NBA draft draws second-largest audience on ESPN

Instead, it turned out to go nearly exactly according to plan. Despite not even playing an National Basketball Association game yet, one can project the winners and losers from the draft by evaluating the pick in which certain players were drafted and whether that player will fit in with the current roster. The Sixers want to be relevant next season - but also are committed to competing for championships in the next three to five seasons.

Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball: "Everything [Magic Johnson] is going to teach me is going to be useful".

The team is reportedly looking at an extension for their young star, as they hope to build up their roster with him, Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz for years to come.

The Bulls basically got a nice shooting 7-footer and two enormous question marks in exchange for an affordable perennial All-Star who wanted to be in Chicago. Beats doing anything they can to not win.

The Lakers landed the point guard who's destined to lead them back to the promised land in Lonzo Ball, which is only a slight exaggeration.

Coach Brett Brown had said all year that Simmons would open next season as the point guard. The Sixers gave up conditional future draft picks for Pasecniks, a 7-1 center, who could be stashed overseas and continue to develop before he is brought over.

The Jazz made deals with the Nuggets and Lakers, though Utah's biggest offseason issue will be trying to keep free agent Gordon Hayward from jetting out of town.

This week - the trade Monday and the picks Thursday - was part of that next step too.

The 19-year-old Fultz, who is the club's fourth top overall pick, averaged 23.2 points, 5.9 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals over 25 games last season for a Huskies team that was 9-22. It was the kind of smart, solid drafting the Kings haven't done enough of in recent seasons.

But after I spent most of Thursday evening watching NBA draft coverage on Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia rather than ESPN or the NBA Network, I changed my mind. "The difference is my mindset coming in here today", Fultz said.

A video from another angle shows the fans celebrating their announced pick.

It's nice that Tatum took the jeers in such good stride.

Frank Ntilikina - Not only was Ntilikina drafted eighth overall by the Knicks, but he came prepared with the best suit game of the night. With the acquisition of Jimmy Butler, there's more great things happening.

But when they do, they could be the final pieces for a contender. But it's from picks 2-60 that all fans will keep their eye on as this years draft has the makings to dictate how exciting the 2017 National Basketball Association off-season will be.

The Timberwolves entered the draft with the seventh pick and no other selections.

But, at some point, Boston will need to stop flirting with potential trades and make one. He's raw, and needs to add muscle to his frame. Dunn has also been a bust so far in his National Basketball Association career and will need to play a lot better with the Bulls in order for this trade to work out well for Chicago.

"He's a unique individual in a lot of ways", the general manager said. Barring a deal, it's going to be a very awkward year in Indianapolis.

Twelve of the first 14 picks, including Adebayo, were one-and-doners.

However, they didn't help their cause by drafting two big men in Zach Collins and Caleb Swanigan, creating a logjam at the centre position, where they already had Jusuf Nurkic and Meyers Leonard. As for fans, they were still buzzing. The Orlando Magic selected Shaquille O'Neal in 1992 and Chris Webber the next year. Instead, Anigbogu wound up falling all the way to No. 47, where he was drafted by the Indiana Pacers. "I'm pretty sure (Simmons and Embiid) got the same objective and we're all going on the same page".

Trimble was never likely to be drafted, and he wasn't.