2017 NBA Draft: Jimmy Butler traded to Minnesota

2017 NBA Draft The 2017 NBA Draft had very little in terms of surprises. Most of the players selected in the first round were withing arm’s reach of their projected positions. Washington’s Markelle Fultz was picked by Philadelphia 76ers first overall. The Sixers acquired the first pick from the Boston Celtics via a trade. The Los Angeles Lakers took hometown player, Lonzo Ball of UCLA. The Boston Celtics used the third pick they received from Philly on Duke forward Jayson Tatum. The Phoenix Suns picked Kansas’ Josh Jackson, while the Sacramento Kings rounded out the Top 5 picks of the draft with their selection of Kentucky guard De’Aaron Fox.

True to form, the draft would not be the same without a few movers and shakers making a splash. A blockbuster deal was made by the Chicago Bulls when they traded Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Zach Lavine, Kris Dunn, and the seventh pick of last night’s draft. The Bulls picked up Finnish big man, Lauri Markkanen with the seventh pick.

The Markkenen pick was the first European selection of the draft, but soon after the New York Knicks followed suit and grabbed Frenchman Frank Ntilikina off the board. Frank is coming off a stint playing in his home France, for Pro A club Strasbourg IG in 2016-17. Ntilikina appeared in 44 games in the French league where he averaged 5.3 ppg and 2.3 rpg.

Overall, it was a good draft as far as teams getting the talent they were looking for and addressing their respective needs. This is still expected to be a busy off-season in the NBA, with many talented free agents looking to land big deals and in some cases, new teams.

Here is a complete list of all 60 draft picks:

  1. 76ers: Markelle Fultz (G) – Washington
  2. Lakers: Lonzo Ball (G) – UCLA
  3. Celtics: Jayson Tatum (F) – Duke
  4. Suns: Josh Jackson (F) – Kansas
  5. Kings: DeAaron Fox (G) – Kentucky
  6. Magic: Jonathan Isaac (F) – Florida State
  7. Bulls: Lauri Markkanen (F) – Arizona
  8. Knicks: Frank Ntilikina (G) – France
  9. Mavericks: Dennis Smith Jr. (G) – NC State
  10. Trail Blazers: Zach Collins (F/C) – Gonzaga
  11. Hornets: Malik Monk (G) – Kentucky
  12. Pistons: Luke Kennard (G) – Duke
  13. Jazz: Donovan Mitchell (G) – Louisville
  14. Heat: Bam Adebayo (C) – Kentucky
  15. Kings: Justin Jackson (F) – UNC
  16. Bulls: Justin Patton (C) – Creighton
  17. Bucks: DJ Wilson (F/C) – Michigan
  18. Pacers: TJ Leaf (F/C) – UCLA
  19. Hawks: John Collins (F) – Wake Forest
  20. Kings: Harry Giles (F/C) – Duke
  21. Thunder: Terrance Ferguson (F) – Australia
  22. Nets: Jarrett Allen (C) – Texas
  23. Raptors: OG Anunoby (F) – Indiana
  24. Nuggets: Tyler Lydon (F) – Syracuse
  25. 76ers: Andzejs Pasecniks (C) – Latvia
  26. Trail Blazers: Caleb Swanigan (PF) – Purdue
  27. Lakers: Kyle Kuzma (F) – Utah
  28. Jazz: Tony Bradley (C) – North Carolina
  29. Spurs: Derrick White (G) – Colorado
  30. Lakers: Josh Hart (G) – Villanova
  31. Pelicans: Frank Jackson (PG) – Duke
  32. Suns: Davon Reed (SG) – Miami
  33. Magic: Wesley Iwundu (SF) – Kansas State
  34. Kings: Frank Mason III (PG) – Kansas
  35. Grizzlies: Ivan Rabb (PF) – California
  36. 76ers: Jonah Bolden (PF) – Australia
  37. Celtics: Semi Ojeleye (SF) – SMU
  38. Warriors: Jordan Bell (C) – Oregon
  39. Clippers: Jawun Evans (PG) – OSU
  40. Hornets: Dwayne Bacon (SF) – FSU
  41. Hawks: Tyler Dorsey (SG) – Oregon
  42. Lakers: Thomas Bryant (C) – Indiana
  43. Rockets: Isaiah Hartenstein (C) – Lithuania
  44. Knicks: Damyean Dotson (SG) – Oregon
  45. Rockets: Dillon Brooks (SF) – Oregon
  46. Bucks: Sterling Brown (SG) – SMU
  47. Pacers: Ike Anigbogu (C) – UCLA
  48. Clippers: Sindarius Thornwell (SG) – South Carolina
  49. Nuggets: Vlatko Cancar (SF) – Slovenia
  50. 76ers: Mathias Lessort (PF) – France
  51. Nuggets: Monte’ Morris (PG) – Iowa State
  52. Pacers: Edmond Sumner (PG) – Xavier
  53. Celtics: Kadeem Allen (SG) – Arizona
  54. Suns:  Alec Peters (PF) – Valparaiso
  55. Jazz: Nigel Williams-Goss (PG) – Gonzaga
  56. Celtics:  Jabari Bird (SG) – California
  57. Nets: Aleksandar Vezenkov (PF) – Spain
  58. Knicks: Ognjen Jaramaz (PG) – Serbia
  59. Spurs: Jaron Blossomgame (SF) – Clemson
  60. Hawks: Alpha Kaba (PF) – France

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