2017 NBA Draft: Jimmy Butler traded to Minnesota
The 2017 NBA Draft had very little in terms of surprises. Most of the players selected in the first round were withing arm’s reach of their projected positions. Washington’s Markelle Fultz was picked by Philadelphia 76ers first overall. The Sixers acquired the first pick from the Boston Celtics via a trade. The Los Angeles Lakers took hometown player, Lonzo Ball of UCLA. The Boston Celtics used the third pick they received from Philly on Duke forward Jayson Tatum. The Phoenix Suns picked Kansas’ Josh Jackson, while the Sacramento Kings rounded out the Top 5 picks of the draft with their selection of Kentucky guard De’Aaron Fox.
True to form, the draft would not be the same without a few movers and shakers making a splash. A blockbuster deal was made by the Chicago Bulls when they traded Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Zach Lavine, Kris Dunn, and the seventh pick of last night’s draft. The Bulls picked up Finnish big man, Lauri Markkanen with the seventh pick.
The Markkenen pick was the first European selection of the draft, but soon after the New York Knicks followed suit and grabbed Frenchman Frank Ntilikina off the board. Frank is coming off a stint playing in his home France, for Pro A club Strasbourg IG in 2016-17. Ntilikina appeared in 44 games in the French league where he averaged 5.3 ppg and 2.3 rpg.
Overall, it was a good draft as far as teams getting the talent they were looking for and addressing their respective needs. This is still expected to be a busy off-season in the NBA, with many talented free agents looking to land big deals and in some cases, new teams.
Here is a complete list of all 60 draft picks:
- 76ers: Markelle Fultz (G) – Washington
- Lakers: Lonzo Ball (G) – UCLA
- Celtics: Jayson Tatum (F) – Duke
- Suns: Josh Jackson (F) – Kansas
- Kings: DeAaron Fox (G) – Kentucky
- Magic: Jonathan Isaac (F) – Florida State
- Bulls: Lauri Markkanen (F) – Arizona
- Knicks: Frank Ntilikina (G) – France
- Mavericks: Dennis Smith Jr. (G) – NC State
- Trail Blazers: Zach Collins (F/C) – Gonzaga
- Hornets: Malik Monk (G) – Kentucky
- Pistons: Luke Kennard (G) – Duke
- Jazz: Donovan Mitchell (G) – Louisville
- Heat: Bam Adebayo (C) – Kentucky
- Kings: Justin Jackson (F) – UNC
- Bulls: Justin Patton (C) – Creighton
- Bucks: DJ Wilson (F/C) – Michigan
- Pacers: TJ Leaf (F/C) – UCLA
- Hawks: John Collins (F) – Wake Forest
- Kings: Harry Giles (F/C) – Duke
- Thunder: Terrance Ferguson (F) – Australia
- Nets: Jarrett Allen (C) – Texas
- Raptors: OG Anunoby (F) – Indiana
- Nuggets: Tyler Lydon (F) – Syracuse
- 76ers: Andzejs Pasecniks (C) – Latvia
- Trail Blazers: Caleb Swanigan (PF) – Purdue
- Lakers: Kyle Kuzma (F) – Utah
- Jazz: Tony Bradley (C) – North Carolina
- Spurs: Derrick White (G) – Colorado
- Lakers: Josh Hart (G) – Villanova
- Pelicans: Frank Jackson (PG) – Duke
- Suns: Davon Reed (SG) – Miami
- Magic: Wesley Iwundu (SF) – Kansas State
- Kings: Frank Mason III (PG) – Kansas
- Grizzlies: Ivan Rabb (PF) – California
- 76ers: Jonah Bolden (PF) – Australia
- Celtics: Semi Ojeleye (SF) – SMU
- Warriors: Jordan Bell (C) – Oregon
- Clippers: Jawun Evans (PG) – OSU
- Hornets: Dwayne Bacon (SF) – FSU
- Hawks: Tyler Dorsey (SG) – Oregon
- Lakers: Thomas Bryant (C) – Indiana
- Rockets: Isaiah Hartenstein (C) – Lithuania
- Knicks: Damyean Dotson (SG) – Oregon
- Rockets: Dillon Brooks (SF) – Oregon
- Bucks: Sterling Brown (SG) – SMU
- Pacers: Ike Anigbogu (C) – UCLA
- Clippers: Sindarius Thornwell (SG) – South Carolina
- Nuggets: Vlatko Cancar (SF) – Slovenia
- 76ers: Mathias Lessort (PF) – France
- Nuggets: Monte’ Morris (PG) – Iowa State
- Pacers: Edmond Sumner (PG) – Xavier
- Celtics: Kadeem Allen (SG) – Arizona
- Suns: Alec Peters (PF) – Valparaiso
- Jazz: Nigel Williams-Goss (PG) – Gonzaga
- Celtics: Jabari Bird (SG) – California
- Nets: Aleksandar Vezenkov (PF) – Spain
- Knicks: Ognjen Jaramaz (PG) – Serbia
- Spurs: Jaron Blossomgame (SF) – Clemson
- Hawks: Alpha Kaba (PF) – France