NBA Draft Winners And Losers

Sixty picks are in the books. Sixty young men's lives changed by being selected in the NBA draft. The first two picks in the draft went exactly as expected, with Deandre Ayton getting picked by the worst team in the league in the Suns, followed by Marvin Bagley getting selected by the Kings at two. After that, things got turned around a little bit, with trades and some screwy picks. It's way too early to really determine if these picks will pan out as expected, but its fun to try and gouge that now. We take a look back at some of the best, and worst, from this year's NBA Draft.

Winner:
Phoenix Suns
This was kind of a clear cut choice with the way things played out. Picking Deandre Ayton with the first overall pick was kind of a no brainer. He was the consensus top pick on almost every big board and there a good reason for that. He a big man with a tremendous amount of talent on both ends of the floor and is one of the better big men to come into the draft in quite some time, according to a lot of experts. And he's only going to get better from here. But wait, there's more. The Suns, who also had the 16th overall pick, selected Zhaire Smith, who they then traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Mikal Bridges, who was the 10th pick in the draft. Bridges is already ready to play in the NBA, according to some sources. So they got a guy who has a very high ceiling and a guy who's really ready to make a huge impact in the league right now. Things are looking really good right now for the Suns to improve on their 21 wins from last season.

Loser:
Toronto Raptors
This was a team that won the Eastern Conference this past season. It looked like the Raptors were one or two players away, possibly, from taking that next step and really taking off as the top team in the conference. It all starts with the draft. Toronto didn't do anything at the draft. Toronto didn't have a pick in this draft, and to be fair neither did Miami, but Toronto is at least expected to be a major threat in the conference and the league. You'd like to think that the Raptors would be able to try and make a trade to get a pick, which could have been of major benefit to this team. They are leaving themselves in the same spot they did at the start of the playoffs, at least with the roster they have, and you saw what happened to them when they met with the Cavs a couple of months ago. Toronto needed to try and get better, and at least at the draft, they haven't appeared to make a step in the right direction yet.

Winner:
Atlanta Hawks
It may be too early to tell who really came out the winner of the deal between the Hawks and Dallas, but it looks like both could come out as a winner. It started out with the Hawks, who originally picked Luka Dončić 3rd overall. They then flipped him to Dallas for the 5th overall pick Trae Young. Young was a guy who Atlanta really had their eyes on all along, so they got their man. He wasn't the only one Atlanta picked up, grabbing Kevin Huerter with the 19th pick and Omari Spellman, who they selected at 30. Getting Huerter was a solid move because he one of the better shooters to come out of the draft from what I've heard and Spellman is a decent shooter for a big man. The trade could possibly haunt the Hawks, but way too early to tell that. Still a solid overall draft for Atlanta

Loser:
Philadelphia 76ers
Philly had a good move made with the 10th overall pick, picking up Mikal Bridges. To make that story even better, Bridges mom works for the 76ers. Then, for whatever reason, the Sixers decide to pull a fast one. They send Bridges to the Suns for guard Zhaire Smith, who's a solid player but isn't as good a defender or three point shooter. Having Bridges would have made perfect sense for the Sixers but they gt rid of him for somebody who's a step down from him. And to make matters more interesting for the club, they took Landry Shamet, another point guard, with the 26th pick. Having all of these point guards on this team makes one wonder what exactly does this mean for Markelle Fultz as a Sixer? It makes one wonder what exactly might be happening in Philly? Maybe its reading too much into it. Maybe things will work out in the end for the better for Philly.

Winner:
Dallas Mavricks
Gotta give Dallas credit for having the guts to go out and make the move they did. Facts are, Dirk Nowitzki might not a whole lot left in the tank. His age for one thing, he is 40 years old, might work against him as time catches up to everybody in this game. So they go out and make a trade with Atlanta, sending Trae Young to the Hawks (see above) to get Luka Doncic, who is now possibly going to be a replacement in Dallas for when Dirk retires. Luka is considered by some to be the best player in this draft class so good on Dallas for being able to land him. Mavs also had three other picks in the draft and were able to land Jalen Brunson (33rd), Ray Spalding (56th) and Kostas Antetokounmpo (Giannis’ little brother at 60). All in all, I'd say it was a sound draft for Dallas, they got the player they wanted and added good depth pieces. Good on the Mavs.

Loser:
Washington Wizards
Taking Troy Brown with the 15th overall pick was a good selection. Brown is a decent shooter and could make an impact for this Washington basketball team. However its where they picked him that has me a little puzzled. He went at 15, which means that Zhaire Smith, Donte DiVincenzo, and Lonnie Walker IV all got taken after him. All three guys could easily have gone in that spot or possibly higher. They passed up for a guy who isn't that great of a shooter in Brown. Sure, he maybe a solid defender and ball handler but not being a good shooter is a receipt for disaster in the world's best league. Plus, the pick made at 44 in Issuf Sanon, a kid who's going to be a work in progress at point guard.