This year's iteration of the NBA Draft figures to be a shorter affair.
Regular viewers of one of basketball's grandest spectacles will be surprised to see that the steady stream of selections will stop short of the typical 60.
No, that is not a miscount. The 2023 NBA Draft will feature fewer picks than usual. Did they just vanish into the cavernous abyss of space?
Not exactly. Here's a closer look at why there are fewer picks in 2023.
MORE: Full list of NBA Draft Combine participants, date, time, location and more
How many picks are there in 2023 NBA Draft?
The 2023 NBA Draft will see 58 names be selected, as opposed to the typical 60. The reason why? The 76ers and Bulls were forced to forfeit their selections after being found to have engaged in discussions with free agents before the permitted date.
Revisiting 76ers, Bulls' tampering scandal
Philadelphia and Chicago's violations occurred over the course of different offseasons. The Bulls were the first to be punished, stemming from their pursuit of former Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball in the summer of 2021.
Ultimately, Chicago secured Ball's services, acquiring the guard via sign-and-trade on Aug. 2. The organization agreed a four-year, $85 million deal with the versatile playmaker shortly thereafter. The league found that Ball's representatives and the Bulls front office made contact before the start of free agency.
MORE: Why Victor Wembanyama won't be attending 2023 NBA Draft Combine
Chicago's second-round pick actually belonged to Denver — the Bulls acquired the pick in the three-team deal that sent Lauri Markkanen to Cleveland. With the Nuggets in the Western Conference finals, that pick will be outside the top-47, meaning it would technically convey to the Bulls.
However, the league's punishment renders that manifestation obsolete. So despite technically acquiring the rights to Denver's second-rounder, that selection will instead evaporate into the ether.
The 76ers find themselves in a similar position, with the league nabbing their second round picks in 2023 and 2024. The organization was found to have engaged in early talks with P.J. Tucker and Danuel House last year. As such, their second-round selection also turns to ashes.
MORE: Who has declared for the 2023 NBA Draft?
Teams that have forfeited picks in NBA Draft
While not a common occurrence, teams forfeiting second-rounders isn't out of left field. It's been a more routine sight in recent years, with the Bucks (2022) and Heat (2022) also incurring said penalties. Chicago had its second-rounder from last year taken away on account of the franchise's misdeed, so it's not a completely foreign concept to it.
Philadelphia will face the same penalty in 2024. Given the way its season ended, that doesn't appear to be a good thing for a rotation that was ineffective for large spells of the playoffs.
