The 2023 NBA Draft took place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY last night, and to the surprise of no one, it was French phenom Victor Wembanyama who went 1st overall to the Spurs. From there however it was a night full of interesting choices, lots of trades (including 10 straight trades to start the 2nd round), as well as some head scratchers from front offices.
This year’s draft only featured 58 picks as a result of Philadelphia and Chicago each forfeiting a 2nd rounder due to violations of league rules governing free agency discussions. Here’s how all 58 selections played out when all was said and done.
First Round
1. Spurs draft Victor Wembanyama (Metropolitans 92)
2. Hornets draft Brandon Miller (Alabama)
3. Blazers draft Scoot Henderson (G League Ignite)
4. Rockets draft Amen Thompson (Overtime Elite)
5. Pistons draft Ausar Thompson (Overtime Elite)
6. Magic draft Anthony Black (Arkansas)
7. Pacers draft Bilal Coulibaly (Metropolitans 92) – Traded to Wizards
8. Wizards draft Jarace Walker (Houston) – Traded to Pacers
9. Jazz draft Taylor Hendricks (UCF)
10. Mavericks draft Cason Wallace (Kentucky) – Traded to Thunder
11. Magic draft Jett Howard (Michigan)
12. Thunder draft Dereck Lively II (Duke) – Traded to Mavericks
13. Raptors draft Gradey Dick (Kansas)
14. Pelicans draft Jordan Hawkins (Connecticut)
15. Hawks draft Kobe Bufkin (Michigan)
16. Jazz draft Keyonte George (Baylor)
17. Lakers draft Jalen Hood-Schifino (Indiana)
18. Heat draft Jaime Jaquez Jr. (UCLA)
19. Warriors draft Brandin Podziemski (Santa Clara)
20. Rockets draft Cam Whitmore (Villanova)
21. Nets draft Noah Clowney (Alabama)
22. Nets draft Dariq Whitehead (Duke)
23. Blazers draft Kris Murray (Iowa)
24. Kings draft Olivier-Maxence Prosper (Marquette) – Traded to Mavericks
25. Grizzlies draft Marcus Sasser (Houston) – Traded to Pistons
26. Pacers draft Ben Sheppard (Belmont)
27. Hornets draft Nick Smith Jr. (Arkansas)
28. Jazz draft Brice Sensabaugh (Ohio State)
29. Pacers draft Julian Strawther (Gonzaga) – Traded to Nuggets
30. LA Clippers draft Kobe Brown (Missouri)
Second Round
31. Pistons draft James Nnaji (FC Barcelona) – Reportedly traded to Celtics
32. Pacers draft Jalen Pickett (Penn State)– Traded to Nuggets
33. Spurs draft Leonard Miller (G League Ignite) – Traded to Timberwolves
34. Hornets draft Colby Jones (Xavier) – Reportedly traded to Kings
35. Celtics draft Julian Phillips (Tennessee) – Reportedly traded to Bulls
36. Magic draft Andre Jackson Jr. (Connecticut) – Traded to Bucks
37. Thunder draft Hunter Tyson (Clemson) – Traded to Nuggets
38. Kings draft Jordan Walsh (Arkansas) – Reportedly traded to Celtics
39. Hornets draft Mouhamed Gueye (Washington State) – Reportedly traded to Hawks
40. Nuggets draft Maxwell Lewis (Pepperdine) – Reportedly traded to Lakers (via Pacers)
41. Hornets draft Amari Bailey (UCLA)
42. Wizards draft Tristan Vukcevic (Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade)
43. Blazers draft Rayan Rupert (NZ Breakers)
44. Spurs draft Sidy Cissoko (G League Ignite)
45. Grizzlies draft Gregory Jackson II (South Carolina)
46. Hawks draft Seth Lundy (Penn State)
47. Lakers draft Mojave King (G League Ignite) – Reportedly traded to Pacers
48. Clippers draft Jordan Miller (Miami)
49. Cavaliers draft Emoni Bates (Eastern Michigan)
50. Thunder draft Keyontae Johnson (Kansas State)
51. Nets draft Jalen Wilson (Kansas)
52. Suns draft Toumani Camara (Dayton)
53. Timberwolves draft Jaylen Clark (UCLA)
54. Kings draft Jalen Slawson (Furman)
55. Pacers draft Isaiah Wong (Miami)
56. Grizzlies draft Tarik Biberovic (Fenerbahce Beko)
57. Wizards draft Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana) – Reportedly traded to the Warriors
58. Bucks draft Chris Livingston (Kentucky)
Photo: Ajay Suresh. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.