The highly anticipated 2023 NBA Draft had a lot of storylines. A main takeaway was that the vast majority of the top picks didn’t take the traditional college route. Teams are also taking flyers on two-way prospects that are relatively raw yet have all the measurements and athleticism suggesting that the potential is certainly there if they can develop it.<\/p>\n
Lastly, the late first-round teams prefer to take the more developed, win-now players that can immediately contribute. In contrast, the early second round was full of raw prospects that needed development.<\/p>\n
That being said, these three teams particularly stood out as the draft day winners based on the prospects and how they align both in terms of roster needs and timelines.<\/p>\n
The Spurs ended up trading their No. 33 overall pick (which turned out to be Leonard Miller<\/a><\/strong>) to the Timberwolves in exchange for future second-round picks. As a result, their lone selection in this year’s draft was the number one overall pick Victor Wembanyama<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n The Frenchman is all the Spurs need to make this list as an NBA Draft winner. He’s a generational prospect<\/a> with a unique skill set that we have never seen before with his 7-foot-4 frame. With Metropolitans 92, Wembanyama averaged 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 3.0 blocks per game on 47\/28\/83 shooting splits.<\/p>\n His game should translate exceptionally well in the NBA, which has more spacing and room to operate. His defensive skills will be impactful as a rim protector and help defender on day one. Given his height, he’s versatile in his agility and ability to switch out onto the perimeter.<\/p>\n Offensively, Wembanyama is more of a guard with a very tall body. He can play out on the perimeter, is a solid ballhandler, and is a better shooter than his 28 percent shooting from three suggests. The sky is the limit for the Spurs’ number-one pick as long as he can stay healthy.<\/p>\n The Mavericks traded down from pick No. 10 with the Oklahoma City Thunder, who had the No. 12 pick. They ultimately selected Dereck Lively II<\/a><\/strong> out of Duke at No. 12, who was projected to be taken by them at ten in several NBA Draft mocks. They managed to get the rim-protecting center<\/a> they wanted while clearing cap space by sending out Davis Bertans.<\/p>\n The Dallas Mavericks will generate a $17M trade exception from salary dumping Davis Bertans.<\/p>\n They project to be $74M below the luxury tax with 7 players. They'll use that flexibility toward re-signing Kyrie Irving, utilizing their new $17M TPE, and the $12.2M non-tax MLE. https:\/\/t.co\/doeow5Sj6v<\/a><\/p>\n — Yossi Gozlan (@YossiGozlan) June 23, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nNBA Draft Day Winner No. 2: Dallas Mavericks<\/h3>\n
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