2021 NBA Draft: Live Updates from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center; Cade Cunningham taken first by Detroit Pistons

NEW YORK – The 2021 NBA Draft is annual event that introduces the world to the next generations of stars. Essentially, the future is now.

Tonight, Blue Star Media’s Senior Writer Christopher Lawlor is covering the draft live and will provide updates throughout the night from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.

He’s seen most players play live at the prep, summer circuit or college levels and will add tidbits from the night and provide commentary on the first round selections.

The current order, as of Thursday, is posted below. Expect trades and shock picks because the draft never goes as planned. We’ll fill in each player when he is selected.

Hope you are enjoying the NBA Draft and our live presentation. – Christopher Lawlor

Notes on the Fly

Here are some tidbits that are spicing up the evening.

► In the first trade of Draft Day, the Nets acquired the 29^th overall pick and defensive-minded guard Jevon Carter from the Western Conference champion Suns for Landry Shamet. Nets GM Sean marks desperately wanted to move into the first round again and did. Is he done?

► Veteran guard Russell Westbrook is going home after a trade to the Los Angeles. The Wizards shipped the NBA’s leading scorer (30.1 ppg) last season and second round picks in 2024 and 2028 for Kyle Kuzma, Montrel Harrell and Kantavious Caldwell-Pope and the 2021 first round pick. The Lakers are back in busy with a new “Big 3” with Anthony Davis and LeBron James. Westbrook attended Leuzinger High School in Lawndale and UCLA.

► In a touching moment, the NBA drafted Terrence Clarke, the former Kentucky Wildcats star, who tragically died in a car accident in April. Terrence, 20, would have been drafted. His mother, sister and brother walked up to the stage and were greet by Commissioner Adam Silver. He received a standing ovation. That’s a tremendous gesture.

► Only seven college seniors were drafted which is lowest amount since modern era draft in 1966.

First Round

Player, Height, College/Previous Club/Country, Comment

1. Detroit Pistons: Cade Cunningham, 6-8, Oklahoma State. The worst kept secret in league circles was the versatile Cunningham going to Motown. The Texan is a terrific playmaker, shooter and defender. The Big 12 Player of the Year will assist the turnaround.

2. Houston Rockets: Jalen Green, 6-6, NBA G League Ignite. Explosive and dynamic; he can shoot off the bounce. Plenty of spring in his legs. Must work on his defense. Green is the first prep-to-the-pros of the draft.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers: Evan Mobley, 7-0, USC. He’s a versatile defender and will shred the pick-and-roll. He was the Pac-12 Player of the Year and has a 7-4 wingspan. He’s unique because can stretch the floor and goes full speed and 94 feet.

4. Toronto Raptors: Scottie Barnes, 6-8, Florida State: He has point guard skills and can guard all five positions on the floor. Smart player. Led Florida State in assists, showing unselfishness and court vision. Shooting mechanics need polish but great upside. Canada is getting a winner.

5. Orlando Magic: Jalen Suggs, 6-4, Gonzaga. A dynamic point guard who credits his football background for his success on the hardwood. A floor general with a high IQ and excels in the pick-and-roll. Great passer and can score the basketball. The Magic is on the rebuild with a new coach and this is a great addition.

6. Oklahoma City Thunder: Josh Giddey, 6-9, Australia. The fifth Australian taken in the first round. A surprise pick but might be the smartest player in the draft. Great passer.

7. Golden State Warriors (from Minnesota): Jonathan Kuminga, 6-8, NBA G League Ignite: He’s from the Democratic Republic of Congo but attended high school at Our Savior New American (N.Y.) and Patrick School (N.J.). He locks in on defense. Tremendous rebounder and athlete. The Warriors need a defensive ace to complement their offensive weapons. He’s a San Francisco Treat in the making.

8. Orlando Magic (from Chicago): Franz Wagner, 6-9, Michigan: Has 57 pro games in Germany under his belt. His brother plays for the Magic. The German has a 7-foot wingspan. Moves well without the ball. Defensively he’s a gem and excels in transition.

9. Sacramento Kings: Davion Mitchell, 6-1, Baylor: Great relentless on-ball defender and student of the game. Engineered the offense for the National Champion Baylor Bears. Started out at Auburn before transferring. The Kings needed an infusion of young talent and found it.

10. New Orleans Pelicans: Ziaire Williams, 6-9, Stanford. His athleticism, skill, size and length made Ziaire a lottery pick. He’s highest drafted Cardinal since 2008. His numbers may not reflect first round but that’s misleading.

11. Charlotte Hornets: James Bouknight, 6-4, Connecticut. He can flat-out score (18.5 ppg) and is gifted shot maker. He brings a toughness out of UConn coach Dan Hurley’s stable. Will contribute immediately but needs to raise his shooting percentage from beyond the arc.

12. San Antonio Spurs: Joshua Primo, 6-6, Alabama. The youngest player in the draft. Size and versatility at both ends of the floor. Has a high ceiling and great ball-handler. Can fill it up from 3-point range. The Spurs needed to address their depth after going 33-39 for 10^th int the Western Conference.

13. Indiana Pacers: Chris Duarte, 6-6, Oregon. He’s oldest player in the draft. Born in Canada and then moved to the Dominican Republic. Efficient shooter from all levels. Excellent defender. Only fourth Dominican taken in the NBA Draft.

14. Golden State Warriors: Moses Moody, 6-6, Arkansas. He’s the second pick of the night for the Warriors. He was high on their draft board. Moves well without the ball and can score it. Slasher. Curry and Thompson will appreciate his offense. Contests everything on defense. Solid get for the City by the Bay. Third player from Montverde (Fla.) Academy selected so far.

15. Washington Wizards: Corey Kispert, 6-7, Gonzaga. The second Zag, joining Jalen Suggs, taken in the first round. A disciplined player and an elite shooter. Great catch and shooter. Sweet mid-range floater. Has improved each year over four years under coach Mark Few. He’ll play the same role as in college and will excel in transition and play his role alongside Bradley Beal. He’s the first player selected after the lottery picks came off the board.

16. Houston Rockets (from Oklahoma City Thunder via Boston): Alperen Sengun, 7-0, Besiktas, Turkey. Highly skilled. Can pass and shoot. He’s fearless from 3-point land. Averaged 19 points and 9 rebounds in the Turkish Super League. Following the trade, he’s one of fourth first rounders for the Rockets. Nice size and length are a plus for the team with the worse record last season.

17. Memphis Grizzlies: Trey Murphy III, 6-9, Virginia. His stock took off this spring and combines shooting and length. Features a 7-1 wingspan. He transferred to UVa from Rice. Can shoot it from deep with consistency. Final destination won’t be Memphis.

18. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Miami): Tre Mann, 6-4, Florida. Pick and roll scorer. Good handle and can step back to bury it. Creates space off the dribble. Improved last season from the scoring and shooting percentage.

19. Charlotte Hornets (from New York Knicks): Kai Jones, 7-0, Texas. Grew up in the Bahamas but came to New Hampshire to play at Brewster Academy. Long strides with a bounce. Nice shooting touch from three. Has high release and a 7-1 wingspan. The Hornets went with Bouknight with their first pick and now they go with size.

20. Atlanta Hawks: Jalen Johnson, 6-9, Duke. Played in only 13 games at Duke. Shrewd selection. Capable of a double-double. Skilled in transition and a very good passer. Playmaking skills. Defensive skills are in place. Played high school at IMG Academy (Fla.).

21. Los Angeles Clippers (from New York Knicks via Dallas): Keon Johnson, 6-5, Tennessee. Has a 48-inch vertical leap, an NBA Combine record. Tremendous motor. Could be a real steal. Most experts had him going in the lottery (top-14 picks). Good hoop bloodlines because mom played ball at Auburn. Freakish, explosive athlete. Draws fouls and gets to the line.

22. Los Angeles Lakers: Isaiah Jackson, 6-10, Kentucky. Led the SEC in blocked shots in 18 games. It is the 12^th straight year a Kentucky player was taken in the first round. Great hops and protects the rim. Great offensive rebounder. Good feet. Will guard multiple positions.

23. Houston Rockets (from Portland): Usman Garuba, 6-8, Spain: The best motor in the draft. Played many minutes with Real Madrid in the Spanish First Division. Playing for Spain at the Tokyo Olympics. The Rockets are amid a rebuild and this adds to the foundation.

24. Houston Rockets (from Milwaukee): Josh Christopher, 6-4, Arizona State. Thrives in transition with a solid handle. A combo-guard with nice shooting mechanics. Needs time to develop. The Rockets’ fourth pick of the first round and this goes a long way to reshuffling the deck.

25. New York Knicks (from Los Angeles Clippers): Quentin Grimes, 6-5, Houston. Started out at Kansas but transferred to Houston, where he was the American Player of the Year and led the Coogs to the Final Four. Super athlete. Obviously, the Knicks are aiming for the free agent market with $50 million in cap space. The Clippers made the picked but shipped him to Broadway.

26. Denver Nuggets: Bones Hyland, 6-4, VCU. A shot maker from distance and the reigning Atlantic 10 Player of the Year. Can space the floor and makes good decisions. Tremendous range. Will come off the bench, giving the Nuggets more depth.

27. Brooklyn Nets: Cameron Thomas, 6-4, LSU. Shoots off the bounce. Creates his shot. Pure scorer. Averaged 25 points per game as a freshman in the SEC. 90% from free-throw line. Has an edge and is a great pick this late in the first round. Played for legendary coach Steve Smith at Oak Hill Academy (Va.), where he is the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,500 points in two seasons.

28. Philadelphia 76ers: Jaden Springer, 6-4, Tennessee. Two-way guard with a nice skill set. Active hands. Good mid-range. Physical defender. Aggressive scorer. Dad played for Jim Valvano at Iona.

29. Brooklyn Nets (from Phoenix in draft night trade): Day’Ron, 6-9, North Carolina. Physical player. Soft hands. Fourth player taken from Montverde (Fla.) Academy. Made All-ACC Freshman Team. Another one-and-done from college.

30. Memphis Grizzlies (from Utah Jazz): Santi Aldama, 6-11, Loyola (Md.). MVP of the 2019 FIBA U18 European Championships. First Team All-Patriot League. A bit of a surprise selection but it’s a guaranteed contract and could be a long-term project. A double-double man for the Greyhounds. Can stretch the defense. A native of Spain. Another draft night trade.

Second Round

Player, Height, Former College/Team/Country

31. Milwaukee (from Houston): Isaiah Todd, 6-10, NBA G League Ignite
32. New York (from Detroit): Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, 6-9, Villanova
33. Orlando: Jason Preston 6-5, Ohio
34. Oklahoma City: Rokas Jokubaitis, 6-5, Lithuania
35. New Orleans (from Cleveland via Atlanta): Herbert Jones, 6-7, Alabama
36. Oklahoma City (from Minnesota via Golden State): Myles McBride, 6-2, West Virginia
37. Detroit (from Toronto via Brooklyn): JT Thor, 6-9, Auburn
38. Chicago (from New Orleans): Ayo Dosunmu, 6-5, Illinois
39. Sacramento: Neemias Queta, 7-0, Utah State
40. New Orleans (from Chicago): Jared Butler, 6-3, Baylor
41. San Antonio: Joe Wieskamp, 6-6, Iowa
42. Detroit (from Charlotte via New York): Isaiah Livers, 6-7, Michigan
43. Portland (from New Orleans): Greg Brown III, 6-9, Texas
44. Brooklyn (from Indiana): Kessler Edwards, 6-8, Pepperdine
45. Boston: Juhann Begarin, 6-6, Guadeloupe/France
46. Toronto (from Memphis via Sacramento): Dalano Banton, 6-9, Nebraska
47. Toronto (from Golden State via Utah and New Orleans): David Johnson, 6-5, Louisville
48. Atlanta (from Miami via Sacramento and Portland): Sharife Cooper, 6-1, Auburn
49. Brooklyn (from Atlanta): Marcus Zegarowski, 6-2, Creighton
50. Philadelphia (from New York): Filip Petrusev, 6-10, Gonzaga/Serbia
51. New Orleans (from Memphis): Brandon Boston Jr., 6-7, Kentucky
52. Detroit: Luka Garza, 6-11, Iowa
53. Philadelphia (from New Orleans via Dallas): Charles Bassey, 6-10, Western Kentucky
54. Indiana (from Milwaukee via Houston and Cleveland): Sandro Mamukelashvili, 6-11, Seton Hall
55. Oklahoma City (from Denver via Golden State and Philadelphia): Aaron Wiggins, ins Maryland
56. Charlotte (from LA Clippers): Scottie Lewis, 6-5, Florida
57. Charlotte (from Brooklyn): Balsa Koprivica, 7-1, Florida State
58. New York (from Philadelphia): Jericho Sims, 6-6, Texas
59. Brooklyn (from Phoenix): RaiQuan Gray, 6-8, Florida State
60. Indiana (from Utah): Georgios Kalaitzakis, 6-6, Greece