For the past two months, the NBA has been solely about the best teams in basketball. All eyes were on the Celtics as they won their record 18th NBA championship.
Now, it’s time for the bottom feeders to shine at the NBA Draft as they hope to change the projection of their franchise.
The NBA divided the draft into two nights with the first round concluding on Wednesday, June 26, and the second round beginning on Thursday, June 27.
The first round kicked off with two French stars landing back to back. Zaccharie Risacher was off the board first, amid some confusion from former NBA player Frank Mason, and Alexandre Sarr went No. 2.
A pair of UConn and Kentucky players went in the top 10 as Stephon Castle, Donovan Clingan, Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham all found their new homes in the top eight.
The Grizzlies selected Zach Edey, one of the most polarizing prospects this year, with the ninth overall pick, leaving some questioning if it was too much of a reach for the Purdue standout.
While this year’s draft is considerably weaker than previous classes, that doesn’t mean there aren’t hidden gems to go along with the top players. Even the 2013 draft, which is considered to be one of the worst classes in league history, has Giannis Antetokounmpo and Rudy Gobert to show for it.
There will be notable role players, if not stars, that emerge from this draft. Some of those may come in the second round, which begins on Thursday, June 27 at 4 p.m. ET.
Bronny James will be the focal point of the second round as he looks to hear his name called. He’s been linked to multiple teams, most notably the Lakers at No. 55.
In addition to the 58 selections across two rounds, there will be numerous trades going on. Teams trading up and down and trading in and out of the draft can get confusing, so The Sporting News is here to help.
The Sporting News has you covered on all the picks and key trades from the 2024 NBA Draft.
SN’S NBA DRAFT HQ: Live picks tracker | Pick-by-pick grades | 2-round mock
There are 58 picks in this year’s draft since the NBA stripped the Suns and 76ers of their picks due to tampering violations.
| Round | Pick | Overall | Team | Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Hawks | Zaccharie Risacher |
| 1 | 2 | 2 | Wizards | Alex Sarr |
| 1 | 3 | 3 | Rockets (via Nets) | Reed Sheppard |
| 1 | 4 | 4 | Spurs | Stephon Castle |
| 1 | 5 | 5 | Pistons | Ron Holland II |
| 1 | 6 | 6 | Hornets | Tidjane Salaun |
| 1 | 7 | 7 | Trail Blazers | Donovan Clingan |
| 1 | 8 | 8 | Spurs (via Raptors) | Rob Dillingham |
| 1 | 9 | 9 | Grizzlies | Zach Edey |
| 1 | 10 | 10 | Jazz | Cody Williams |
| 1 | 11 | 11 | Bulls | Matas Buzelis |
| 1 | 12 | 12 | Thunder (via Rockets) | Nikola Topic |
| 1 | 13 | 13 | Kings | Devin Carter |
| 1 | 14 | 14 | Trail Blazers (via Warriors) | Bub Carrington |
| 1 | 15 | 15 | Heat | Kel’el Ware |
| 1 | 16 | 16 | 76ers | Jared McCain |
| 1 | 17 | 17 | Lakers | Dalton Knecht |
| 1 | 18 | 18 | Magic | Tristan da Silva |
| 1 | 19 | 19 | Raptors (via Pacers) | Ja’Kobe Walter |
| 1 | 20 | 20 | Cavaliers | Jaylon Tyson |
| 1 | 21 | 21 | Pelicans (via Bucks) | Yves Missi |
| 1 | 22 | 22 | Suns | DaRon Holmes II |
| 1 | 23 | 23 | Bucks (via Pelicans) | AJ Johnson |
| 1 | 24 | 24 | Knicks (via Mavericks) | Kyshawn George |
| 1 | 25 | 25 | Knicks | Pacome Dadiet |
| 1 | 26 | 26 | Wizards (via Clippers) | Dillon Jones |
| 1 | 27 | 27 | Timberwolves | Terrence Shannon Jr. |
| 1 | 28 | 28 | Nuggets | Ryan Dunn |
| 1 | 29 | 29 | Jazz (via Thunder) | Isaiah Collier |
| 1 | 30 | 30 | Celtics | Baylor Scheierman |
| Round | Pick | Overall | Team | Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 31 | Raptors (via Pistons) | — |
| 2 | 2 | 32 | Jazz (via Wizards) | — |
| 2 | 3 | 33 | Bucks (via Trail Blazers) | — |
| 2 | 4 | 34 | Trail Blazers (via Hornets) | — |
| 2 | 5 | 35 | Spurs | — |
| 2 | 6 | 36 | Pacers (via Raptors) | — |
| 2 | 7 | 37 | Timberwolves (via Grizzlies | — |
| 2 | 8 | 38 | Knicks (via Jazz) | — |
| 2 | 9 | 39 | Grizzlies (via Nets) | — |
| 2 | 10 | 40 | Trail Blazers (via Hawks) | — |
| 2 | 11 | 41 | 76ers (via Bulls) | — |
| 2 | 12 | 42 | Hornets (via Rockets) | — |
| 2 | 13 | 43 | Heat | — |
| 2 | 14 | 44 | Rockets (via Warriors) | — |
| 2 | 15 | 45 | Kings | — |
| 2 | 16 | 46 | Clippers (via Pacers) | — |
| 2 | 17 | 47 | Magic | — |
| 2 | 18 | 48 | Spurs (via Lakers) | — |
| 2 | 19 | 49 | Pacers (via Cavaliers) | — |
| 2 | 20 | 50 | Pacers (via Pelicans) | — |
| 2 | 21 | 51 | Wizards (via Suns) | — |
| 2 | 22 | 52 | Warriors (via Bucks) | — |
| 2 | 23 | 53 | Pistons (via Knicks) | — |
| 2 | 24 | 54 | Celtics (via Mavericks) | — |
| 2 | 25 | 55 | Lakers (via Clippers) | — |
| 2 | 26 | 56 | Nuggets (via Timberwolves) | — |
| 2 | 27 | 57 | Grizzlies (via Thunder) | — |
| 2 | 28 | 58 | Mavericks (via Celtics) | — |
