The Suns rise in Phoenix with big acquisitions
Now that the 2016 NBA draft is in the books, we take a look back at the three biggest winners and losers from Thursday night.
WHO WON?
1. Phoenix Suns
The backcourt-heavy Suns struck gold Thursday night, selecting the two most talented big men in the draft not named Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram.
They managed to nab 7-foot-1 Croatian forward Dragan Bender with the fourth pick, followed by a trade with the Sacramento Kings that landed them the versatile 6-10 forward from Washington, Marquese Chriss.
Both bring a different skill set to the table, and together, the Suns can walk away from the draft with their heads held high.
With the starting power forward spot pretty much up for grabs with Mirza Teletovic as the team’s most viable option at the position, both Bender and Chriss should see immediate playing time, as the Suns look to build on last year’s 23-win season.
2. San Antonio Spurs
Somehow, some way, the 67-win Spurs — the team that has found themselves in the post-season for each of the past 19 seasons — landed one of the most talented point guards in the draft with the 29th overall pick.
Dejounte Murray, the 6-5 freak of an athlete who entered Thursday night with lottery potential, is a perfect security blanket for the aging Tony Parker.
He struggled with his shot (41.6 per cent) at times during his lone season at Washington and turned the ball over more than anybody on his team (3.2 turnovers per game), but in a couple of years, the 19-year-old Murray could find himself as the floor general for the NBA’s most dominant franchise of the past two decades.
3. Detroit Pistons
The Pistons only had one pick, but they made the most of it. With lottery potential, Henry Ellenson, the 7-foot forward out of Marquette, dropped to them at pick No. 18.
He’s skilled in the post, he can extend his mid-range game the perimeter, and he’s versatile — three key components for a 7-footer to be successful in today’s NBA.
In a frontcourt with Andre Drummond, Marcus Morris and Tobias Harris, Ellenson should thrive, and the Pistons should reap the benefits.
WHO LOST?
1. Boston Celtics
For the past 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 Cal forward Jaylen Brown, forward Guerschon Yabusele and Ante Zizic in the first round. That’s hardly the haul some envisioned Danny Ainge would be able to net.
That’s not a knock on Brown, who’s as athletic a forward as there was in the draft. But there were reports that the Celtics were shopping the No. 3 pick for Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor and possibly Jimmy Butler. It turned out to be just smoke and mirrors.
2. The Kentucky guys
Outside of Jamal Murray, the NBA-ready three-point threat who’s headed to Denver, it wasn’t a pretty night for Wildcats. Centre Skal Labissiere, who coach John Calipari proclaimed could have been the No.1 pick in a few years had he returned to school, dropped all the way to No. 28 where a trade had him headed to the Kings. Sacramento isn’t an ideal situation to develop, especially if it’s in the paint behind DeMarcus Cousins.
Secondly, Labissiere’s fall illustrated that teams weren’t buying what Calipari was selling. He struggled in limited minutes last season, and although he’s got great size, he’s a long way from materializing into an NBA talent.
Point guard Tyler Ulis, who some felt could be a lottery pick, dropped to 34 with the Phoenix Suns. His size (5-9, 160) was always going to be an issue, but reports of a hip injury could’ve scared off any interested teams. He’s an excellent floor general, and if there’s a silver-lining, it’s that Ulis can play alongside fellow Wildcat Devin Booker, who flourished last season as a rookie.
3. Orlando Magic
The Magic netted former Thunder centre Serge Ibaka in a trade, but had to give up a lot of value to land him: 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 past 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 seem even more directionless after dealing Oladipo.