The Washington Wizards moved up in the second round to draft Tennessee forward Felix Okpara on Wednesday night, one night after making BYU forward AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.
The Wizards began the night with two second-round picks before acquiring the No. 46 pick from Orlando to add size with Okpara (6-11, 242).
Southeast Division teams made news in a busy week leading up to the draft.
The Miami Heat claimed the biggest headline
of the offseason when they acquired star Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night in exchange for a massive haul of players and draft picks.
Miami traded with Oklahoma City to move up in the second round from No. 41 to No. 37 where it selected Louisville guard Ryan Conwell.
Washington agreed to a four-year contract extension with point guard Trae Young on Monday. The Atlanta Hawks on Monday agreed to acquire wing Aaron Wiggins from the Oklahoma City Thunder for second-round draft picks in 2030 and 2032. The Hawks also gave guard C.J. McCollum a one-year, $21 million extension.
Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic entered the draft without a first-round pick but with a new coach, Sean Sweeney, who was introduced on Thursday. The Magic sent four first-round picks, including this year’s selection, to Memphis in the 2025 trade for Desmond Bane.
Needs: The Wizards have assembled a fair number of capable young players, but none has stood out as a legitimate star. With the No. 1 pick, Washington had a chance to rectify that.
Who they drafted: Dybantsa and Okpara.
NBA comparison: Dybantsa's college coach compared him to Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, which is a pretty nice potential range.
Needs: The Hawks finished atop the Southeast Division last season but were undersized in their playoff loss to New York after trading Kristaps Porzingis to Golden State during the season. The team also needed point guard depth behind McCollum, who is 34.
Who they drafted: The Hawks drafted Houston guard Kingston Flemings at No. 8. The 6-foot-3 Flemings, 19, is a lead guard with a quick first step who shot 47.6% from the field as a freshman. Atlanta added size by taking St. John’s forward Zuby Ejiofor with its second pick at No. 23. Ejiofor (6-8, 245) is a strong rebounder. The Hawks added more size with North Carolina 7-foot center Henri Veesaar at No. 52.
NBA comparisons: Flemings has been compared with De’Aaron Fox. Flemings’ favorite player is Derrick Rose. Ejiofor has been compared with Bam Adebayo.
Needs: Doing what Milwaukee told them to do, after the trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo on Monday night.
Who they drafted: Tennessee forward Nate Ament and Conwell.
NBA comparison: A bit of a Jonathan Isaac type, with good size, good defensive ability and comfortable guarding multiple positions. He’ll be a good piece for the Bucks, even though the Antetokounmpo trade can’t be finalized before July 6.
Needs: The Hornets had plenty of scoring options last season with LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Miles Bridges and Coby White, but their lack of frontcourt depth and physicality was evident after getting roughed up by Orlando in the play-in tournament.
Who they drafted: F Hannes Steinbach from Washington at No. 14; Texas Tech G Christian Anderson Jr. at No. 18. After playing in Germany, the 6-foot-11 Steinbach attended the University of Washington, where he averaged 18.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 blocks while shooting 57.7% from the field. He helps bring some needed physicality to the team. Anderson is considered one of the best shooters in this year’s draft, shooting 41.5% from 3-point range last season. Charlotte had no second-round pick.
NBA comparisons: Steinbach compares to Moritz Wagner, while Anderson has a game similar to Darius Garland.
Needs: Have their returning core adjust to their new coach.
Who they drafted: The Magic didn’t have a first-round pick and selected South Florida forward Izaiyah Nelson (6-8, 219) in the second round.
NBA comparison: “We like our team,” Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said last week when the team introduced Sweeney. That was a sign that Orlando wasn’t going to try to move into the first round. The Magic have much of the key core under contract, and are hoping Sweeney can find ways to help them take another leap.
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AP Sports Writers Steve Reed, Noah Trister and Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.
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