SUNS AMONG DRAFT’S BIG WINNERS
With the 2016 NBA draft in the books, we look back at the three biggest winners and losers:
WHO LOST?
1. Phoenix Suns. The backcourt-heavy Suns struck gold on Thursday, selecting the two most talented big men not named Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram. The Suns nabbed 7-1 Croatian forward Dragan Bender with the fourth pick overall and followed that with a trade with the Sacramento Kings that landed them versatile 6-10 forward Marquese Chriss from Washington. Both should see immediate playing time for the Suns, who won 23 games last season and have the starting power forward spot up for grabs.
The 67-win Spurs somehow landed one of the most talented point guards in the draft with the 29th pick. Dejounte Murray, who had lottery potential, is a perfect backup for aging Tony Parker and in a couple of years could find himself as the floor general for the NBA’s most dominant franchise of the last two decades.
The Pistons had one pick, but they made the most of it. With lottery potential, Henry Ellenson, the 7-0 forward out of Marquette, dropped to them at pick No. 18. He’s skilled, he can shoot and he’s versatile. In a frontcourt with Andre Drummond, Marcus Morris and Tobias Harris, Ellenson should thrive, and the Pistons should reap the benefits.
For the last month, the noise was that the Celtics held all the cards, that they would be able to flip their bounty of picks into a legitimate superstar to pair with their promising core. Instead, Boston, which owned the No. 3 pick, left with California forward Jaylen Brown, forward Guerschon Yabusele and center Ante Zizic in the first round.
There were reports the team was shopping the No. 3 pick for Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor and possibly Jimmy Butler. The Celtics aren’t markedly better than before the draft.
Outside of Jamal Murray, the NBAready three-point threat who’s headed to the Denver Nuggets, it wasn’t a pretty night for Wildcats. Center Skal Labissiere, who coach John Calipari proclaimed could have been the No. 1 pick in a few years had he returned to school, dropped to No. 28, where a trade had him headed to the Sacramento Kings.
Point guard Tyler Ulis, who some thought could be a lottery pick, dropped to No. 34 with the Suns. His size (5-9, 160) was always going to be an issue, but reports of a hip injury could have scared off any interested teams.
The Magic netted former Oklahoma City Thunder center Serge Ibaka on Thursday but had to give up quite a lot of value to land him. Oklahoma City received Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and the rights to Domantas Sabonis, the forward out of Gonzaga. Was all that really worth landing Ibaka, who averaged 12.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game — his lowest numbers of the last four years? The guys the Thunder got in return could possibly be more alluring to Kevin Durant if he were to return to Oklahoma City. But the Magic, who took Stephen Zimmerman with the 41st pick, seem even more directionless after dealing Oladipo.