Wednesday night I honestly thought would be a pretty simple draft with not many trades, but man was I wrong. This quickly turned into a fire sale for late picks, role players and flat out dumb picks. In my opinion, we saw more winners than losers on draft night. However, that does not mean teams didn’t find a way to hurt their chances of playoff contention. Here is my take on the biggest winners and losers from draft night.

Sacramento Kings: Winner

The Kings come out as huge winners on draft night with potentially the steal of the draft in Tyrese Halliburton (PG, Iowa State). Considering a lot of mock drafts had Halliburton as a top 5 pick, the Kings were thrilled to see him still available at 12. His all around game as well as being effective off-ball could make a crazy one-two punch with De’Aaron Fox. In the second round, Sacramento also added two first-round talent players in Robert Woodard II (F, Mississippi State) and Jahmi’us Ramsey (G, Texas Tech). These two are great shooters who will be able to space the floor and hopefully fill the shoes of Bogdan Bogdanovic.

Chicago Bulls: Losers

With arguably the most questionable selection of the night in Patrick Williams (SF, Florida State), the Bulls come out of draft night as losers. This pick just seems strange in all aspects. With this pick, it makes it seem like Chicago is not gearing up to make a run at the playoffs this year. With their array of young talent, why draft an 18 year old project player at no. 4? Without adding a facilitator that they desperately needed, it may be another shaky year in Chicago.

Detroit Pistons: Winners

It seems that Detroit is officially committing to a rebuild after working their way into 3 great first round picks. Killian Hayes (PG, France) has one of the best offensive repertoires in the entire draft and has playmaking skills that make Piston fans happy about the future. Even though people are skeptical of Isaiah Stewart (PF, Washington), I think that he provides a tenacity that Detroit needs on both sides of the floor. Lastly, I absolutely love Saddiq Bey (SF, Villanova) at 19th overall. Shooting 45% from 3 on almost 6 attempts a game is an absolute steal for the 19th pick. Even though there may be some struggles to start, it seems like Detroit is headed in the right direction.

New York Knicks: Winners

Wow does it feel great to say that for once. While I was debating the Obi Toppin (F, Dayton) pick on Wednesday, my opinion quickly changed on Thursday. I say that because the Knicks got rid of 6 players, thus making plenty of minutes available for Obi. Also, I really like the pick of Immanuel Quickley (G, Kentucky) because he is what I said New York needs. To add, Kentucky is notorious for breeding the most NBA- ready players, so I am excited to see what Quickley can bring to the table. One more great move the Knicks made on Thursday was signing Miles Powell (G, Seton Hall), adding another playmaking guard to the mix of young talent. Overall, I am thrilled with how Leon Rose has started his run as GM in New York.

Phoenix Suns: Losers

Last year, Phoenix made a similar move where they drafted Cam Johnson at no. 10 when they could have traded down and still got him. Even though Cam Johnson seemed to be the right pick, I do not feel the same about Jalen Smith (C, Maryland). Sure he’s a big that can stretch the floor, but I think Phoenix could have really benefitted from drafting either Halliburton or Devin Vassel. With an aging Chris Paul, it would’ve been really interesting to see Halliburton grow under his wing. If Phoenix was smart and still wanted Smith, they should have traded down and gotten more assets. With that being said, I do not think this pick will have a major impact on this year’s Suns team.

Philadelphia 76ers: Winners

Daryl Morey is off to a hot start in Philly. He has already been able to trade away Al Horford’s terrible contract, add Danny Green and now adding Seth Curry. For being a team that came into the offseason lacking shooting, they have added some of the best shooters in the NBA. With the 21st pick, they selected Kentucky guard Tyrese Maxey (PG, Kentucky). Although Maxey is not the greatest floor-spacer, Philly really needed solid perimeter defense after trading Josh Richardson. I also think that this is a solid pick because there is enough star power on this team to take some weight off of Maxey’s shoulders. Overall, it has been a great week for Philly.

Golden State Warriors: Losers

Now I know the Warriors made the right pick in Wiseman (C, Memphis), but it seems they have run into some bad luck. It appears that Klay Thompson is going to miss the year with a tear in his right achilles. Trading for Kelly Oubre will definitely help, but I do not think it will bring the Warriors anywhere near being contenders. The dynamic between the “Splash Bros” is one that will not be replaced by Andrew Wiggins or Kelly Oubre. The Warriors also gave away a 2021 protected 1st round pick in that trade, so they are also losing assets for the future. I think the Warriors will make the playoffs, but no further than the second round without Klay.

San Antonio Spurs: Winners

Being in the lottery is something that is very unfamiliar for Spurs fans. In their 44 years as a franchise, this is only their FOURTH time in the lottery. Even though having higher picks isn’t the norm, it does not mean that San Antonio management didn’t nail this draft. They came away with two players who both could have been drafted earlier in Devin Vassell (F, Florida State) and Tre Jones (PG, Duke). Vassell is a classic three & D type of player who fits into this new young core that the Spurs have. They will also be adding some great perimeter defense in Jones as well as a great IQ for the game from being surrounded by college basketball’s finest at Duke. San Antonio seems to be starting over a bit, but have made the right moves to put them back in possible playoff contention soon.

With first practices just a few weeks away, the anticipation for the NBA season grows. I think this rookie class is going to shock a lot of people with how quickly some of these players can adjust to the NBA. Whether that be in a role player position or a starting role, this class is ready.