Tap here to view theScore's NBA Draft tracker, which includes the draft order and results, latest transactions, and rumors.
The true impact of a single draft can't be measured for years, and despite the preparation and diligence that goes into each team's planning and execution on draft night, not even the best scout can know for certain.
Nevertheless, everyone wants to evaluate their team after one of the biggest basketball nights of the year, so here's our take on the teams that made the most of draft night, and the teams that left their fans wanting more.
Winner: Minnesota Timberwolves
It's rare to find a big man with both offensive versatility and the defensive upside of Karl-Anthony Towns. He can shoot and score in a variety of ways, but his calling card is at the other end, where his defensive mobility - in addition to his shot-blocking instincts - makes Towns a good fit for the modern, pick-and-roll-heavy NBA.
It's also rare for a team to be able to add two players like Towns and Tyus Jones in the span of a few hours, as they traded for the latter after Cleveland selected him 24th.
The T-Wolves seem to have landed a future two-way star to pair with the overwhelming two-way upside of Andrew Wiggins, giving Minnesota two legitimate pillars to rebuild with. Adding Jones, a steal at No. 24, was mere icing on the cake.
They face an uphill battle in the Western Conference, but you can finally see the pieces of an exciting future falling into place in the Twin Cities.
Winner: Los Angeles Lakers
Speaking of things you can see coming together, the Lakers may just be inching their way back.
D'Angelo Russell has superstar potential at the point, they got a couple of sleeper candidates in Larry Nance Jr. and Anthony Brown with the 27th and 34th picks, respectively, and they're a major player in star trade discussions and free agency again.
There's still work to do for a 61-loss team, but regardless of whether selecting a guard affects their chances of acquiring a star big man, the Lakers had a solid draft and have money to spend.
Winner: Philadelphia 76ers fans
Given the suffering 76ers fans have endured as Sam Hinkie and co. plan for the future, it was nice to see the franchise use a top-end pick on a player (Jahlil Okafor) who isn't in danger of missing his entire rookie season to injury and isn't a draft-and-stash prospect.
Drafting the best player available is always key for rebuilding teams, but the Sixers desperately needed someone their fans could see on the floor right away.
Loser: New York Knicks fans
Speaking of draft-and-stash players, the New York crowd's reaction to the selection of Kristaps Porzingis was as despicable as it was expected.
It was hard not to feel for the 19-year-old as boos rained down around him and his family simply because Knicks fans fear another European bust. Porzingis won't be in the NBA for a while, and he has deficiencies like every young prospect, but he's a phenomenally talented teenager who some believe could be the best player in this class when it's all said and done.
If he's as good as advertised, Porzingis can't possibly bring as much shame to the once-proud franchise as a pack of boisterous fans booing a kid because of where he comes from.
Winner: Miami Heat
Hey, Justise Winslow... Welcome to Miami, now get used to ppl misspelling your 1st name. I know a guy who dealt w/ the same thing :)
— Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) June 26, 2015
Perhaps Pat Riley made someone an offer they couldn't refuse.
That's about the only explanation most people could offer when Justise Winslow slipped to the Heat at No. 10. Winslow, a high-upside wing, was projected to be a top-eight pick virtually all season and was widely expected to go in the top seven on draft night.
It's an unexpected boon for Miami, and could quickly see Detroit and Charlotte rethink their decisions to take Stanley Johnson and Frank Kaminsky eighth and ninth, respectively.
Winner: Toronto Raptors
Toronto's intriguing offseason following their embarrassing sweep at the hands of the Washington Wizards began promisingly enough Thursday.
The Raptors didn't make any splashy moves or draft an off-the-board prospect no one had heard of, but they did turn their defensively inept backup point guard into two picks, including a future first-rounder, before drafting Greivis Vasquez's defensively superior replacement in Delon Wright.
Nabbing Norman Powell with the 46th pick, which came over from Milwaukee, was a nice way to cap a quietly impressive night for Masai Ujiri's men, who now own four first-rounders over the next two years.
Loser: Teams trading 1st-round picks
The expected output of a first-round pick - other than the very top prospects - is often grossly overestimated by fans, so trading later first-rounders for established rotation players who can contribute immediately shouldn't necessarily be frowned upon.
However, those picks are also valuable assets that shouldn't be surrendered on a whim - so it was surprising to see the Milwaukee Bucks toss in a future first (via the Los Angeles Clippers) for Vasquez, and even more shocking to see the Atlanta Hawks send the Knicks a top-20 pick (later used on Jerian Grant) for Tim Hardaway Jr.
Winner: Portland Trail Blazers
Considering they're expected to lose LaMarcus Aldridge in free agency, just traded Nicolas Batum, and are probably on the verge of dismantling a 51-win team (Wesley Matthews, Arron Afflalo, and Robin Lopez are all UFAs), the Blazers can't be winners in the traditional sense.
But they did well in turning their late first-rounder (Rondae Hollis-Jefferson) and a backup point guard (Steve Blake) into Mason Plumlee and Pat Connaughton, one of the draft's potential sleepers.
There may be a long road ahead, but shrewd and proactive asset management can expedite a rebuild.
Loser: Boston Celtics
The Celtics' plethora of additional picks in the coming years, their cap space, and their surprising 40-win season are often touted as reasons they're primed to make a significant leap in the near future. But Boston's playoff appearance had as much to do with the Eastern Conference as it did with the team's outlook, and for as many assets as the Celtics own, they don't currently house a surefire, franchise-level talent.
They didn't walk away from the 2015 draft with an impressive haul, either - they used their four picks between Nos. 16 and 45 on Terry Rozier, R.J. Hunter, Jordan Mickey, and Marcus Thornton. Hunter was a fine pick, but Rozier was certainly a reach, and the whole night felt like a disappointment for a team well-positioned to improve.
Winner: Chicago Bulls
You have to be lucky to be good, and the Bulls certainly got lucky in having Bobby Portis fall to them at No. 22. It may not be a repeat of Jimmy Butler falling to Chicago at No. 30 four years ago, but Portis is a nice addition to a team that already fancies itself an East contender.
Winner: Golden State Warriors
With a hip injury sending Kevon Looney tumbling down big boards, the floor-spacing, playmaking UCLA power forward became one of the potential sleepers of the draft. That he fell to the 67-win champs seems almost unfair.
3 additional questions
- Does the selection of Emmanuel Mudiay signify the end of Ty Lawson's time in Denver?
- How much value does Roy Hibbert have left on the trade market? The team reportedly planned to move forward without the Indiana Pacers center, who opted into his $15.5-million option for next season after the Pacers selected center Myles Turner 11th overall.
- Was San Antonio using its first-rounder on a draft-and-stash European (Nikola Milutinov) just the Spurs being the Spurs, or an indication the five-time champs are keeping their cap sheet clear for a summer of free agent spending?
