The 2021 NBA Draft featured a highly regarded group of prospects
at the top of the board. Detroit selected Oklahoma State star
Cade Cunningham first overall, followed by Houston taking G League
Ignite guard Jalen Green and Cleveland selecting USC big man
Evan Mobley.
Toronto made one of the draft's most important selections at No. 4,
choosing Florida State forward Scottie Barnes. Orlando selected
Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs fifth, while Oklahoma City added Australian
guard Josh Giddey at No. 6.
The draft also became notable for its depth. Franz Wagner, Alperen
Sengun, Trey Murphy III, Jalen Johnson, Cam Thomas, Quentin Grimes,
Herbert Jones and Ayo Dosunmu were among the productive players
selected outside the top seven.
Draft night featured extensive trading. Several selections changed
teams immediately, including Ziaire Williams, Alperen Sengun,
Tre Mann, Kai Jones, Isaiah Jackson, Usman Garuba, Josh Christopher,
Quentin Grimes and Santi Aldama.
2021 NBA Draft - First Round
| Pick |
Team |
Player |
School/Club |
Trade/Notes |
| 1 | Detroit Pistons | Cade Cunningham | Oklahoma State | |
| 2 | Houston Rockets | Jalen Green | G League Ignite | |
| 3 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Evan Mobley | USC | |
| 4 | Toronto Raptors | Scottie Barnes | Florida State | |
| 5 | Orlando Magic | Jalen Suggs | Gonzaga | |
| 6 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Josh Giddey | Adelaide 36ers | |
| 7 | Golden State Warriors | Jonathan Kuminga | G League Ignite | |
| 8 | Orlando Magic | Franz Wagner | Michigan | |
| 9 | Sacramento Kings | Davion Mitchell | Baylor | |
| 10 | New Orleans Pelicans | Ziaire Williams | Stanford | Traded to Memphis Grizzlies |
| 11 | Charlotte Hornets | James Bouknight | Connecticut | |
| 12 | San Antonio Spurs | Joshua Primo | Alabama | |
| 13 | Indiana Pacers | Chris Duarte | Oregon | |
| 14 | Golden State Warriors | Moses Moody | Arkansas | |
| 15 | Washington Wizards | Corey Kispert | Gonzaga | |
| 16 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Alperen Şengün | Beşiktaş | Traded to Houston Rockets |
| 17 | Memphis Grizzlies | Trey Murphy III | Virginia | Traded to New Orleans Pelicans |
| 18 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Tre Mann | Florida | |
| 19 | New York Knicks | Kai Jones | Texas | Traded to Charlotte Hornets |
| 20 | Atlanta Hawks | Jalen Johnson | Duke | |
| 21 | New York Knicks | Keon Johnson | Tennessee | Traded to LA Clippers |
| 22 | Los Angeles Lakers | Isaiah Jackson | Kentucky | Traded to Indiana Pacers |
| 23 | Houston Rockets | Usman Garuba | Real Madrid | |
| 24 | Houston Rockets | Josh Christopher | Arizona State | |
| 25 | LA Clippers | Quentin Grimes | Houston | Traded to New York Knicks |
| 26 | Denver Nuggets | Nah'Shon "Bones" Hyland | VCU | |
| 27 | Brooklyn Nets | Cam Thomas | LSU | |
| 28 | Philadelphia 76ers | Jaden Springer | Tennessee | |
| 29 | Phoenix Suns | Day'Ron Sharpe | North Carolina | Traded to Brooklyn Nets |
| 30 | Utah Jazz | Santi Aldama | Loyola (MD) | Traded to Memphis Grizzlies |
2021 NBA Draft - Second Round
| Pick |
Team |
Player |
School/Club |
Trade/Notes |
| 31 | Milwaukee Bucks | Isaiah Todd | G League Ignite | Traded to Washington Wizards via Indiana |
| 32 | New York Knicks | Jeremiah Robinson-Earl | Villanova | Traded to Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 33 | Orlando Magic | Jason Preston | Ohio | Traded to LA Clippers |
| 34 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Rokas Jokubaitis | Žalgiris Kaunas | Traded to New York Knicks |
| 35 | New Orleans Pelicans | Herbert Jones | Alabama | |
| 36 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Miles McBride | West Virginia | Traded to New York Knicks |
| 37 | Detroit Pistons | JT Thor | Auburn | Traded to Charlotte Hornets |
| 38 | Chicago Bulls | Ayo Dosunmu | Illinois | |
| 39 | Sacramento Kings | Neemias Queta | Utah State | |
| 40 | New Orleans Pelicans | Jared Butler | Baylor | Traded to Utah Jazz via Memphis |
| 41 | San Antonio Spurs | Joe Wieskamp | Iowa | |
| 42 | Detroit Pistons | Isaiah Livers | Michigan | |
| 43 | New Orleans Pelicans | Greg Brown III | Texas | Traded to Portland Trail Blazers |
| 44 | Brooklyn Nets | Kessler Edwards | Pepperdine | |
| 45 | Boston Celtics | Juhann Begarin | Paris Basketball | |
| 46 | Toronto Raptors | Dalano Banton | Nebraska | |
| 47 | Toronto Raptors | David Johnson | Louisville | |
| 48 | Atlanta Hawks | Sharife Cooper | Auburn | |
| 49 | Brooklyn Nets | Marcus Zegarowski | Creighton | |
| 50 | Philadelphia 76ers | Filip Petrušev | Mega Soccerbet | |
| 51 | Memphis Grizzlies | Brandon "BJ" Boston Jr. | Kentucky | Traded to LA Clippers via New Orleans |
| 52 | Detroit Pistons | Luka Garza | Iowa | |
| 53 | Philadelphia 76ers | Charles Bassey | Western Kentucky | |
| 54 | Indiana Pacers | Sandro Mamukelashvili | Seton Hall | Traded to Milwaukee Bucks |
| 55 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Aaron Wiggins | Maryland | |
| 56 | Charlotte Hornets | Scottie Lewis | Florida | |
| 57 | Charlotte Hornets | Balsa Koprivica | Florida State | Traded to Detroit Pistons |
| 58 | New York Knicks | Jericho Sims | Texas | |
| 59 | Brooklyn Nets | RaiQuan Gray | Florida State | |
| 60 | Indiana Pacers | Georgios Kalaitzakis | Panathinaikos | Traded to Milwaukee Bucks |
2021 NBA Draft Notes
Cade Cunningham: Detroit selected Oklahoma State
guard Cade Cunningham first overall. He became the first player
the Pistons selected No. 1 overall since Bob Lanier in 1970.
Top three: Jalen Green went second to Houston
and Evan Mobley third to Cleveland. Green became one of the
highest-drafted players to come directly from the NBA G League
pathway, while Mobley quickly established himself as one of the
league's leading young defensive big men.
Scottie Barnes: Toronto selected Florida State
forward Scottie Barnes fourth overall. Barnes won the 2021-22
NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
Orlando's lottery: Orlando held two top-eight
picks and selected Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs fifth and Michigan
forward Franz Wagner eighth.
G League Ignite: Jalen Green was selected second
overall and Jonathan Kuminga seventh, making the inaugural Ignite
roster an immediate source of high lottery talent. Isaiah Todd
was later selected in the second round.
Alperen Şengün: Oklahoma City selected Turkish
center Alperen Şengün with the 16th pick before trading his
rights to Houston for future first-round selections.
Trey Murphy III: Memphis selected Virginia wing
Trey Murphy III at No. 17 before his rights went to New Orleans
as part of the larger trade involving the Pelicans and Grizzlies.
Knicks-Clippers trade: New York selected
Tennessee guard Keon Johnson at No. 21 and traded his rights
to the LA Clippers. The Clippers selected Houston guard Quentin
Grimes at No. 25 and sent his rights to New York.
Isaiah Jackson: The Los Angeles Lakers selected
Kentucky big man Isaiah Jackson with the 22nd pick. His rights
were eventually acquired by Indiana in a multi-team transaction
that also involved Brooklyn, San Antonio and Washington.
Westbrook trade: One of the biggest transactions
of draft night occurred away from the draft board when Washington
agreed to trade Russell Westbrook to the Los Angeles Lakers. The
deal was later completed as part of a larger multi-team transaction.
Cam Thomas: Brooklyn selected LSU guard Cam
Thomas 27th overall. Thomas later developed into one of the
highest-scoring players selected outside the lottery in the class.
Herbert Jones: New Orleans selected Alabama
forward Herbert Jones with the 35th pick. Jones quickly earned
a reputation as one of the league's top perimeter defenders.
Ayo Dosunmu: Chicago selected Illinois guard
Ayo Dosunmu with the 38th pick, allowing the Chicago native and
University of Illinois star to begin his NBA career with his
hometown Bulls.
Neemias Queta: Sacramento selected Utah State
center Neemias Queta 39th overall. Queta became the first
Portuguese player selected in an NBA Draft.
International class: The draft included Josh
Giddey, Alperen Şengün, Usman Garuba, Santi Aldama, Rokas
Jokubaitis, Juhann Begarin, Filip Petrušev, Sandro Mamukelashvili
and Georgios Kalaitzakis among its international selections.
Draft depth: The 2021 class produced significant
talent throughout the first round and into the second. Players
selected outside the lottery included Şengün, Murphy, Jalen
Johnson, Cam Thomas, Grimes, Herbert Jones and Dosunmu.
Final selection: Indiana selected Greek guard
Georgios Kalaitzakis with the 60th and final pick before his
draft rights were traded to Milwaukee.
