How well did Denver, Minnesota, Oklahoma City, Portland and Utah do on draft day?
Denver
Picks/Trades: Jusuf Nurkic (16) | Gary Harris (19) | Nikola Jokic (41)
- Traded Pick 11 (Doug McDermott) and Anthony Randolph for picks 16 (Nurkic) and 19 (Harris)
- Traded Evan Fournier and pick 56 (Roy Devyn Marble) for Arron Afflalo
Analysis:
Denver maneuvered expertly on draft day, beginning with the trade for Arron Afflalo, who immediately upgrades the shooting guard position. The loss of Fournier will not hurt Denver next season. Beginning with pick 11, the Nuggets were able to trade with Chicago for picks 16 and 19, where they took a pair of players who many analysts thought could go much higher in Nurkic and Harris. Harris may be one of the steals of the draft, as he was thought to be a potential top ten pick entering the evening. Finally, the Nuggets added Jokic, who will likely be stashed overseas for the near future. Denver did a great job of building for both the present and the next four years.
Grade: A-
Minnesota
Picks/Trades: Zach LaVine (13) | Glenn Robinson III (40)
- Sold pick 44 (Markel Brown) to Brooklyn
- Sold pick 53 (Alessandro Gentile) to Houston
Analysis:
Minnesota entered the draft with four picks, but came away using only two, as they sold picks 44 and 53. The Wolves turned heads with their selection of Zach LaVine, who is a raw combo guard that may not see many minutes to begin the season. After taking Shabazz Muhammad last year, LaVine added to a murky picture as to who might start at the wing positions. Glenn Robinson III was a good value pick at 40, and could see rotation minutes for the Wolves as a rookie. Like LaVine, however, he is added to a large list of potential starters on the wing. On the bright side, Kevin Love is still a Timberwolf.
Grade: C
Oklahoma City
Picks/Trades: Mitch McGary (21) | Josh Heustis (29)
Analysis:
Oklahoma City entered the evening with a pair of late-first round picks, and used them on Mitch McGary and Josh Heustis. McGary came off the board first, and is a center prospect that looks to be a solid backup over the course of his career. He rebounds well, and is an above average passer out of the post. His selection at 21 was a slight reach. At 29, the Thunder’s selection of Josh Heustis was a major reach. Projected as a late-second round or undrafted player, Heustis duplicates what the team has selected in the past two drafts in the late-first round in Perry Jones III and Andre Roberson. Sam Presti seems to be collecting forward tweeners to sit on the end of the bench. Oklahoma City’s draft was perplexing.
Grade: D+
Portland
Picks/Trades: N/A
Analysis: Portland did not have any picks in the 2014 Draft, as their first round pick was dealt to Charlotte in the Gerald Wallace trade, and their second round pick was used to move up in the order last year and select Allen Crabbe. Seeing as Portland eventually traded Wallace for the pick used on Damian Lillard, the Blazers walk away from this draft content having watched from the sidelines.
Grade: Inc.
Utah
Picks/Trades: Dante Exum (5) | Rodney Hood (23)
- Traded pick 35 (Jarnell Stokes) to Memphis for a 2016 second round pick
Analysis:
Dante Exum fell right into their lap, and Dennis Lindsey was smart enough to scoop him up. The Australian point guard is an upgrade over Trey Burke, but can also play alongside him in the Jazz backcourt. His length and playmaking ability is needed in Salt Lake City, and Jazz fans should be ecstatic that Philadelphia and Orlando passed on selecting Exum. Hood was widely expected to be drafted in the late-lottery or mid-first round, but slid all the way to 23. Utah can use his outside shooting touch off the bench at both wing positions, as the incumbent starter Gordon Hayward shot less than 31 percent from beyond the arc last season. Utah was able to add a second round pick in 2016 by trading the rights to Jarnell Stokes to Memphis. In five years, the addition of Exum may lead analysts to label this draft as a home run.
Grade: A-
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