The 2023 NBA Draft had some clear winners, but for various reasons. Let’s look at some of the teams that came out of the draft in a better situation.
San Antonio Spurs
For obvious reason the Spurs are the biggest winner of the draft. They were awarded the No. 1 pick in the lottery and selected Victor Wembanyama. It is said that he is the best prospect ever. Better than LeBron James, who was insanely hyped up in 2003. That alone has people thinking that the Spurs can compete for a playoff spot this season after having one of the worst records in the league last season.
Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers got gifted Scoot Henderson, who was clouted as a player who could have gone No. 1 in a handful of recent drafts. They got him third overall. If Dame Lillard has the patience to stay around and play with Scoot, they could be way better than the Blazer teams with Dame and CJ McCollum that made playoff runs in the 2010s. Portland also got Kris Murray, brother of the Kings’ Keegan Murray, with the 23rd pick which may have been a steal too.
Sacramento Kings
It wasn’t a huge draft day for the Kings but they were big winners. Sacramento traded their pick, No. 24 overall, to unload Richaun Holmes’ contract. This opened up a ton of cap space which the Kings now have $30 million of. This means they can go after a big free agent this summer such as Christian Wood, Khris Middleton, Kyle Kuzma, Jerami Grant, etc. Stay tuned for how the Kings won big on Thursday night.
Photo Credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Damian_Lillard_against_the_Cleveland_Cavaliers.jpg
