The NBA Draft has finished and there were a lot of interesting picks, trades, and more. Before draft day, everyone expected Jabari Smith Jr. to be the number one pick, but that changed during the draft with the Magic selecting Paolo Banchero from Duke. I think the Magic made the right decision because Banchero was the best overall player in the draft. As expected, the Thunder drafted Chet Holmgren with the second pick. The Rockets had the third pick and they expected to draft Paolo Banchero, but because he was drafted first, they selected Jabari Smith Jr. They were probably happy to draft Smith, especially because he had a good chance to be picked first overall.
Things became interesting at the fourth pick with the Kings on the clock. They had to choose between one of three options. They could have drafted the best player still available, Jaden Ivey. However, Ivey is a guard and the Kings have too many guards. They could have traded the pick which is what I thought they would do. However, they ended up taking the third option, drafting Keegan Murray. Murray played very well in college as a power forward, but he was not the best remaining player. It was clear the Kings valued the position they needed over drafting the best player available. They needed a big man and they got one. The Pistons were up next and their pick was a no brainer. The best guard in the draft, Jaden Ivey, fell to them, which was their best case scenario. The Pistons now have drafted the best guard two years in a row, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they sneak up on some teams for a playoff push.
A bit later in the draft, there was much confusion over what the New York Knicks did and the results left a lot of Knicks fans upset. It all started when they drafted Ousmane Dieng with the 11th pick. They immediately traded Dieng to the Thunder for three future first round picks. After that, the Knicks traded one of these first round picks, along with four future second round picks, to the Hornets. In return, the Hornets gave the Knicks Jalen Duren, whom they had drafted with the 13th pick. Duren wasn’t on the Knicks for long, however, because right after acquiring him, the Knicks traded Duren and Kemba Walker to the Pistons. The Pistons in return gave the Knicks a 2025 first round pick. The reason the Knicks made all these trades was definitely to clear up cap space. Kemba Walker had a big contract and they were able to get rid of him through all of these trades. All of these moves allowed them to sign Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson recently. The Knicks also gained several first round picks through these trades that could be valuable in the future. The result of these fast moves left the Knicks fanbase in turmoil, but we will see if the strategy proves to be successful.
Signing off from the NBA draft for now, and looking forward to seeing what the rest of the offseason brings us!
Third Down With Devin 