The first round of the NBA Draft is in the books. We even have the grades to prove it.
There weren’t a lot of big surprises on Tuesday night as the Washington Wizards got AJ Dybantsa at No. 1, the Utah Jazz were happy to take Darryn Peterson at No. 2, the Memphis Grizzlies set about plotting a new era with Cameron Boozer at No. 3, and at No. 4 the Chicago Bulls rolled with Caleb Wilson.
Those teams probably won’t rise to contender status with their new prized prospects, but some clubs with their eyes on the prize didn’t play around and quickly explored avenues of improvement.
In this new NBA landscape with draft changes, costly salary-cap implications and evolving restrictions to roster building, teams need to strike while they have flexibility and legitimate pathways to success.
Let’s see what we can take away from what four (possible) contenders did in the first round Tuesday night.
San Antonio Spurs: They aren’t playing around
The San Antonio Spurs wanted to acquire size, and they certainly did that.
With the 20th selection, they selected injured Kentucky center Jayden Quaintance. The 6-foot-10 sophomore big man has a 7-5 wingspan, is ridiculously athletic and has significant upside as a two-way prospect. He was an active defensive force in his freshman season before a catastrophic knee injury altered the trajectory of his career.
Complications from the injury limited him to four games this past season, and that's why the Spurs unquestionably will bring him along slowly. They will make sure his recovery is optimal, and he's mentally ready to produce.
Quaintance, who is just 18 years old, is a long-term upside play, unlike Connecticut big man Tarris Reed Jr., whom San Antonio selected 26th after trading back into the first round.
San Antonio relinquished the 35th selection and two additional second-rounders to move up to take Reed.
The 22-year-old senior is a physical specimen at 6-10 and over 264 pounds. He has a 7-4 wingspan and posted a 31-point, 27-rebound game in the NCAA tournament.
Reed will likely crack the rotation earlier than Quaintance, but that's going to be by design.
The Spurs saw a drastic need for rebounding and interior play during their Finals loss to the New York Knicks, so they wasted little time pursuing potential solutions.
Furthermore, the choice to opt for size allows them to potentially free up Luke Kornet in trade talks. Given his salary of over $10 million, he could make for an interesting salary-matching chip, especially if they can find a big wing to add for next season.
Oklahoma City Thunder: The draft-pick kings strike again
When you have as many picks as the Thunder — they have three first-rounders in 2027, for crying out loud — you do what you want. And sometimes that means just sitting back and profiting.
OKC selected 7-foot-3 Michigan center Aday Mara at No. 12 without having to trade up.
That's a preposterously good result for executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti, who handed coach Mark Daigneault a ton of size to throw at San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama.
Mara isn't just raw size. He's got great timing as a shot-blocker, he can make a wide array of passes, has spacing upside and could turn into a full-time starting center down the line.
For the Thunder to grab Mara like this, entirely organically, is almost a missed opportunity by rival teams, which could have selected Maya and held him hostage in order to extract assets from Presti and Co.
This further underlines how smart it is to go the draft-pick route, as the Thunder have for several years. Well-run teams end up in these situations where they can drastically improve by having done the work previously and remaining focused on asset accumulation.
The Thunder will also have a ton of optionality with Isaiah Hartenstein, with whom they hold a team option. With Mara in the fold, they can breathe easy, decline the option and attempt to re-sign Hartenstein at a discount. If he refuses, they should have enough size to remain competitive. And all those draft picks as well.
Atlanta Hawks: Current success didn’t cloud long-term vision
Hey, remember those Atlanta Hawks? The last time we saw them, they did better against the eventual champion New York Knicks than anyone.
Well, the Hawks did something a little surprising.
Many figured the Hawks would go with size and choose Mara at No. 8 to get a jumbo center in the fold.
Instead, they opted for 6-foot-3 lead guard Kingston Flemings from Houston.
It's not a bad pick, but with CJ McCollum re-signing for next season, it made sense that Atlanta would opt for size to shore up their frontline to complement Jalen Johnson and Jonathan Kuminga.
Flemings, however, is the long-term solution at point guard for this young team, meaning the organization put a larger emphasis on additional playmaking.
This suggests the Hawks wanted more on-ball help for Johnson so they don't overtax their All-Star forward, prioritized lineup symmetry and will possibly look to add size later in the draft or in free agency.
Regardless, Atlanta is a team to track next season.
Flemings is a ridiculously intriguing young lead guard who can score at three levels, has strong court vision and reliable decision-making, even at such a young age.
Will he have a huge impact on the Hawks in Year 1? Probably not, but that's not the play here. This is a long-term vision the Hawks are initiating and rightfully so.
Los Angeles Clippers: Never stop taking chances
Illinois freshman guard Keaton Wagler going No. 5 overall to the Los Angeles Clippers was interesting and the first real unknown of the first round.
It's a clear upside play, even if there are questions about Wagler's defensive ceiling.
He's got small hands, a short wingspan at 6-foot-6 and is just a decent athlete at 6-5 and 188 pounds. It's not necessarily a great position to be in when entering a league that's becoming longer and bigger.
This doesn't mean Wagler can't succeed, but it does mean the onus is on him to think his way out of situations. His on-ball creation and shooting capabilities need to carry over.
Fortunately for Wagler, he's got the ability to do that after averaging 17.9 points on 39.7% shooting from 3-point range, with 5.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
Los Angeles is certainly hoping he can put it all together with a veteran-laden roster around him.
