting guard for the Timberwolves.
Portland Trailblazers: The Blazers probably got the steal of the draft. Nassir Little dropped and dropped and dropped until finally landing in Portland's arms. Little is an electric scorer that will make an immediate impact.
Losers
Phoenix Suns: Will somebody please tell me what Phoenix is attempting to do? They first traded TJ Warren, one of their best scorers, to the Pacers in order to get rid of his 3 year, 35 million dollar deal. Then, with a chance to finally take the point guard of their future(Coby White), Phoenix decided to trade down with the Timberwolves. Maybe that would have been okay, except Phoenix took Cam Johnson with the 11th pick. Johnson was slipping, and would have been available in the 20s. The disaster doesn't end here. After their cap dump, Phoenix decided to take on Aron Baynes' contract in a trade that gave them the 24th pick. The Suns found a way to trade the 6th pick, 32nd pick, and TJ Warren and made them into Cam Johnson, Dario Saric, Ty Jerome, and Aron Baynes.
Cleveland's Backcourt: Despite picking their starting point guard in last year's draft(Collin Sexton), Cleveland decided to take another one this year with the 5th pick. While Darius Garland is a good player, he causes all kinds of depth issues. Neither Garland or Sexton wants/deserves to come off the bench, yet one of them will be forced to. Maybe running one of them at shooting guard was an option, but the Cavs also selected Kevin Porter Jr. with pick #30.
Bol Bol: After being projected by some(guilty) to go in the lottery, Bol Bol fell massively in the draft. Team after team after team passed on him until he was finally taken by the Heat at pick 44. But wait, it turns out that the Heat didn't want him, so he was traded to the Nuggets instead. On the bright side, Denver is a good fit for him. Also, let's applaud is spiderweb outfit, which might have won the draft on its own.
Comentarios