With the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the New Orleans Pelicans select...
Wait a second — the Pelicans? What happened to the Minnesota Timberwolves?
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With draft coverage now in full swing, we decided to hold our own draft in which we divvied up the teams in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft among our Global NBA.com Staff and held a live draft. From NBA Canada's Carlan Gay to NBA India's Yash Matange, each member of our staff represented two different teams and were given the green light to make trades as long as they worked in ESPN's trusty trade machine.
Hence why we have the Pelicans with the No. 1 pick, not the Timberwolves.
But how did the Pelicans actually end up with the No. 1 pick? Here are the full results from our draft, trades included, with some pick-by-pick analysis from yours truly.
MORE: The most intriguing storylines heading into the draft
2020 NBA Mock Draft
No. 1: New Orleans Pelicans select Deni Avdija
Trade: Pelicans trade Jrue Holiday and Josh Gray to the Timberwolves for the No. 1 pick, Jake Layman, James Johnson, Jacob Evans and Omari Spellman
Pelicans GM: NBA Global's Alex Novick (@ANov_SN)
The first surprise of the draft! The Pelicans find a trade for Holiday and move up to No. 1. Using it to select Avdija might seem like a little bit of a reach — most places have him going fourth — but he would fit in nicely on the Pelicans, giving them another playmaker and potential floor spacer to pair with Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson. That's a young core with a lot of talent.
MORE: What is Avdija's ceiling?
No. 2: Detroit Pistons select Anthony Edwards
Trade: Pistons trade the No. 7 pick and Luke Kennard to the Warriors for the No. 2 pick, Jordan Poole, Juan Tuscano and Alen Smailagic
Pistons GM: NBA Mexico's Carlos Herrera (@carhluy43)
The Pistons move up to draft Edwards, who becomes the best prospect the franchise has drafted since ... Andre Drummond in 2013? Edwards impressed in his one season at Georgia, posting averages of 19.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. As NBA.com's Eric Fawcett recently wrote, he has the "physical tools to develop into an excellent defender" in addition to being a big-time scorer.
No. 3: Charlotte Hornets select James Wiseman
Hornets GM: NBA India's Yash Matange (@yashmatange2694)
The Hornets will be thrilled if this is how the actual draft plays out. Charlotte is in desperate need of a centre and Wiseman is widely considered to be the best centre in this draft. Our NBA.com Staff sees shades of Hassan Whiteside and DeAndre Jordan in Wiseman.
No. 4: Chicago Bulls select Killian Hayes
Bulls GM: NBA Canada's Carlan Gay (@TheCarlanGay)
Hayes is one of the more polarizing players in this draft. Some have him as the No. 1 player on their draft boards while others have him sliding to the bottom half of the lottery. Either way, he raises the ceiling of an already talented backcourt in Chicago that features Zach LaVine and Coby White.
No. 5: Cleveland Cavaliers select LaMelo Ball
Cavaliers GM: NBA Canada's Kyle Irving (@KyleIrv_)
The Cavaliers already have two guards in Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, but Ball is too good to pass up on with the No. 5 pick. The closer we get to the draft, the more it looks like Ball is going to be the No. 1 pick, so him falling to No. 5 is a bit of a surprise.
MORE: Breaking down Ball's best and worst game this season
No. 6: Atlanta Hawks select Obi Toppin
Hawks GM: NBA Australia's Benyam Kidane (@BenyamKidane)
The Hawks double down on offence in selecting Toppin. There isn't a clear path to Toppin starting in Atlanta with John Collins and Clint Capela on the roster, but he has the potential to complement both of them well as a 3-point shooter and uber athletic rim-runner. Atlanta might be the new Lob City.
MORE: Why Toppin is bust-proof
No. 7: Golden State Warriors select Onyeka Okongwu
Warriors GM: NBA Argentina's Juan Estevez (@JuanEstevez90)
The Warriors trade down and get the player they wanted in Okongwu, who has drawn comparisons to Bam Adebayo with his athleticism, passing ability and defensive potential. In addition to Okongwu, the Warriors turn Poole and Tuscano into Kennard, who is coming off of a breakout season with the Pistons.
MORE: The Okongwu-Adebayo comparison in three plays
No. 8: New York Knicks select Isaac Okoro
Knicks GM: NBA Canada's Scott Rafferty (@crabdribbles)
It makes sense drafting a defensive-minded player with Tom Thibodeau now coaching the Knicks, and Okoro is considered to be one of the best — if not the best — defenders in this draft class. Pairing him with RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson gives the Knicks a young and athletic trio to build around, albeit one that is limited in the shooting department.
MORE: Five best defenders in the 2020 NBA Draft
No. 9: Washington Wizards select Devin Vassell
Wizards GM: NBA Japan's Takuma Oikawa (@oitaku)
Not only is Vassell a 6-foot-6 wing capable of guarding multiple positions, he shot an impressive 41.7 percent from 3-point range on 2.7 attempts per game in his two seasons at Florida State. He's projected to be one of the best 3-and-D prospects in this class, making him a natural fit next to John Wall and Bradley Beal.
No. 10: Phoenix Suns select Tyrese Haliburton
Suns GM: NBA Argentina's Augustin Aboy (@AboyAgustin)
NBA.com's Kyle Irving called Haliburton the "most overlooked prospect" in this draft. Considered a genius playmaker, he averaged 15.2 points, 6.5 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game on 50.4 percent shooting from the field and 41.9 percent from 3-point range as a sophomore at Iowa State this season.
No. 11: San Antonio Spurs select Patrick Williams
Spurs GM: NBA Australia's Kane Pitman (@KanePitman)
An incredible athlete with NBA size, Williams would make for a fascinating project for the Spurs, who have one of the best development staffs in the league.
No. 12: Sacramento Kings select RJ Hampton
Kings GM: NBA Canada's Gilbert McGregor (@GMcGregor21)
The Kings might be in the market for a backup wing depending on what happens to Bogdan Bogdanovic and Buddy Hield this offseason. Hampton is a project, but he profiles as a spark-plug scorer with tremendous defensive upside.
MORE: Scouting report on Hampton
No. 13: New Orleans Pelicans select Saddiq Bey
Pelicans GM: NBA Global's Alex Novick
Bey shot 45.1 percent from 3-point range as a sophomore at Villanova. You can't ever have too much shooting around players like Ingram and Williamson. Bey is also a strong defender, one who is tailor-made for today's wing-heavy NBA.
No. 14: Boston Celtics select Leandro Bolmaro
Celtics GM: NBA Spain's Sergio Rabinal (@S_Rabinal)
NBA.com's Kyle Irving didn't have Bolmaro going in the first round in his latest mock draft while Eric Fawcett had him going No. 17. As you can imagine, this selection received mixed reviews, but Bolmaro is considered one of the best international prospects in this class.
No. 15 pick: Orlando Magic select Cole Anthony
Magic GM: NBA Argentina's Leandro Fernandez (@FernandezLea)
A score-first guard, Anthony brings some much-needed offensive firepower to a Magic team that ranked 23rd in offensive efficiency this season.
The rest of the first round
No. 16: Portland Trail Blazers select Precious Achiuwa (Fernandez)
No. 17: Minnesota Timberwolves select Jalen Smith (Rabinal)
No. 18: Dallas Mavericks select Tyrese Maxey (Novick)
No. 19: Brooklyn Nets select Aaron Nesmith (McGregor)
No. 20: Miami Heat select Tyrell Terry (Pitman)
No. 21: Philadelphia 76ers select Kira Lewis Jr. (Aboy)
No. 22: Denver Nuggets select Paul Redd (Oikawa)
No. 23: Utah Jazz select Josh Green (Rafferty)
No. 24: Milwaukee Buck select Theo Maledon (Herrera)
No. 25: Oklahoma City Thunder select Cassius Stanley (Kidane)
No. 26: Boston Celtics select Daniel Oturu (Irving)
No. 27: New York Knicks select Grant Riller (Gay)
No. 28: Los Angeles Lakers select Malachi Flynn (Matange)
No. 29: Toronto Raptors select Xavier Tillman (Estevez)
No. 30: Celtics select Robert Woodward II (NBA Spain's Nacho Losilla)
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