Cade Cunningham is the first player from Oklahoma State to be taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft. Mitch Alcala/Associated Press
The Detroit Pistons selected Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft Thursday night.
Cunningham had been widely expected to be the first name called in New York, though Pistons General Manager Troy Weaver wouldn’t reveal plans earlier this week and said the team would look at every scenario, including trades.
In the end, Detroit stuck with the 19-year-old mentioned as a potential top pick before ever stepping foot on the Oklahoma State campus.
The 6-foot-8, 220-pound point guard from Arlington, Texas, lived up to expectations with his size and fluid game to become a first-team Associated Press All-American. He averaged 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists with a game that allowed him to hit from 3-point range, score off the dribble or find teammates out of traps.
Cunningham attended the draft wearing a dark suit, shirt and tie with sparkles on his collars and cuffs. When the pick was announced, Cunningham kissed 2-year-old daughter Riley, sitting on his lap, hugged family members, then took the stage alongside NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to don a blue Pistons hat.
“It’s still pretty surreal to me,” Cunningham said. “I know how much responsibility comes with being the No. 1 pick. I know how much responsibility a city will put on the guy that they take No. 1. I’m more than excited to take on those tasks and try to deliver to the city of Detroit.”
Cunningham – the first player in Oklahoma State history to be picked No. 1 overall – joins a Pistons franchise that has won 20 games for two straight seasons and hasn’t finished better than .500 for five straight years.
Houston followed at No. 2 by grabbing preps-to-pros teenager Jalen Green, who bypassed college basketball to play in the G League. The 6-foot-6 Green averaged 17.9 points on 46% shooting in 15 games, showing off high-flying dunks, a willingness to attack the rim and a promising shooting touch.
Green is now part of Houston’s rebuilding project after the James Harden trade to Brooklyn. The Rockets entered the night with three first-round picks after having a league-low 17 wins.
“They’re going to say it’s a great choice because the goals I have for myself,” Green said. “I plan on reaching them.”
Next up was Southern California freshman big man Evan Mobley, who went to Cleveland at No. 3. The 7-footer has potential as a mobile big man with length and the versatility to switch on switches. He swept Pac-12 individual honors while ranking as one of the nation’s top shot blockers and helped the Trojans reach an NCAA regional final for the first time in 20 years.
Then came the first surprise of the night with Florida State forward Scottie Barnes going to Toronto with the No. 4 pick. Barnes is a mobile and versatile 6-8 forward with the potential to be a strong playmaker and elite defender.
That bumped Gonzaga freshman point guard Jalen Suggs down to No. 5 with the Orlando Magic, followed by another surprise in Oklahoma City grabbing 6-foot-8 playmaking teenager Josh Giddey from Australia.
The draft is later than its traditional late-June slot for the second straight year because of the COVID-19 pandemic that interrupted the 2019-20 season. The 2021-22 season is scheduled to return to its normal schedule, with next year’s draft set for June again.
The Celtics traded their first-round pick to Oklahoma City in the Kemba Walker-Al Horford trade last month. With the No. 45 pick in the second round, they selected Juhann Begarin, a 6-foot-6 guard from France.
TRADES: The Los Angeles Lakers are acquiring All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards for three players and the rights to first-round pick Isaiah Jackson.
According to two people with knowledge of the deal, the Lakers are trading Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell to Washington for Westbrook, a Los Angeles native who helped lead UCLA to a pair of Final Four appearances.
The Lakers had the 22nd overall pick in Thursday’s draft and selected Jackson, a 6-foot-11 forward from Kentucky.
The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal can’t be officially announced until Aug. 6, when the salary cap becomes official and teams can also begin making moves for the upcoming season. The Lakers will also receive second-round picks from the Wizards in 2024 and ’28.
• Cleveland is acquiring veteran guard Ricky Rubio in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.
Cleveland is sending small forward Taurean Prince, cash and a second-round pick in 2022 to the Timberwolves for the 30-year-old Rubio, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the NBA has to approve the trade.
Rubio is entering the final season of a $51 million, three-year contract.
• The Charlotte Hornets acquired center Mason Plumlee and the No. 37 pick from the Detroit Pistons, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.
The Hornets gave up the No. 57 pick and will take on Plumlee’s contract. He has two years left on a three-year, $24 million deal.
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