With the NBA Draft wrapping up last night, it’s time to hand out some winners and losers! We saw a handful of trades; players taken above expectations, and the falling of some player’s draft stock. The draft was exciting, and I can’t wait to dive into these winners and losers! My ratings are determined by number and position of draft selections, trading picks for future assets, and other factors involved.
NBA Trade of the Night
The Atlanta Hawks are the biggest winner of the night to me. Going into the night, Atlanta held the 13th pick in the NBA Draft. They traded with the New Orleans Pelicans to move down from the 13th pick to the 23rd pick and acquired the Pelicans’ 2026 First Round Pick (FRP). With the 23rd pick, the Hawks drafted Asa Newell, a 6’11 athletic forward who has a good offensive foundation to build upon. However, why is the Pelicans’ draft pick next season so valuable?
New Orleans will be on the shortlist to be one of the worst teams in the league next season. Their superstar, Zion Williamson, is one of the most injury-prone players in the league and plays in the tougher Western Conference. An option with the pick is to swap with the Milwaukee Bucks, for whichever pick is more favorable. Meanwhile, Milwaukee’s next season is in the air, with speculation surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future with the team.
Trail Blazers Confusing Situation
The Portland Trail Blazers find themselves in a head-scratching position following the NBA Draft. Holding the 16th pick, just outside the lottery, they selected Yang Hansen, a 7’1 center out of China. Why is it confusing? When you look at their roster, they have not one, not two, but five centers—Robert Williams III, Duop Reath, Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan, and now Yang Hansen.
If you’re Portland, what are you doing? Where are you in the “Win the NBA Finals” timeline? You drafted Clingan, a 7’2 center, last season, and now you’re drafting Hansen this year for a league that has become more about floor-spacing than having multiple 7-foot centers.
They made a nice trade, moving down five spots and acquiring the Magic 2028 FRP and two seconds from the Memphis Grizzlies before selecting Hansen. Maybe I don’t “see the vision,” but I just thought it’s noteworthy that the Trail Blazers selected a player who was projected to go in the second round, 16th overall.
Brooklyn Nets’ Disasterclass
For the first time in NBA history, a team entered the draft with five first-round picks. The Brooklyn Nets drafted Egor Demin (8th), Nolan Traore (19th), Drake Powell (22nd), Ben Saraf (26th), and Danny Wolf (27th). This franchise is banking on the development of its youth. Demin and Traore are solid playmakers with great size; Demin stands at 6’9 “and Traore at 6’3”. However, their scoring ability needs improvement, particularly in shooting. When you draft that many raw prospects, it could take years for them to pan out, assuming they ever do.
Lakers’ Intriguing Pick
Entering the draft, the Los Angeles Lakers only had a second-round pick. They used cash to move up from the 55th pick to the 36th pick. LA selected Adou Thiero out of Arkansas. His athleticism combined with good size (6’8), make him an above-average defender and solid on backdoor cuts,
He is also a lob threat in transition for Luka Doncic and LeBron James. Where does he need to improve? Thiero must improve his three-point shooting if he wants to see solid minutes in his rookie season. He shot only 28% from three-point range during his college career.
Spurs Bright Future
The consensus Number 2 pick, Dylan Harper, was a no-doubter. However, I love their second pick. Having Carter Bryant fall into their lap at 14 is a dream. Bryant will be an immediate plug-and-play player next to Harper, De’Aaron Fox, and Victor Wembanyama. He shot 37.1% in his one season in college and has excellent size for the modern NBA, 6’8. Don’t we love it when a plan works out? That was the best-case scenario for the Spurs.
Final Thoughts
This year’s NBA Draft lived up to expectations for some teams and left others in hope of the crap shoot the draft can be. There are still many questions to be answered this offseason when free agency opens up, and don’t forget, the NBA’s Summer League is right around the corner. Thank you for checking out my Winners and Losers of this year’s draft! Be sure to check out our other amazing content here at New Leaf News, and I will see you all again soon!
