2018 NBA Draft Day Trades

1st round
Hawks trades #3 (Luke Doncic) to Mavs for #5 (Trae Young) and Mavs 2019 1st rd pick
Mavs get the guy they want, throwing in an extra 1st round pick (lottery protected) is worth it--the Mavs will be more than happy to send that pick out next summer. And the Hawks get the guy they want and a bonus 1st rounder next year. Good move for both teams.

Hornets trade #11 (Shai Gilegeous-Alexander) to Clippers for #12 (Miles Bridges) and 2 future 2nd round picks
So the Clippers, a team unlikely to play rookies and whose best offensive weapon is PG Lou Williams, end up picking two PG's on the day PG Austin Rivers picked up his option? Ooookay, there's a master plan at work that I don't see I guess. And the Hornets who are likely needing a replacement (sooner or later) for ball dominant PG Kemba Walker traded away the top PG available for another defensive minded SF, when they already have a collection of those? Uhhhh....okay. I don't get this trade--oh, wait, the Hornets get a coupla Clippers 2nd round picks, too, so, yeah, it all makes sense now.

Sixers trade #10 (Mikal Bridges) to Suns for #16 (Zhaire Smith) and Heat 2021 1st rd pick
The Suns trade up for a promising SF and all it cost them was a far off in the future 1st round pick from a team that doesn't like to lose; this was a low cost step up for them (though I kinda like Smith in a Suns uni). The Sixers get a good defensive-minded wingman (to platoon with Covington, I presume) and get to throw another Hinkie-esque future 1st rounder on the pile. Since the Sixers couldn't trade up, they did well to trade back.


2nd round
Hornets get #34 (Devote Graham); Hawks get two 2nd round picks
Okay, well, those picks the Hornets got from the Clippers went to Atlanta for Devonte Graham...so he's their PG of the future? Or perhaps they didn't really care for Gilgeous-Alexander and worked it for a 2nd rounder? Still feels like the Hornets worked really hard to get a so-so player with a so-so pick. Hawks get some future 2nd rounders to feed their process. (I thought this pick was trade bait, but I thought it would be Gary Trent going to Golden State)

Blazers get #37 (Gary Trent Jr); Kings get two 2nd round picks and cash
(I thought Gary Trent was trade bait...I kinda had it) Blazers get another combo guard to throw on the pile (McCollum is on the way out?). Kings get future 2nd rounders to feed their process, which is better than another youngster now, they've got a full bodied youth movement already.

Pistons get #38 (Khyri Thomas); Sixers get two 2nd round picks
Pistons get an intriguing combo guard in the 2nd round, a low cost method to add some young talent. Sixers...shit, man, they invented the process--did 2nd round picks even exist before Sam Hinkie?

Nuggets get #41 (Jarred Vanderbilt); Magic get #43 (Justin Jackson), a future 2nd rd pick
The Nuggets get a terrific athlete that won't probably make their roster; the Magic swap out one athlete for another and get a bonus 2nd rounder. I wouldn't have paid that much for Vanderbilt but if he's the guy they wanted then it was worth it, I guess.

Thunder get #45 (Hamado Diallo); Hornets get cash (just cash?)
If the Thunder were looking for low cost wing scoring, they probably could've done better than Diallo. As for the Hornets, new GM Mitch Kupchak has made a ton of moves lately but does this add up: they traded #11 to get #12 and two 2nd rd picks, when they already had a 2nd round pick that they didn't want...? Wha...? Is Kupchak getting paid by the transaction?

Rockets get #52 (Vince Edwards); Jazz get cash
So were the Rockets targeting Edwards or was #52 the best pick they could afford? At this point in the draft, why not just wait for him to go undrafted and then sign him as a super-cheap free agent? Jazz didn't need the pick, got paid for it.

Mavs get #56 (Ray Spalding) and #60 (Kostas Antetokounpo); Sixers get #54 (Shake Milton)
I kinda like Milton, thought he had a better shot at making the league with the Mavs rather than the Sixers but he's probably a G-Leaguer either way. Mavs get an Antetokounpo sibling to go with their Curry sibling and an interesting big man. Pretty even trade, none of these guys will matter but Spalding probably gets a better shot in Dallas than in Philly.