2019 NBA Draft Recap: Zion Williamson Goes First Overall Amid Frenzy of Trades

2019 NBA Draft
Perhaps the worst-kept secret going into the 2019 NBA Draft, Zion Williamson is taken first overall by the New Orleans Pelicans. (Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports)

The 2019 NBA Draft featured the arrival to the NBA of the most hyped prospected since LeBron James in Duke’s Zion Williamson, as well as a high volume of picks changing hands as the next generation of NBA players begin their journey.

With the first three picks of the draft feeling as essentially a formality, the New Orleans Pelicans taking Zion Williamson, the Memphis Grizzlies selecting Ja Morant out of Murray State, and Zion’s teammate RJ Barrett going to the New York Knicks, the real speculation in the draft started at the fourth overall selection.

Initially part of the trade to send Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Pelicans dealt the fourth overall pick to the Atlanta Hawks earlier in the day. The pick materialized into Virginia Tech’s Jarrett Culver, followed by the Cleveland Cavaliers selection of Darius Garland out of Vanderbilt at the fifth spot.

The sixth overall pick also changed hands before the draft occurred, with the Phoenix Suns sending their pick to Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for the 11th pick and Dario Saric. The Timberwolves used the pick to acquire Texas Tech’s Jarrett Culver. The seventh pick featured the Chicago Bulls filling their point guard needs with North Carolina prospect Coby White. Jaxson Hayes out of the University of Texas will join Zion on the Pelicans with the eighth overall pick, as a result of the trade between the Hawks and Pelicans.

Gonzaga standout Rui Hachimura was selected with the ninth pick, becoming the first Japanese player taken in the first round of an NBA draft, with Duke seeing their third selection in the top 10 with Cam Reddish rounding out the group as he heads to the Atlanta Hawks.

2019 NBA Draft

First Round

1.) New Orleans Pelicans – Zion Williamson, F/Duke
2.) Memphis Grizzlies – Ja Morant, G/Murray State
3.) New York Knicks – RJ Barrett, G/Duke
4.) Los Angeles Lakers – De’Andre Hunter, F/Virginia (Rights traded to Atlanta Hawks)
5.) Cleveland Cavaliers – Darius Garland, G/Vanderbilt
6.) Phoenix Suns – Jarrett Culver, G/Texas Tech (Rights traded to Minnesota Timberwolves)
7.) Chicago Bulls – Coby White, G/North Carolina
8.) Atlanta Hawks – Jaxson Hayes, C/Texas (Rights traded to New Orleans Pelicans)
9.) Washington Wizards – Rui Hachimura, F/Gonzaga
10.) Atlanta Hawks – Cam Reddish, F/Duke
11.) Minnesota Timberwolves – Cameron Johnson, F/North Carolina (Rights traded to Phoenix Suns)
12.) Charlotte Hornets – PJ Washington, F/Kentucky
13.) Miami Heat – Tyler Herro, G/Kentucky
14.) Boston Celtics – Romeo Langford, G/Indiana
15.) Detroit Pistons – Sekou Doumbouya, F/France
16.) Orlando Magic – Chuma Okeke, F/Auburn
17.) Brookyln Nets – Nickeil Alexander-Walker, G/Virginia Tech (Rights traded to New Orleans Pelicans)
18.) Indiana Pacers – Goga Bitadze, C/Republic of Georgia
19.) San Antonio Spurs – Luka Samanic, F/Croatia
20.) Boston Celtics – Matisse Thybulle, G/Washington (Rights traded to Philadelphia 76ers)
21.) Oklahoma City Thunder – Brandon Clarke, F/Gonzaga (Rights traded to Memphis Grizzlies)
22.) Boston Celtics – Grant Williams, F/Tennessee
23.) Utah Jazz – Darius Bazley, F/Princeton HS (OH) (Rights traded to Oklahoma City Thunder)
24.) Philadelphia 76ers – Ty Jerome, G/Virginia (Rights traded to Phoenix Suns)
25.) Portland Trail Blazers – Nassir Little, F/North Carolina
26.) Cleveland Cavaliers – Dylan Windler, G/Belmont
27.) Brooklyn Nets – Mfiondu Kabengele, F/Florida State (Rights traded to Los Angeles Clippers)
28.) Golden State Warriors – Jordan Poole, G/Michigan State
29.) San Antonio Spurs – Keldon Johnson, F/Kentucky
30.) Milwaukee Bucks – Kevin Porter Jr., G/USC (Rights traded to Cleveland Cavaliers)

Second Round

31.) Brookyln Nets – Nicolas Claxton, F/Georgia
32.) Phoenix Suns – KZ Okpala, F/Stanford (Rights traded to Miami Heat)
33.) Philadelphia 76ers – Carsen Edwards, G/Purdue (Rights traded to Boston Celtics)
34.) Philadelphia 76ers – Bruno Fernando, C/Maryland (Rights traded to Atlanta Hawks)
35.) Atlanta Hawks – Marcos Louzada Silva, G/Brazil (Rights traded to New Orleans Pelicans)
36.) Charlotte Hornets – Cody Martin, F/Nevada
37.) Dallas Mavericks – Deividas Sirvydis, G/Lithuania (Rights traded to Detroit Pistons)
38.) Chicago Bulls – Daniel Gafford, F/Arkansas
39.) New Orleans Pelicans – Alen Smailagic, F/Serbia (Rights traded to Golden State Warriors)
40.) Sacramento Kings – Justin James, G/Wyoming
41.) Golden State Warriors – Eric Paschall, F/Villanova
42.) Philadelphia 76ers – Admiral Schofield, F/Tennessee (Rights traded to Washington Wizards)
43.) Minnesota Timberwolves – Jaylen Nowell, G/Washington
44.) Miami Heat – Bol Bol, C/Oregon (Rights traded to Denver Nuggets)
45.) Detroit Pistons – Isaiah Roby, F/Nebraska
46.) Orlando Magic – Talen Horton-Tucker, G/Iowa State (Rights traded to Los Angeles Lakers)
47.) Sacramento Kings – Ignas Brazdeikis, F/Michigan (Rights traded to New York Knicks)
48.) Los Angeles Clippers – Terance Mann, G/Florida State
49.) San Antonio Spurs – Quinndary Weatherspoon, G/Mississippi State
50.) Indiana Pacers – Jarrell Brantley, F/Charleston (Rights traded to Utah Jazz)
51.) Boston Celtics – Tremont Waters, G/LSU
52.) Charlotte Hornets – Jalen McDaniels, F/San Diego State
53.) Utah Jazz – Justin Wright-Foreman, G/Hofstra
54.) Philadelphia 76ers – Marial Shayok, F/Iowa State
55.) New York Knicks – Kyle Guy, G/ Virginia (Rights traded to Sacramento Kings)
56.) Los Angeles Clippers – Jaylen Hands, G/UCLA (Rights Traded to Brooklyn Nets)
57.) New Orleans Pelicans – Jordan Bone, G/Tennessee (Rights traded to Detroit Pistons)
58.) Golden State Warriors- Mye One, G/Yale (Rights traded to Utah Jazz)
59.) Toronto Raptors – Dewan Hernandez, F/Miami
60.) Sacramento Kings – Vanja Marinkovic, G/Serbia

Related Topics

NBA and NFL Writer for Def Pen. Loves the Spurs, Chargers, Manchester United, and New Japan Pro Wrestling.

You May Also Like