A roar of excitement quickly turned to tears of joy for Victor Wembanyama after NBA commissioner Adam Silver called his name as the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. A generational talent this league has truly never seen before, Wembanyama is heading to the San Antonio Spurs, one of the NBA's greatest franchises that has desperately been in need of a difference-maker.
Missing the playoffs for four consecutive years, their longest postseason drought in team history, the Spurs have not been able to get anything to go right for them in recent memory. From Kawhi Leonard's injuries and eventual departure to their short stint with DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio's long dynasty quickly turned into a nightmare. A new era is arriving to San Antonio though and Wembanyama is about to put the Spurs back on the map of contending teams.
As soon as they won the lottery back in May, everyone knew that Wembanyama was going to be heading to the Spurs. The month-long buildup to him finally being able to walk across the stage as the No. 1 overall pick and put on that Spurs hat was absolutely worthwhile for San Antonio fans, but the month-long buildup following the lottery for virtually every other team was not as enjoyable.
Sure, the Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers were going to end up with top-tier prospects with Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson sitting behind Wembanyama on the draft board, but deciding who to choose could make or break either franchise looking at their long-term futures. The Hornets ultimately selected Miller with the second overall pick after draft day rumors of Charlotte's interest in Henderson emerged. Miller, who had been the Hornets' favorite prospect ever since the NBA Draft Combine in May, is a scoring wing that presents a lot of upside on the defensive side of the floor as well.
Despite Henderson's swag and All-Star qualities, the Alabama product fits in better alongside star point guard LaMelo Ball in Charlotte. “Brandon Miller was our favorite all along. It wasn't an easy decision,” Hornets GM Mitch Kupchak said after Thursday's draft. “We think he was the best player available. They are both excellent players, but he's the one that we feel will be great in Charlotte.”
As for Henderson, he ends up joining Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers, a franchise that appears to be on the brink of major changes. Whether or not Lillard will jump ship and request a trade continues to be the biggest question mark surrounding the NBA offseason. Regardless of the All-Stars' decision, Henderson gives them a young, dynamic guard to begin building with and around for the foreseeable future. This was too good of an opportunity for GM Joe Cronin and the Blazers to pass up on, which is why they kept the No. 3 pick and brought in Scoot.
This year's draft was all about change. From internal roster changes teams made to new philosophies regarding the way draft prospects are perceived, the 2023 NBA Draft was full of excitement. However, not all the players selected were happy with where they ended up on the draft board, as one projected Top-10 talent ended up falling out of the lottery altogether.
Cam Whitmore's slide and steals on draft night
Once thought to go as high as fifth overall to the Detroit Pistons, Cam Whitmore ended up being the player who saw his stock fall dramatically over the course of the NBA Draft. An explosive, versatile wing who presented a lot of promise as a two-way threat during pre-draft evaluations, teams began to have some medical concerns regarding Whitmore leading up to Thursday's draft, sources told ClutchPoints.
While a thumb injury that sidelined him the first seven games of his freshman season at Villanova played into his decline during the draft, ESPN's Jonathan Givony also reported that there were some concerns amongst teams regarding the cartilage in his knee. As he began to slide down the board though, several teams did consider selecting him. League sources say the Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Lakers discussed Whitmore as a possibility with their respective first-round picks, as did the Golden State Warriors. However, the Warriors were exploring trade interest with their No. 19 pick before settling on Brandin Podziemski from Santa Clara, a player they were targeting all along.
The Houston Rockets were one of the teams who showed a high amount of interest in Whitmore throughout the pre-draft process given their lack of explosiveness on the wing and Houston was able to get him with the No. 20 pick. Given his upside and athleticism, this was a terrific pick by the Rockets as they continue to build a young core of athletes.
Looking at other steals of this year's draft, the Brooklyn Nets had themselves a very promising night in Barclays Center. The hometown advantage came in handy for the Nets, as they were able to grab Noah Clowney and Dariq Whitehead with back-to-back picks at Nos. 21 and 22, respectively, in the first round. Clowney, an 18-year-old forward with a lot of room to grow, offers size and versatility to the Nets, something they do not have in their frontcourt outside of Nic Claxton. As for Whitehead, he recently underwent a second foot surgery to address a matter that nagged him during his freshman year at Duke. However, he is expected to be ready for the start of training camp and is one of the top scorers in this draft class when healthy. Medical concerns always result in guys falling down draft boards and for Whitehead, he is truly a Top-10 talent that the Nets got with the 22nd overall pick in this draft.
It was no steal to get Brandon Miller with the second overall pick, but the Hornets found value the rest of the night following their early selection. Charlotte ended up with Nick Smith Jr. at 27th overall, James Nnaji at 31st overall and Amari Bailey at 41st overall. Smith was once thought to be a lottery pick and ended up falling due to some concerns regarding a knee injury suffered during his freshman season at Arkansas. Nnaji was one of the best center prospects in this draft class given his length and Bailey shot up draft boards after his performances as a primary ball-handler at the NBA Combine. Miller, Smith and Bailey were all ranked inside the top 10 of ESPN's 2022 recruiting rankings.
Winners and losers of the draft
The Rockets were the biggest winners from the draft for me, as Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore were two Top-10 prospects in this draft, some may even say Top-5 prospects! With Ime Udoka taking over the reins on the sideline and Houston looking to become relevant again, these were two fantastic additions for them.
Applause is also in order for the Utah Jazz. Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George and Brice Sensabaugh were three players ranked high on their draft board entering Thursday night and they were able to land all three young talents without having to move any picks around.
The two biggest overall winners of this year's draft though had to be Metropolitans 92 from France and Overtime Elite. Aside from producing Victor Wembanyama, the French club also sent Bilal Coulibaly to the NBA as the No. 7 overall pick. International basketball continues to grow stronger each year and one overseas team having two Top-7 picks in a very talented draft class is impressive.
Looking at Overtime Elite, this is an independent program that was founded in 2021. Amen and Ausar Thompson have laid the foundation for others to follow in their footsteps as Top-5 picks and OTE has put themselves on the map in terms of being a ladder to the NBA.
As for losers of the draft, well, I'm sorry Orlando. I have absolutely nothing against Anthony Black and Jett Howard, as I think they are both two talented players who can help make a difference for the Orlando Magic out on the perimeter. However, I just don't understand the fit and value in these spots for the Magic. Black was a Top-10 prospect, but he now joins Markelle Fultz, Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony in a crowded backcourt. As for Howard, Orlando probably could have grabbed him a little later than 11th overall in the draft and this was certainly a reach, especially with better, more capable three-point shooting options available.
Other than the Magic, the first round of the draft presented a lot of upside and value to each team. The biggest losers of the 2023 NBA Draft as a whole were big guys and centers looking to have their names called. Only two centers, Victor Wembanyama and Dereck Lively II, were selected in the first round and plenty of big names from the college ranks such as Oscar Tshiebwe, Charles Bediako, Drew Timme and Adama Sanogo ended up going undrafted.
The one thing these four big guys have in common though is that they cannot really stretch their games out to the perimeter, something almost every NBA franchise looks for in centers nowadays.
What's next for the Golden State Warriors?
While their trade did not take place during the draft, the Golden State Warriors stole headlines on draft day when they traded Jordan Poole, a player they just invested $128 million into last summer after winning a championship, for 12-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul. A move that shocked many around the league, Paul now joins Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson on a team he has been fighting against in the Western Conference for the last decade.
“I'm excited. To get a chance to go play for a franchise like that with the great players that they have, it's crazy how life comes full circle,” Paul told Lindsay Czarniak in a sit-down interview. “For the last ten years, I've been competing, maybe longer than that, against them and I'm all about winning. Whatever is going to give me an opportunity to win, I'm all for it.”
At 38 years old and turning 39 by the end of the 2023-24 season, Paul is nearing the end of the line in his career. Having the $30.8 million on his contract guaranteed for this season as a result of the trade, the future Hall of Famer can be waived by Golden State with no financial penalties next summer before the $30 million on his contract then becomes guaranteed. This is one of the reasons why the Warriors pursued Paul.
Jordan Poole, James Wiseman and Patrick Baldwin Jr. were all recent first-round picks of the Warriors that were part of this imaginary long-term core that could be developed while the team also competed for championships. This was Bob Myers' two-part plan for the Warriors as the leader of their front office. With Myers' departure, new GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Golden State's front office prioritized the needs of owner Joe Lacob in terms of cutting costs and focusing solely on the present.
Owning an insanely high tax bill and a new CBA with tax penalties on the horizon, the Warriors needed to find ways to get out of some of their big, long-term contracts if they were to keep their veteran core of Curry, Green and Thompson together for the remainder of their careers. Now, all three recent first-round picks mentioned above are with different teams, as Wiseman is with the Detroit Pistons and both Poole and Baldwin Jr. head to the Washington Wizards in the deal for Paul.
Even though he proved to be an essential part of their championship run a season ago, moving on from Poole was necessary for the Warriors to achieve this financial goal. Now, the only thing on the minds of everyone within this organization is getting to the 2024 NBA Finals to try and win their fifth title since 2015. Paul's arrival and fit with the Warriors may not be as crazy as people think and this team continued to add value in this year's draft. Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis are two experienced college players who can come in and contribute right away off the bench, which is why the Warriors made the moves they did.
Wizards and Celtics making the most noise
The Washington Wizards have been the most active team so far this NBA offseason, as new president Michael Winger has rapidly begun his long-term plan for success. Bradley Beal is with the Phoenix Suns, Kristaps Porzingis is with the Boston Celtics, they moved Chris Paul to the Warriors and there are still decisions to be made regarding Kyle Kuzma's future after he opted out of his contract to enter free agency.
The return the Wizards got for Beal, Pozingis and Paul is vast though, as Washington has brought in Jordan Poole, Tyus Jones, Landry Shamet, Danilo Gallinari, Mike Muscala, Ryan Rollins, a 2030 1st Round Pick with slight protections, four future first-round pick swaps and a plethora of second-round picks that basically gives them an additional selection every single year. That is an absolute haul for the Wizards and despite not getting a lot of first-round picks, this organization now has a lot of cap flexibility and second-round assets moving forward.
They are rebuilding, but Winger has put the Wizards in a prime position to grow immediately, especially after selecting one of the highest potential players in this year's draft in Bilal Coulibaly. Poole can be their go-to scorer, Jones proved to be one of the best backup guards in the league and Washington will continue to focus on building their young core with Coulibaly out on the wing. There is a lot to like about this team's long-term outlook.
As mentioned already, Kristaps Porzingis was traded from the Wizards and he is the newest member of the Boston Celtics. With Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown playing the best basketball of their careers and the Celtics coming up one game shy of making it to the NBA Finals in back-to-back seasons, Brad Stevens has put his team in a position to once again contend for a title.
Losing Marcus Smart in the three-team trade for Porzingis hurts for obvious reasons since he was one of the vocal leaders of the team, but the Celtics added immediate value and continued to add assets when they could during the draft. In addition to receiving the 7'3″ big man from the Wizards, the Celtics added two first-round picks: the No. 25 pick in Thursday's draft and the Warriors' 2024 Top-4 protected first-round pick that came from the Memphis Grizzlies.
Boston then flipped Marcus Sasser, the 25th pick in this year's draft, for second-round picks from the Detroit Pistons. The Celtics were active once again in the second round of the draft when they traded one of the second-round picks they got from Detroit for the Nos. 34 and 39 picks, both of which were traded again for future value.
In total, the Celtics were able to turn the No. 25 pick they received from the Grizzlies into four second-round picks in 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027. Stevens continues to reinvent his roster every single year, putting the Celtics in the best spot to compete for what would be the franchise's 18th championship.
Other notes from around the NBA
- Drew Timme signed an Exhibit-10 training camp deal with the Milwaukee Bucks and Terquavion Smith signed a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers after both players went undrafted, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. Full coverage of undrafted players signing with teams can be seen here.
- The Wizards are expected to remain active in trade talks around the league, as Monte Morris is being viewed as a key point guard target. Morris has one year left on his contract at $9.8 million and has proven to be a key secondary option in his team's backcourt.
- Drafting two wings in Dariq Whitehead and Jalen Wilson on Thursday night, sources say the Brooklyn Nets are exploring trade talks around the league with veterans Royce O'Neale and Dorian Finney-Smith.
- The Portland Trail Blazers are continuing to search for ways to improve their roster immediately. Keeping superstar Damian Lillard is a priority for this franchise and they continue to search the market for other high-level talents to pair him with.
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