Suns take Ayton first overall
Phoenix looks down the road to Tucson, Dallas goes all the way to Slovenia for star
The Phoenix Suns stayed close to home for their first No. 1 pick. The Dallas Mavericks looked all the way to Slovenia for the player they hope can be their next European superstar. Shortly after the Suns took Deandre Ayton to start the NBA draft Thursday night, the Mavericks traded up two spots for the rights to Luka Doncic.
The Atlanta Hawks swapped the rights to Doncic, the No. 3 pick who has spent the last year winning championships all over Europe, to Atlanta for Trae Young, the No. 5 selection from Oklahoma. The Mavericks also gave up a future first-round pick to draft Doncic, who only arrived in New York on Wednesday after helping Spain’s Real Madrid win its league championship after he won Euroleague MVP and Final Four MVP honours when they won that title this year.
His lengthy European season kept him from working out for teams, but he knew the Mavericks were interested in having him on their team for what’s expected to be Dirk Nowitzki’s final NBA season. “I’ve been talking to Dallas a lot. They really wanted me, and they were very, very nice,” the 19-yearold said. “They were very nice to me, and I think we had a very good relationship.”
The Hawks will get perhaps the most exciting player in college basketball last season in Young, the first player to lead the nation in scoring and assists in the same season
“Whatever city I went to, I was going to be able to be comfortable in,” Young said. “I was just really excited to get to Atlanta.” Otherwise, the top of the draft was dominated by big men, starting with a pair of former high school teammates.
The Suns made the 7-foot-1 Ayton the first No. 1 pick in franchise history. The centre from Arizona averaged 20.1 points and 11.6 rebounds in his lone season in Tucson, tying for the national lead with 24 double-doubles in 35 games.
He joins Mychal Thompson — father of Golden State all-star Klay Thompson — in 1978 as the only players from the Bahamas to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. “Having my name called to be the first pick for the Phoenix Suns was mind-blowing,” Ayton said. “Having all that confidence and leading up to that point when I saw Adam Silver came out, I was just waiting for my name, and when he called it, my mind went blank.”
The Sacramento Kings followed by taking Marvin Bagley III, the Duke big man who played with Ayton at Hillcrest Prep Academy in Phoenix in 2015-16.
With Jaren Jackson Jr. going fourth to Memphis, Texas centre Mo Bamba going No. 6 to Orlando and Wendell Carter Jr. following to Chicago, it was an early run of big men in what’s increasingly become a perimeter-based league. Then it was another guard with Alabama’s Collin Sexton going at No. 8 to Cleveland, triggering chants of Michael Porter Jr.’s name by Knicks fans who hoped they would take him with the No. 9 pick. But they ended up disappointed as New York went with Kentucky’s Kevin Knox. “They booed (Kristaps) Porzingis (on draft night) and look where he is now. That’s the same mindset I’m going to have,” Knox said. “They can chant Michael Porter all they want. But they got Kevin Knox, and I’m willing to work and I’m willing to get better.” With concerns over back problems that limited him to only three games at Missouri last season, Porter ended up falling all the way to Denver at No. 14, the last lottery position.
There was another trade among lottery teams, as the Charlotte Hornets sent the rights to No. 11 pick Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Hamilton to the Clippers for No. 12 pick Miles Bridges and two future second-round picks. Gilgeous-Alexander, whose draft night attire had social media buzzing, started his one season at Kentucky on the bench, but worked his way into the starting lineup, scoring 16.4 points a night the rest of the way.
Considered the best point guard in the draft, Gilgeous-Alexander has impressive length — he’s six foot six, with a six-foot-11 wingspan.
Long before his name was called at Barclays Center, Gilgeous-Alexander was all over the internet for his champagne-coloured floral suit. It was made by Jhoanna Alba, whose company ALBA is known for dressing over 1,000 pro athletes and entertainers. Anthony Bennett became the first Canadian to be picked No. 1 overall, going first to Cleveland in 2013. Andrew Wiggins followed him a year later, also selected by the Cavaliers with the first overall pick.
Tristan Thompson was the highest Canadian draft pick before Bennett when he went fourth to Cleveland in 2011.