The 2023 NBA Draft sparked a ton of interesting moves. Teams took the opportunity to call each other up and pull the trigger on big trades leading up to and during the draft. We'll fold them all in here with my winners and losers.
Here are the teams that did the best on draft day, and the ones that made some head-scratching decisions.
For complete analysis on every single pick in the first round, check out our pick-by-pick draft grades.
NBA Draft 2023 winners
Spurs
In case you've been hiding under a rock for the past year, the Spurs landed the biggest prize in the draft, Victor Wembanyama. The 7-foot-3 Frenchman is widely considered to be the best prospect since LeBron James, and he gives the Spurs a potential franchise player for years to come.
Blazers
All eyes were on the Blazers prior to draft night. There was a ton of speculation on what they would do with the third pick. Its value increased when Brandon Miller was taken second, allowing Scoot Henderson to be selected no. 3.
That probably won't make Damian Lillard happy. The rumors were flying that Lillard would demand a trade if the Blazers did not trade that pick for veteran help. That request may be coming soon. But for now, the Blazers, who tanked the end of the season to get to this point, got a steal in the draft.
Regardless of what happens with Lillard, Blazers fans can rest easy knowing they may have just drafted their next All-Star franchise lead guard.
MORE: How Trail Blazers' pick at 2023 NBA Draft could impact Portland star's future
Celtics
The Celtics started the day by trading for Kristaps Porzingis in a trade that I really liked. He fits well into their system and gives them more versatility on offense than they had with their previous big men.
MORE: Kristaps Porzingis Celtics trade grades
They also moved up from the 35th pick to no. 25, which they promptly traded multiple times to acquire several future second round picks.
The Celtics should be favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference and maybe win the whole thing after their upgrades to the roster. They didn't make a splashy pick, but the Porzingis trade made them the big winners of the day.
The Thompson twins and Overtime Elite
The Rockets selected Amen Thompson at No. 4. Thompson's jump shot issues make him difficult to project, but he's one of the best raw athletes in this draft. He's got great speed, finishing at the rim, passing vision and defensive intensity.
The Pistons didn't let Amen's twin brother Ausar fall very far, taking him with the No. 5 pick. Ausar has that same athleticism. He isn't quite the lead ball-handler, but has a better shot.
This was also a great win for Overtime Elite, the relatively new program out of Atlanta. There will be plenty more prospects coming out of that organization.
MORE: Full NBA Draft scouting reports for the Overtime Elite twins
Mavericks and Kings
The Mavericks started off the draft with a nice piece of business, offloading Davis Bertans' bad salary in order to move down two spots from 10 to 12. They took Dereck Lively II with that pick, who is a great rim protector and lob threat that should pair perfectly with Luka Doncic.
They then traded into the 24th pick to select Olivier-Maxence Prosper. He's a great defender with plus screen navigation who can guard multiple positions.He also plays within himself on offense. That makes him a nice fit next to Doncic as well.
The Mavericks needed defenders — they were ranked no. 25 on that end of the floor. They got two players who fit that need exactly.
The Kings also did well to trade Richaun Holmes and that no. 24 pick to the Mavs. They opened up more than $30 million in cap space, allowing them to be a player in free agency.
NBA Draft 2023 losers
Michael Jordan's Hornets
Michael Jordan got one last pump fake in before hanging them up as an executive.
All day, the speculation ramped up that the Hornets might be considering Henderson at No. 2. In the end, they took Miller.
That seems like the wrong choice. Miller is a nice player, but Henderson is a prospect that could very well have been a No. 1 pick in other drafts. He's a freakish athlete that can get downhill in an instant and has the tools to be a great defender. Henderson was widely considered the better prospect by draft analysts, including our own Kyle Irving.
Hornets fans did not take the news well. If Henderson lives up to the hype, this may go down as an ugly infamous 'what if' for a franchise already plagued by some rough draft decisions.
The Hornets did redeem themselves a bit by taking Nick Smith Jr. at No. 27. He's a project for sure, but he has nice upside at the end of the first round. Smith Jr. entered last season as a possible top-five pick so despite a somewhat lost season due to injuries, that's a solid pick...
... even if it doesn't make up for passing on Scoot.
NBA fits and Gradey Dick's suit
I'm not big on fashion, but there were some pretty questionable decisions on draft night. The biggest loser?
Biggest draft night loser: socks pic.twitter.com/CCSNs4rYYE
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) June 23, 2023
Gradey Dick's outfit was also a point of contention.
Gradey Dick suit look like raw meat https://t.co/hyqRlMFYFL
— Trill Withers (@TylerIAm) June 22, 2023
Cam Whitmore
Whitmore was in contention for the No. 3 pick at the start of the draft process. He was easily a top 10 pick on the vast majority of mock drafts. But injury concerns, bad interviews, and subpar workouts led him falling all the way down to the 20th pick in the draft.
It was a rough night for Whitmore, who looked visibly disappointed as he continued to be passed up. But his loss is the Rockets win. Whitmore and Amen Thompson were great outcomes on the night.
Wizards
The Wizards tied a bow on a series of perplexing moves. First, they moved Bradley Beal to the Suns for a series of second rounders and pick swaps. They followed that up by trading Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics for expiring contracts and a second round pick.
The idea for those moves was to clear up cap space and take on picks for bad contracts when teams become desperate to offload salary under the more restrictive collective bargaining agreement. It's a good plan, except they immediately used a huge chunk of that cap space to acquire Jordan Poole, receiving almost no draft compensation in return.
MORE: Trade grades for Chris Paul-Jordan Poole blockbuster
Poole is young enough to still improve, but his deal was quickly looking like one of the worst in the league. It should have taken significant draft capital to unload his contract. Instead, the Wizards took on Poole and received almost nothing back — a heavily protected first round pick that may never convey, a second rounder, and a fringe prospect from last year's draft.
