Who are the biggest winners and losers from the first round of the 2019 NBA draft?
Thursday night's top three picks went as expected, with Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans), Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies) and RJ Barrett (New York Knicks) coming off the board first. But the unpredictability started early, with multiple trades involving top-10 picks and surprise prospects both rising and falling.
Our NBA experts break down their favorite and least favorite moves, including young teams on the rise, trade packages and a player who slipped too far.
More: Pick-by-pick analysis | Trade tracker
Winners
New Orleans Pelicans
Kevin Pelton: Starting with Saturday's Anthony Davis trade, the Pelicans added three more picks in the top 35 to the No. 1 overall selection, Zion Williamson. Though I don't love New Orleans taking a center (Texas product Jaxson Hayes) in the top 10 because of the high replacement level at the position, Hayes is a standout in statistical projections that don't adjust for positional value.
With the other pick they got from their trade down with the Atlanta Hawks, the Pelicans picked up Virginia Tech guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, a strong shooter who could fit well alongside Lonzo Ball down the road.
Oh, and did I mention New Orleans drafted one of the best prospects in recent memory?
Jonathan Givony: Minnesota received great value moving up from No. 11 to No. 6 -- needing only to give up Dario Saric in the deal -- and then picking one of the most versatile players in the draft in Jarrett Culver.
Setting a culture is among the first things a new NBA general manager needs to do upon taking on a job. Gersson Rosas adding a player with the intangibles, work ethic and coachability of Culver will help significantly with that endeavor. Culver also brings the ability to shoulder significant ballhandling responsibilities, which he did as Texas Tech's de facto point guard this season despite standing 6-foot-7. That will be essential considering the lack of shot creation on Minnesota's roster.
Mike Schmitz: I absolutely love what Atlanta is building, moving up to add De'Andre Hunter with the No. 4 pick (traded from the Pelicans; originally owned by the Lakers) and then snagging Cam Reddish at No. 10.
Hunter is the perfect fit alongside Trae Young, Kevin Huerter and John Collins, as he can play either forward spot, defend four positions and space the floor. He doesn't need much offensive volume to be effective.
And getting Reddish -- a top-five talent coming into the season -- with the No. 10 pick is great value. Coming in with lower expectations allows Reddish to focus on knocking down open 3-pointers in transition, defending his position and developing his shot-creation ability at his own pace. After he struggled in high-pressure situations last season, the stress of living up to lofty Paul George comparisons is now off for Reddish, who can grow alongside a young group while rounding out his game.
The Hawks will be must-see TV next season.
Memphis Grizzlies
Givony: Memphis' new front office is off to a terrific start -- not only by lucking into the No. 2 spot and Ja Morant but also by getting excellent value for Mike Conley, then turning around and trading up for Brandon Clarke at No. 21.
The young Grizzlies are shaping up as possibly the most athletic team in the NBA, and there will be no shortage of highlights with the high-flying Jaren Jackson Jr. and Clarke catching lobs from Morant next season. Just as importantly, the Grizzlies will feature terrific defensive versatility. Jackson and Clarke are phenomenal shot-blockers who also are capable of switching ball screens. Memphis will now need to prioritize shooting in free agency to get the best out of its young core.
Bobby Marks: The Pacers acquired T.J. Warren plus the No. 32 pick in a trade with the Phoenix Suns and also selected Goga Bitadze at No. 18 -- both solid moves.
Despite an injury-plagued 2018-19 season, Warren is on a team-friendly contract and should give the Pacers insurance in case they lose Bojan Bogdanovic in free agency. Essentially, Indiana signed Warren to a three-year, $35 million contract (the amount left on his deal) and the team still has $33 million in room for free agents. While Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis likely make up the starting frontcourt next season, Indiana went with the best available player and selected Bitadze in the first round.
Givony: In 2014, Sixers GM Sam Hinkie was able to sniff out the Orlando Magic's interest in drafting Elfrid Payton, selecting him at No. 10 and forcing Orlando to give up an additional first-round pick to get its target.
Five years later, it appears that the Boston Celtics were able to do the same, taking advantage of the 76ers' very clear interest in Matisse Thybulle early on in the pre-draft process. The Celtics picked Thybulle at No. 20 and flipped him to Philly while moving down to No. 24 and extracting the No. 33 pick. The Celtics then turned around and auctioned off that pick to the Suns for a 2020 first-round pick, doing some nifty business considering where they started from.
ESPN NBA draft analyst Mike Schmitz breaks down the strengths and weaknesses of former North Carolina forward Nassir Little.
Losers
Pelton: At the start of the season, we were talking about Bol as a likely top-10 pick, possibly even a candidate for the top five. Instead, after suffering a non-displaced fracture of the navicular bone in his left foot, Bol didn't even go in the first round.
Without having access to Bol's medical records, this still feels like an overreaction to me. Bol is a unique talent who rated as a top-10 prospect by my projections despite the high standard for centers. At some point in the first round, the possible reward of Bol's shot blocking and shooting ability should have outweighed the risk of reinjury.
Teams that passed on Nassir Little
Schmitz: Although Little turned in a disappointing freshman season at UNC, nabbing a 6-6 forward with a 7-1 wingspan, 225-pound frame, 8-9 standing reach and high-level explosiveness at No. 25 is pure robbery.
Sure, he needs to improve his feel for the game, but Little showed big-time flashes at the high school level and has far more upside than a handful of players selected ahead of him. He reminds me a little bit of Jaylen Brown -- a wing with strong tools who often looked lost as a college freshman. But Brown has become one of Boston's most promising young pieces.
Drafting Little is a great move for the Blazers, a team that needs a multi-positional wing with his skills.
The NBA
Marks: The league will need to take a hard look at changing the rules when it comes to the timing of official moves around the draft and free agency.
Had the NBA started the new salary-cap calendar year before the draft, De'Andre Hunter, Jarrett Culver, Jaxson Hayes and Cameron Johnson -- all selected in the top 11 -- would not have needed to masquerade as they walked across the stage, representing teams that traded their rights elsewhere.
The four players were part of deals that can not be finalized yet. These players also will miss the beginning of summer league practices and games until these trades are finalized on July 6.