The Spurs did a fantastic job in the NBA draft. Their selection of Dylan Harper with the second overall pick and Carter Bryant at 14 has universally been considered to be great value. San Antonio has a new high-upside shot creator and a young, athletic 3-and-D wing with the potential to be more than that.
Other teams had similarly successful nights, while others didn’t do as well. Naturally, it’s still way too early to make definitive conclusions, but let’s take a look at who came out of the first day of the draft looking great and who didn’t.
### Winners: The Charlotte Hornets, playing it smart and safe
The Hornets, picking fourth, had the chance to get Ace Bailey, arguably the guy with the most upside left in the draft. They could have tried to pair him with LaMelo Ball and hope that the chemistry between the two complicated characters simply worked out. Instead, they decided to play it safe and draft Kon Knuepple, a player who might not have the potential of others but should be a contributor from Day 1 and is used to sharing the spotlight after playing with Cooper Flagg at Duke. The fit is not just good in the locker room but also on the floor, where Knuepple should serve as a shooter and connector that slots perfectly with Ball and Brandon Miller.
The pick was smart, and so was the trade they pulled off on draft night, sending Mark Williams to the Suns for two first-round picks. Granted, they got the 29th pick in this draft and a first that is expected to land near the bottom of the 2029 draft, but considering the trade fiasco with the Lakers from the trade deadline, pulling the trigger seems sensible. They could have tried to rebuild Williams’ trade value, since he’s productive when he’s on the floor, but the injury concerns probably swayed them. All in all, they come out of Wednesday with Knuepple, another shooter in Liam McNeely, and a future asset by preying on the Suns’ dysfunction.
### Losers: The reckless, confused New Orleans Pelicans
The players the Pelicans selected are fine. Jeremiah Fears might take some time to mature both physically and skills-wise, but he’s an intriguing guard with plenty of potential. New Orleans won’t have Dejounte Murray for most, if not all, of next season, so getting more depth at the position, even after acquiring Jordan Poole made sense. Similarly, after trading Kelly Olynyk in the Poole deal, they needed more depth inside. They went with Derik Queen, a skilled big man who has a lot of overlap with Zion Williamson in where they operate on offense, but could prove to be a productive player. They got solid prospects.
The problem is what they gave up for Queen, and the confusion they seem to have regarding their identity. The Pelicans' front office traded away an unprotected 2026 first that will be the best of their own or the Bucks’ to move up 10 spots for Queen. That feels like a lot, especially with potential turmoil looming in Milwaukee, and it also means that New Orleans needs to be competitive next season. But they drafted a raw point guard and a guy who might not be able to play next to Zion. Is the plan to reload on the go? To rebuild? To compete? Because what they have now might make them just a play-in team, and they have already spent one of their best assets.
### Winners: The bad but suddenly intriguing Brooklyn Nets
The Nets made history by picking five players in the first round of the draft. Three of those picks were point guards. Their highest selection was used on Egor Demin, someone most draft experts disliked. Normally, they’d be losers, but the sheer weirdness of it all makes them interesting, and there might be a method to their madness.
Demin is 6’8 and not particularly quick, so he might be better suited to play on the wing, provided his shot improves. Nolan Traore is a speedy guard who also has some concerns about his shot, but who should get to the paint at will. Ben Saraf is big for a point guard, standing at 6’5, and what he lacks in athleticism, he makes up for with craft. Is there a reason why all three can’t share the floor, with Traore at point guard, Saraf at shooting guard, and Demin at small forward? It feels like a version of what the Spurs could do with De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, and Stephon Castle, albeit with less upside.
Maybe calling them “winners” is giving them too much praise, but they are a much more interesting team after the draft, and for a franchise that doesn’t have much going for itself, that’s progress.
### Losers: The Trail Blazers and Suns, with their logjams of centers
The Suns, as mentioned, traded for Mark Williams, completing the set of solid-but-unexciting former Hornets centers after trading for Nick Richards at the last deadline. They needed a big, so that was understandable. But they also spent the 10th pick on Khaman Maluach. All three are natural centers. All three took significant assets to acquire. All three could be just average next season, unless the rookie breaks out. They could try to trade Richards, but every team in the league will know they have to, so they could low-ball them. That’s just bad asset management.
Similarly, the Blazers, which used a top-10 pick on Donovan Clingan last season and have DeAndre Ayton and Robert Williams III under contract, selected Yang Hansen after trading down. The Chinese big man is a good prospect, but it’s hard to imagine him playing next to Clingan, and he could be completely buried in the depth chart if the veterans are still on the roster on opening night. Like the Suns, they can try to clear the logjam, but might need to take less than they expected to do so. Maybe Yang is good enough that they simply couldn’t pass on him, but it was a strange pick.
### Winners: Sadly, the Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks got a valuable 2026 pick and got to draft Asa Newell, someone they were reportedly interested in and who fits their team well. Their draft night deals were the latest good moves they made this week, after landing Kristaps Porzingis for floatsam. None of those transactions on their own is particularly great, but combined with last season’s trade for Dyson Daniels, it’s clear that they know what they are doing, which is bad news for the Spurs. Those Atlanta picks get less valuable with every smart decision, so hopefully, their front office will start making mistakes again soon.