Best picks of the NBA Draft so far, plus Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo contract news

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If you’re looking for Round 2 of the NBA Draft today to see where Bronny James goes, remember it starts at 4 p.m. ET. That’s right: It’s either that or “Days of Our Lives” for you.

About the First Round

Which teams are winning or losing so far?

The first round of the 2024 NBA Draft happened, and we saw the historic pattern of three top-six picks coming from France like the Coneheads. John Hollinger explains why the first round had so much French influence. The Hawks took forward Zaccharie Risacher (France) first overall, the Wizards selected forward Alex Sarr (France) with the second pick, and the Hornets made forward Tidjane Salaun (France) the No. 6 pick.

All the moments after the big moment… follow the No. 1 pick @Zacch_10 on Draft Night! 👀 https://t.co/ZtbKaSg6vc pic.twitter.com/BVl9OWg608

— NBA (@NBA) June 27, 2024

Hollinger and Sam Vecenie gave you a breakdown of the first 30 picks. I’m here to give you a snapshot of who did the best and worst jobs of the first round.

Winners

We’re all about positivity here at The Bounce, so let’s throw a spotlight on who did well in round one. Despite the lack of top talent in the draft, I actually liked a lot of the picks we saw.

San Antonio: I believe guard Stephon Castle (No. 4 overall) out of UConn will likely be the best player in the draft. The Spurs also moved the eighth pick to Minnesota for a future pick swap and a 2031 first-round pick. That’s great defense now and the hope of a Minnesota collapse in seven years. Castle could be special alongside reigning Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama.

Ready to get to work 💪@XWorldWallet | #ad pic.twitter.com/L1zFRwv8wp

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) June 27, 2024

Minnesota: The Wolves traded into the top 10 to grab a much-needed backup guard for their win-now mode. It was a shrewd loophole move for a heavy-luxury taxpayer to grab guard Rob Dillingham (No. 8) when Minnesota wouldn’t be able to sign someone as good as him this summer. This is the opposite of when David Kahn drafted an ineligible player in the second round.

the newest addition to the squad. 🐺 pic.twitter.com/YbTnyHSDAf

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) June 27, 2024

Losers

When everybody is down on the draft class and calling it one of the worst ever, it seems a little harsh to hammer that point home by saying there were losers in the draft. Alas, though, here we are: naming draft losers.

Houston: I’m sorry, but I just can’t get on board with the “Reed Sheppard (guard) as the third pick” hype. I’m willing to be proven wrong but need to see it to believe it.
Memphis: They took center Zach Edey with the ninth pick with a lot of good role players still on the board. I’d understand this pick in 2004, but not in the spacing era of 2024.
Chicago: If forward Matas Buzelis can’t get a lot stronger and can’t find a consistent jumper, I’m just not sure this was a good pick at all.
Orlando: Forward Tristan da Silva was their pick at 18. He can shoot, but it’s tough to know if anything else translates. They just picked a guy like that in Jett Howard (No. 11) last year. Plus, Hollinger had da Silva as his 51st-best prospect.

Let’s check in with Shams for some news from South Florida.

The Latest From Shams

Updates on Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo

Jimmy Butler has decided he will play out next season on his existing contract with Miami and will not sign an extension with the Heat or any other team ahead of his opt-out clause in 2025, league sources tell The Athletic.

I have more details on Butler’s decision here, but it commits him to Miami for next season and clears up any notion of a trade demand due to the lack of an extension. League sources say Butler has an affinity for Miami and has wanted to stay with the Heat.

Butler, who turns 35 in September, averaged 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists across 60 games last season. His running mate Bam Adebayo intends to reach a three-year maximum extension with Miami worth $166 million this offseason, league sources say.

Key Moves

Which draft-day deal was most aggressive?

No, I’m not talking about the Kevin Costner movie (this time I’m not, but I do unironically love that movie). Yesterday was a massive day for moves and verbal agreements on future contracts. Let’s dive into what has been reported for trades and signings from draft day (again, not the Costner movie of him running the Cleveland Browns, but I’m ready to discuss the film whenever you are, Jacob Robinson).

Knicks agree to five-year, $212 million deal with OG Anunoby. A lot of us are still getting used to the increasing salaries, but $40 million per year for Anunoby (26 years old) is far more than I expected him to get. I thought he’d be in the $30 million annual range. But it’s mission accomplished for the Knicks’ plan of retaining him. They can figure out the financials later. They’re trying to win the East now.

Washington trades Deni Avdija to Portland for Malcolm Brogdon and picks. The Blazers sent the 13th pick, multiple future second-round picks, Brogdon (31) and Portland’s 2029 first-round picks (second-most favorable) to the Wizards for Deni Avdija (23). I like this move for Portland, banking it wouldn’t find a player as good as Avdija with the No. 13 pick. Washington added Bub Carrington from Pittsburgh with the selection to join Alex Sarr.

Nets agree to four-year, $100 million deal with Nicolas Claxton. For a starting center who can defend, rebound and stretch the floor vertically, this is a good deal for the 25-year-old Claxton. It’s about on par with what Jarrett Allen (26) makes. It also had to make 26-year-old Isaiah Hartenstein’s agent see money signs in his pupils.

Draft History’s Biggest Surprises

The most bewildering draft moments ever

No disrespect to Dalton Knecht falling to No. 17 in this draft, but 2024 did not have any big surprise moments during the first round, so let’s relive five of the most bewildering draft moments in league history. And no, we’re not going to hammer home the Wolves passing on Steph Curry twice in 2009 or the Blazers passing on Michael Jordan 40 years ago. Those have been done enough.

5. Celtics trade for Bill Russell in 1956. Oh man, I remember it well! The Celtics picked Tommy Heinsohn with territorial rights, so they got that future Hall of Famer out of Holy Cross. Then, once Rochester took Si Green with the first pick, Red Auerbach pounced by sending Ed McCauley and Cliff Hagan to St. Louis for Russell (No. 2 in 1956). Sure, Hagan and McCauley made the Hall of Fame, but so did everybody in the ’50s. It was obvious this set Boston up for a dynasty.

4. The Magic trade Chris Webber for Penny Hardaway on draft night. Everybody thought the Magic winning the lottery two years in a row would set them up with Shaquille O’Neal (No. 1 in 1992) and Chris Webber (No. 1 in 1993) forever with inevitable title runs. But on draft night in 1993, the Magic followed Shaq’s suggestion to get Hardaway (No. 3 in 1993), whom O’Neal became a fan of while shooting the movie “Blue Chips” prior to the draft. Orlando received three future firsts and Hardaway for Webber.

3. Luka Dončić goes third in 2018. This is not revisionist history. This is vindication history! Luka Dončić was doubted because of a lack of understanding of his place in European hoops, and he didn’t “look” like a great athlete at a young age. But so many people thought of him as the best draft prospect in a long time. Phoenix took Deandre Ayton first. The Kings took Marvin Bagley III second. Through a draft night trade, Dallas got Luka after he was selected third, and the rest is painful history for the other two teams … plus Atlanta.

2. Darko Miličić picked before Carmelo Anthony in 2003. We were all reading the reports from Chad Ford on ESPN about how Miličić was wowing everybody in workouts, but Carmelo Anthony was an NCAA champion and the supposed Larry Bird to LeBron James’ Magic Johnson. Instead, the Pistons took Miličić second over Anthony, who went to Denver with the third pick. It didn’t make sense then and doesn’t make sense now.

1. Anthony Bennett went first overall in 2013. There are stories about other teams not knowing who Cleveland would take first and parts of Cleveland’s own front office not being aware who would be selected even a couple minutes before the draft. The 2013 class wasn’t looked at as having a clearcut top guy, but nobody could have seen Bennett going first. That is easily the biggest surprise in NBA draft history.