It was apparent from the opening tip Thursday night that this year’s NBA Draft was going to be a bit unusual and full of surprises.
The Cleveland Cavaliers set the tone when they stunned just about everyone, including Anthony Bennett, by selecting Bennett with the first overall pick.
And the surprises kept rolling in — especially early in the draft when Nerlens Noel, whom many thought would be the top pick “fell” to No. 6 and the New Orleans Pelicans.
Noel’s time with the Pelicans was short-lived, as he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, and the trade floodgates were open.
In all, there were eight trades involving first-round picks. And while he wasn’t the first pick of the draft, Noel was the first draft pick to be traded Thursday night.
In his only season at Kentucky, he averaged 10.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game and blocked 106 shots. However, he had an operation March 12 to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and is not expected to be back in action until mid-December.
That might have scared off Cleveland and four other teams from selecting the Noel, 19. However, Philadelphia liked what it saw in the shot-blocking wizard during his time under John Calipari. The Sixers traded All-Star point guard Jrue Holliday and the 42nd pick in Thursday’s draft for Noel and a protected 2014 first-round pick.
“They’ve got a great organization there, too. I’m just staying positive about everything,” Noel told ESPN while still wearing a Pelicans hat and discussing his future in Philadelphia. “It shows how much confidence they have in me. I’m just looking to get down there and work hard.”
Noel also told USA Today Sports that he will remember that five teams passed on him.
“Oh yeah, I’m going to make them pay,” he said.
Noel was far from the only big name traded during the draft.
The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Michigan All-America point guard Trey Burke with the ninth pick and promptly shipped him to the Utah Jazz for underachieving Shabazz Muhammad (UCLA, No. 14) and Gorgui Dieng (Louisville, No. 21).
Burke is a 6-foot, 190-pounder who left Michigan after his sophomore season. He was the consensus 2013 national player of the year.
Burke will compete with Mo Williams to be the starting point guard in Utah. Burke, who led the Wolverines to the national title game last year, is well versed in the pick-and-roll game and should thrive in the Jazz system with young core that includes Enes Kanter, Alec Burks and Gordon Hayward.
Muhammad entered UCLA as one of the most heralded freshmen in his class. Scouts said that while he post solid numbers — 17.9 points per game — Muhammad never fit in and did not show the skills needed to be an elite NBA player.
The Boston Celtics, who later in the evening put their rebuilding mode into full swing by trading Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets, acquired Gonzaga’s Kelly Olynyk (No. 13) in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks. Boston shipped its first-round pick, Brazilian center Lucas Nogueira (No. 16 overall), and a pair of 2014 second-round picks to Dallas for the 7-foot Olynyk.
The Mavs weren’t finished with Nogueira, as he was packaged along with guard Jared Cunningham (the 24th pick last year) and the No. 44 pick to Atlanta for the Hawks’ 18th pick this year, which turned out to be Shane Larkin, a point guard from Miami.
Other notable first-round picks who were on the move Thursday night were Colorado’s Andre Roberson, Kentucky’s Archie Goodwin and 7-foot-1 Ruby Gobert of France, who has a 7-foot-9 wingspan.
The second round started with the Cavaliers trading their third pick of the night — guard Allen Crabbe of Cal — to the Portland Trail Blazers for a pair of future second-round picks.
Glen Rice Jr. and scoring machine Nate Wolters from South Dakota State were drafted by the Sixers and Wizards, respectively, and then traded for each other.
In a deal involving young veteran big men, the Denver Nuggets sent Kosta Koufos to Memphis for Darrell Arthur and the 55th pick in the draft. Koufos saw plenty of playing time under former coach George Karl, despite Nuggets management wanting Karl to play JaVale McGee, who had been signed to a $40 million contract.