The Winners and Losers Of The 2024 NBA Draft

The Winners and Losers Of The 2024 NBA Draft

the first round of the NBA draft was way more fun and entertaining than I think anyone expected it was also jam-packed with winners one of the biggest had to be the Portland Trailblazers a team that was emerging as a winner well before the draft even started after reaching a deal with the Washington Wizards to acquire Denny ABIA in exchange they gave up Malcolm Brogden the 14th pick in this draft the second highest pick of Milwaukee Portland and Boston in 2029 and two second rounders almost every way you look at it it’s an amazing deal for the Blazers Washington’s decision to do this deal really shocked me I was under the impression that AIO was a centerpiece of Washington’s rebuild at only 23 years old he really started a break out this past year he averaged 15 points seven rebounds and four assists on great efficiency he brings an extremely well-rounded skill set to the table which it felt like he was really only starting to scratch the surface of in one trade the Blazers managed to bring in youth bring in upside at a position of need they started their process of solving some of those positional lock jams and they did it at an amazing price it really didn’t matter what they decided to do at seven they were probably still going to be winners from this draft but after ending up with Donovan kingan there is absolutely no question they are one if not the biggest winner of this draft nearly every single trade-up rumor over the past week centered around Donovan kingan something that had to have been nerve-wracking for the Blazers as it had already had been reported that seven was the the absolute floor for clinging he was Portland’s top Target but as we were getting closer and closer to the draft the chances of actually getting him there at 7 were looking slim even during the draft rumors surrounded Houston at 3 while they were on the clock then Detroit at five Charlotte at six there was a lot that had to go right for them but somehow they end up with their guy just days after making what looks like a home run trade now I want to make it clear before we go any further the list of losers in this draft is a short one really no one emerged as a blatant loser for me right now I can really only say that I’m leaning towards Loser on a few teams such as Washington unless they end up getting a trade package for Malcolm Brogden that’s just in a completely different class and I think I and most expect I don’t like this trade for them one bit now their decisions on draft night were really solid they got the guy they would have selected first overall at number two in alexar someone who has the upside to be a Cornerstone of this franchise for a very long time I also really like the upside that comes with bub Carrington their selection at 14 as well as kaon George their pick at 24 their actual decisions on the night were really solid however if I was a Wizards fan I would be a lot more excited about the prospect of pairing up SAR and Denny then we’ve got a team that I think truly crushed the first round and that’s the Utah Jazz a team that over the last couple years has really done an incredible job grabbing value in the draft we had them as winners a year year ago when they walked away with Taylor Hendricks and Keon George and this year they are clear winners once again their first selection of the night came at 10 where they selected Colorado freshman Cody Williams a prospect that checks so many of the boxes you want to see when looking for Value in this range of the draft he’s a 6’8 wing with well over a 7ft Wings spin he needs to pack on some weight but brings a ton of upside and versatility on the defensive end something that he paired this past year with knockdown shooting he shot 55% from the field and 42% from three it feels like almost a given that he’s going to bring a valuable 3 Indie presence for them but the upside is also still there with the fluidity that he’s shown with the ball in his hands and as an individual Creator the Jazz getting him at value by itself would have had them as a winner of this draft it was their second selection of the night however that really had them as one of the top winners with the 29th overall pick they selected USC point guard Isaiah Kier someone that came out of high school as the number one recruit in the country this time last year he was being looked at as a locked in top five selection even after the first few weeks of the college season after coming out of the gate on fire he was still being talked about as one of the top picks some mocking him at number one now obviously there’s some very vow reasons that come yesterday’s first round he was far from those conversations his efficiency especially from distance took a big hit his problems with turnovers becoming more and more apparent it had become clear that there was a lot of risk taking him at the top of this draft but while that was the case few had gone as far as to question his upside again it wasn’t even a year ago we were hyping him up at the top of this draft something that was happening even after seeing him on the college court so for Utah the risk to reward taking him with the second to last pick of the first round is absurd walking away with him and Cody Williams is truly a master class but speaking of value another big winner has to be the Los Angeles Lake I’ve been screaming from the rooftops all pre-draft process how unjustified the lack of respect for Dalton connect has been and I was expecting him to still go inside the lottery the Lakers getting him at 17 is ridiculous going into this draft the Lakers were looking for immediate value with this selection and they somehow ended up with more than they could have ever expected yes connect is not young we all know that but this past season at Tennessee he was quite possibly the top non- Center in all of college basketball he averaged 22 points and five rebounds shooting 40% from three on extremely high volume this production was also only getting better and better as the lights were getting brighter deep into the season but then what’s really so fascinating with connect is the athletic profile that production is paired with he has really solid size at 6’6 with a plus Wings Spin and he’s an incredible athlete especially vertically it’s really not often that that kind of profile is paired with that level of production even even when we’re talking about older prospects he should not have been on the board in this range of the draft and that’s going to become clear very quickly in fact while I think Miami and Philly ended up with great prospects in we and McCain I think letting connect stay on the board is enough of a mistake for me to lean loser based on what we know today now one of the most surprising events of the night was that deal between the San Antonio Spurs and the m to Timberwolves after taking a great Prospect in Stefan castle at four who brings everything the Spurs are searching for to the table they decide to move on from their eighth overall pck sending him to Minnesota who selected Kentucky point guard Rob Dillingham in exchange they received a 2031 unprotected first rounder and the right to swap with Minnesota in 2030 was just a number one overall protection this trade is really a massive win for all sides including Rob Dillingham the Timberwolves get needed depth in their back hord in addition to all the upside that comes with getting the most talented individual shot creater in this class they bring him into one of the few scenarios where a lot of the positives we hope Dillingham can bring won’t be overshadowed by the deficits that most expect to come along with him it also can’t be understated how valuable having that kind of impact from a rookie contract could be for Minnesota giving their quickly escalating salary situation now the other side is where some of the opinions differ right after it happened we saw Kevin oconor tweet something along the lines of why would the Spurs make this deal when ant is still going to be in his prime by the time those picks are conveyed now that’s a perfectly reasonable question but a lot of the same people questioning their decision to trade eight are the same people that wouldn’t stop letting everyone know how weak this class was for San Antonio I really wouldn’t be thinking about where those pcks could land in six or seven years from now I would really just think of it as asset acquisition while there were definitely some intriguing options for the Spurs at 8 including Dillingham they still walked away with a great Prospect in Castle and then added to their incredible pool of future selections something that gives them more flexibility and help set the stage for some big moves down the road I really don’t see how this isn’t the definition of a win-win trade now my absolute favorite outcome of the night and it’s really not close was the grizzly selection of Zach Ed at n it’s controversial but I think the Grizzlies are absolute winners here and I really couldn’t think of a better landing spot for Zach eedi now like most people I’m not really sure what we can expect from Ed at the NBA level I think there’s a real chance that those obvious concerns are a big problem and it’s career does flame out pretty quickly however I also think he’s really unlike any player we’ve seen come into the NBA and there’s a real chance that his deficits aren’t nearly what they’ve been made out to be if that’s the case the value that the Grizzlies are getting at nine is absurd we’re talking about someone at 7’5 that’s the back-to-back college player of the year again the risk that came with this selection is blatantly obvious but that’s exactly why I absolutely love it for Memphis no one thought they would be in this range of the draft they dealt with an historic level of injuries this past season something that’s nearly guaranteed to regress in a massive way next season and they’re going to be back competing towards the top of the western conference with that being the case why not select the biggest mystery of the draft then for Ed as a player you really couldn’t ask for a better outcome coming into this draft I really felt that in order for Zack Ed to even have a chance to make a true impact at the NBA level he needed to be tied to Top End draft Capital if he went late in the first or even the second round the guaranteed opportunity just wouldn’t have been there the leash would have been way too short for a player like him so him ending up inside the top 10 I truly think is massive for the Outlook of his career going forward you’re not drafting a guy in that range without plans to get him on the court on top of that it’s also a perfect fit this team has already found success with these traditional brick wall bigs going from valent Tunis a few years ago to most recently Steven Adams if there was going to be the perfect opportunity for Edie to step into it’s this one my last clear winner is OKC with a 12th overall pick s pry was locked in on securing value and he absolutely got that with the selection of nicoa topic someone that without injury would have most likely gone inside the top five of this draft then they weren’t even done for the night they packaged up a bunch of second rounders over the next couple years to get back inside the first round securing the 26 overall pick from the Knicks which they used to select Weber State forward Dylan Jones a prospect that pretty much embodies the mold we’ve seen OKC go after over the last couple years he brings a ton of Versatility to the table this past season he averaged 21 points 10 rebounds and five assists now he is between positions at 6’6 he doesn’t quite have the size you want to see at the four but he also hasn’t quite shown enough as a shooter to be confident in him on the wing luckily though positional concerns have been the last thing on OKC’s mind they selected a point guard a year ago in case Wallace someone who started some games at the small forward position this season if there’s a team that’s going to find the right way to use a player like Jones it’s OKC now as I mentioned I would really prefer to keep this whole video positive but there are a couple more teams I am leaning towards loser for while I like the upside he brings to the table the Hornets selecting toan salon at Sig was extremely extremely aggressive especially considering some of the potential trade opportunities that could have been on the board from teams looking to jump the Blazers to grab kingan I also have to have the Milwaukee Bucks while Aj Johnson clearly presents a lot of long-term upside this team needs immediate contribution and Johnson is a ways out from that while reports suggest he really started to impress scouts at the combine it’s hard to expect much immediate value at all coming from someone that this past year in the NBL averaged just 8 minutes less than three points and shot only 36% from the field and 29% from three but really when it comes to the losers that’s about it for the most part this draft was loaded with amazing Landing spots and a ton of winners there’s a ton more that we didn’t even go over the Kings getting Devin Carter at 14 the Pistons taking Holland over the rumored Matas buellis the magic getting Tristan D Silva followed by the Raptors getting to Kobe Walter all amazing Selections in my opinion this was really an unexpectedly fun draft so I’m excited to see you guys tomorrow to talk about the second round

The Winners and Losers Of The 2024 NBA Draft