FUTURE DRAFT GAMES THREAD - 2/9/2025

[durantbird]

Frank Layden Draft

Any player who ever played for:
Utah (head coach)
Atlanta (assistant coach)

And the three teams he faced in second round:
Lakers
Denver
Pheonix

[Laimbeer]

With all due respect, I assumed Frank Layden had passed a long time ago.

[Fadeaway_J]

Yeah I think a Frank Layden draft is a bit of a stretch.

[Snakebites]

The Other Leagues Draft

Only teams who have been part of basketball leagues not considered part of the NBA's history are included. Note: the NBA considers the BAA- the origin of the Celtics, Knicks, Warriors and a few others, to be part of its own history.

The draft would include:

Lakers
Pistons
Hawks
Kings
Sixers

- These teams were part of the NBL, which folded and those teams joined the BAA

It of course would also include the 4 teams who came over from the ABA.

Spurs
Pacers
Nuggets
Nets

[durantbird]

The Other Leagues Draft

Only teams who have been part of basketball leagues not considered part of the NBA's history are included. Note: the NBA considers the BAA- the origin of the Celtics, Knicks, Warriors and a few others, to be part of its own history.

The draft would include:

Lakers
Pistons
Hawks
Kings
Sixers

- These teams were part of the NBL, which folded and those teams joined the BAA

It of course would also include the 4 teams who came over from the ABA.

Spurs
Pacers
Nuggets
Nets

Which timeframe you had in mind?

[Snakebites]

The Other Leagues Draft

Only teams who have been part of basketball leagues not considered part of the NBA's history are included. Note: the NBA considers the BAA- the origin of the Celtics, Knicks, Warriors and a few others, to be part of its own history.

The draft would include:

Lakers
Pistons
Hawks
Kings
Sixers

- These teams were part of the NBL, which folded and those teams joined the BAA

It of course would also include the 4 teams who came over from the ABA.

Spurs
Pacers
Nuggets
Nets

Which timeframe you had in mind?

Hadn't researched it. I think the merger (when the second crop of teams joined the league) seems natural. Could go back to the 60s though. Missing a lot of classic MVPs.

[durantbird]

Playoff Upsets, 1994 and on

Warriors–Mavericks (2007, 8th seed over 1st seed)

Grizzlies–Spurs (2011, 8th seed over 1st seed)

Heat–Bucks (2023, 8th seed over 1st seed)

76ers–Bulls (2012, 8th seed over 1st seed)

Hawks–76ers (2021, 5th seed over 1st seed)

Nuggets–Sonics (1994, 8th seed over 1st seed)

Knicks–Heat (1999, 8th seed over 1st seed)

[Dr Positivity]

How about a simple 2020s draft?

[Snakebites]

To be honest I was a tad relieved the other game didn’t make it. Could use a bit of time.

[durantbird]

How about a simple 2020s draft?

I like the idea even though we probably should do it again at the end of the decade.


I hope the games will still be active by then

[Dr Positivity]

80s/90s draft + one 00-09 player.

[durantbird]

80s/90s draft + one 00-09 player.

Interesting. We can also do a 2010s draft. I guess it was done but we can do a redux.

[durantbird]

Last Franchises To Secure #1 Draft Spot

Suns Minny Pelicans Raptors Wizards Bulls Magic Charlotte Nets Clippers Spurs Dallas

List curated using ChatGPT's Deep Research (which is reliable, unlike a simple query for a question like this):

Spoiler:

Got it — I’ll compile a list of the 12 NBA franchises that were the last to receive their first-ever #1 overall draft pick, based on official franchise continuity (e.g., Thunder includes Sonics, Hornets include Bobcats, etc.). I’ll include the year and player selected for each team’s first #1 pick.

I’ll let you know as soon as I have the list ready.


# Last NBA Franchises to Secure Their First #1 Pick

The following 12 current NBA franchises finally made their first-ever No. 1 overall draft pick in the years shown (franchise histories are combined as noted, e.g. Charlotte Hornets includes Bobcats; Oklahoma City Thunder includes Seattle). They are listed here in ascending order of the year of that pick:

1. **Dallas Mavericks** – *1981: Mark Aguirre*. An expansion team in 1980, Dallas used its first draft in 1981 to take Aguirre No. 1 overall. (This was the Mavs’ first-ever #1 pick in franchise history.)

2. **San Antonio Spurs** – *1987: David Robinson*. The Spurs (originally ABA’s San Antonio franchise) did not have a #1 pick until drafting Robinson in 1987. Notably, Robinson didn’t debut until 1989 due to his Naval service, but the 1987 draft was the franchise’s first top pick.

3. **Los Angeles Clippers** – *1988: Danny Manning*. After relocating from Buffalo/San Diego, the Clippers got their first #1 pick in 1988 and selected Manning. (The franchise had been in the league since 1970 as Buffalo/San Diego but never held the top pick until 1988.)

4. **Brooklyn Nets** – *1990: Derrick Coleman*. The Nets (then New Jersey) made their first No. 1 pick in 1990, selecting Coleman. This came decades after the franchise began (as an ABA team), marking the first time they landed the top lottery spot.

5. **Charlotte Hornets** – *1991: Larry Johnson*. The original Charlotte Hornets (now the Charlotte Hornets/Bobcats franchise) got their first #1 pick three years after expansion; in 1991 they drafted Johnson. (Charlotte’s modern franchise continuity includes the Bobcats years, but the first #1 came in 1991.)

6. **Orlando Magic** – *1992: Shaquille O’Neal*. The Magic (expansion 1989) won the 1992 lottery and chose Shaquille O’Neal No. 1 – the franchise’s first-ever top pick. This pick famously jump-started Orlando’s early success.

7. **Chicago Bulls** – *1999: Elton Brand*. Surprisingly, Chicago – founded in 1966 – waited until 1999 to get its first #1 pick, using it on Brand. The Bulls had been a strong team historically, so Brand’s selection marked the franchise’s first-ever top lottery pick.

8. **Washington Wizards** – *2001: Kwame Brown*. The Wizards franchise (originally the Chicago Packers/Zephyrs, then Baltimore/Washington Bullets) had never had a #1 pick until winning it in 2001 and taking Brown. (This was the first #1 pick in the team’s long history.)

9. **Toronto Raptors** – *2006: Andrea Bargnani*. The Raptors (an expansion team in 1995) made their first No. 1 pick in 2006, selecting Bargnani. Notably, Toronto had actually won the #1 lottery in 1996 but was obliged to forfeit it due to the expansion rules; 2006 was their first actual #1 pick.

10. **New Orleans Pelicans** – *2012: Anthony Davis*. The franchise (which began as the Charlotte Hornets in 1988, moved to New Orleans in 2002, and later became the Pelicans) finally received its first-ever #1 pick in 2012, taking Anthony Davis. (This came via the draft lottery; it was the first #1 pick since the team’s relocation from Charlotte.)

11. **Minnesota Timberwolves** – *2015: Karl-Anthony Towns*. An expansion team in 1989, Minnesota waited 26 seasons for its first top pick. In 2015 the Timberwolves won the lottery and drafted Towns No. 1 – the franchise’s first #1 overall selection.

12. **Phoenix Suns** – *2018: Deandre Ayton*. The Suns (expansion 1968) had endured a 50-year drought without a #1 pick. In 2018 they finally won the lottery and took Ayton, marking the first time Phoenix had drafted No. 1 overall in its history.

Each franchise above is listed by its current name, along with the year and player of its first #1 overall pick. The citations point to official draft history sources confirming the year and player for each pick.

**Sources:** Official NBA draft histories for each franchise (see lines cited for year/team/player).

[Fadeaway_J]

Finals Losers Draft (would prefer a less pejorative title ): only players with a losing record in the finals eligible

Going back to 1960 that gives us:

Wilt
West
Dr J
Moses
Ewing
Mailman
Chuck
T-Mac
LeBron
CP3
Harden
Luka

Plus a solid group of supporting stars

[Laimbeer]

Pigeon hole draft. Players must have played 100% of their time at one position in the season selected per basketball reference.

Bench draft players must have come off the bench in more games than they started in the season selected.

Sent from my Pixel 6 using RealGM mobile app

[durantbird]

Pigeon hole draft. Players must have played 100% of their time at one position in the season selected per basketball reference.

Bench draft players must have come off the bench in more games than they started in the season selected.

Sent from my Pixel 6 using RealGM mobile app

Sounds like some of the most tedious research work ever

[kdawg32086]

Ideas:
1) Since football season is coming, an NFL cities draft (current cities with NBA teams only).
2) Dream Team Draft where only teams with a player in the season that they played for the 1992, 1994, or 1996 Dream Team's are eligible.
3) No top 10 Cities Draft, where only players from the 20 teams in the smallest cities in the league are eligible to be drafted
4) No 3 point fetish draft, where no player can be drafted during a season where they shot higher than .400 from 3.
5) No Big 4 Sports Draft, where only players in the season where they played for NBA teams that do not share a city with another Big 4 (NFL, MLB, NHL) team are eligible.

[Laimbeer]

No Big 4 Sports Draft seems interesting and challenging. Limited to 8 or so? May be missing some. List of alphas excludes George, Howard, Victor, Dame, Stockton, Penny

Memphis
OKC - SGA, Durant
Orlando - McGrady, Shaq
Portland - Walton
Sacramento
Utah - Malone
San Antonio - Duncan, DRob, Kawhi

[Snakebites]

I’m probably out for a while. Work is all consuming right now.

[durantbird]

No big 4 sounds like a solid pool. Not starting anything because I'm on a vacation until Monday