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The 2023 NBA Draft began with a formality, but proceeded with some unpredictability. Each of Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller were virtual locks to represent the top three picks in some order. Although, the Charlotte Hornets may have surprised some by not choosing Henderson, allowing the Portland Trail Blazers to snag the playmaking guard's services.
The draft also took somewhat of a shocking turn with top-15 ESPN ranked prospects Cam Whitmore and Nick Smith Jr. tumbling down the board. It was also fascinating to see the league's continued infusion of small-ball players, as only two seven-footers went in Round 1.
There is still plenty of action left to unfold not only with free agency but also the trading market possibly featuring big names like Damian Lillard, Karl-Anthony Towns, Pascal Siakam, Deandre Ayton, and Tobias Harris. With the draft having come and gone and free agency looming, let's take a look at a few veteran players who can be considered winners in the aftermath.
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Charlotte Hornets: Terry Rozier
Perhaps the biggest winner of the draft’s repercussions, Terry Rozier may have come away unscathed after the Hornets passed on the ball-dominant Scoot Henderson for well-rounded forward Brandon Miller. Henderson would have congested the Charlotte backcourt, but now Rozier shifts from arguable fantasy draft fade after a down year to a possible 2023-2024 value pick.
Rozier is under contract with the Hornets for another three seasons, but he’s coming off his least efficient campaign in North Carolina with LaMelo Ball sidelined for nearly half the season while hampered by multiple ankle injuries.
In 53 career contests in Charlotte without Ball, Rozier has recorded a plentiful 21.2 points, 5.8 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game, albeit on 41.4% shooting from the field and 34.7% from deep. The 29-year-old's counting stats discreetly dip with the offensive threat of Ball in the lineup, but Rozier shoots a superior 44.5% from the floor and 37.2% from downtown in those games.
The Hornets ended up grabbing playmakers Nick Smith Jr. near the end of the first round and Colby Jones in the second to bolster their backcourt rotation, but their respective impacts figure to be far less pronounced in the immediacy than Henderson's would have been.
Portland Trail Blazers: Entire Frontcourt
As a byproduct of Charlotte passing on Henderson, essentially the entire Blazers frontcourt benefits from Williams ending up with the Hornets. Power forward Jerami Grant particularly signifies a big winner, so long as he stays put in Portland, that is. The 29-year-old maintained his household-name status in "Rip City" last year, collecting 20.5 points, 4.5 boards, and 2.3 threes per contest on a 40.1% clip from beyond the arc over 63 games. Grant stepped up to supply nearly 25 points a night in which Lillard was out.
If the Henderson pick is coupled by a Grant free-agency exit, the likes of UFAs Matisse Thybulle and Cam Reddish would see their fantasy stocks rise if they were to stick around. That's not to mention 2022 No. 7 overall pick Shaedon Sharpe, who was a silly-season hero while amassing 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.1 dimes per game across his final 10 outings of the campaign from March 22 to April 9.
The Portland roster could look very different very soon with Lillard's standing undetermined. Sharpe's arrow could theoretically skyrocket with the team in a state of flux, but Grant would be able to maintain mid-round value with his minutes safe if he stays put. Reddish and Thybulle would be on the deep-league radar if they both stay. The Blazers ended up getting Kris Murray near the end of the first to fortify their frontcourt depth, but Williams' redraft influence would have been much more noticeable in 2023-2024.
Orlando Magic: Wendell Carter Jr.
The Orlando Magic passed on frontcourt help in the form of potentially taking either Jarace Walker or Taylor Hendricks at No. 6 overall. They doubled down by fading Cam Whitmore and Dereck Lively II at No. 11, which entrenches Wendell Carter Jr. as Orlando's starting center. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner would have been in line for more action at the 4 and 5 in small-ball lineups had the Magic opted for a wing, but they chose to stockpile their backcourt first with Anthony Black and then Jett Howard.
Carter would further benefit if Moritz Wagner left in free agency this offseason, as Carter handled 28.5 minutes per game when Wagner played and 31.8 when he did not. Carter reached double figures in scoring in 19-of-19 games without Wagner, excluding an April 9 season finale where Orlando's regulars were limited. Carter's annual lack of defensive numbers remains frustrating, but perhaps the 24-year-old former seventh overall pick could finally be in for a career season with a potentially clear pathway to 30 minutes a night.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Luguentz Dort
The Oklahoma City Thunder decided to go small in the draft with defensive-minded guard Cason Wallace at 10th overall and then big with Dereck Lively II at 12th overall instead of going somewhere in the middle potentially with sharpshooter Gradey Dick or the dynamic Cam Whitmore. It leaves 3-and-D swingman Luguentz Dort as a significant beneficiary and with a chance to post low-end fantasy value in roto leagues once again in 2023-2024. Still, he will need to make sure Wallace doesn't eat into his minutes.
The 24-year-old Dort took a step back following a breakout 2021-2022, but still proved to be quite serviceable last year by supplying 13.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 threes, and 1.0 steals per game across 74 games. Dort's 30.7 minutes per contest should remain fairly intact with OKC's draft-night decision-making. With most of the team's roster from last season under team control heading into next season, the four-year veteran should be worth a look near the end of fantasy drafts.
Atlanta Hawks: Entire Frontcourt
We’re seeing a domino effect with Cam Whitmore falling into the top 20. The Atlanta Hawks could have taken the presumptive lottery pick here at No. 15 but instead took guard Kobe Bufkin to back up Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. It's fair to wonder if the Hawks are bracing for a Young trade request this offseason after such a tumultuous season; this move doesn't exactly help them win now. In fact, Atlanta's recent trading away of explosive PF John Collins for pennies on the dollar could be a harbinger for things to come.
In any event, the crowded Hawks frontcourt has thinned out a bit with De'Andre Hunter, Saddiq Bey, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and AJ Griffin all having a shot at legitimate fantasy value. Each will carry interesting speculative-flier intrigue after canceling one another out during the second part of last season when Atlanta added Bey at the trade deadline to further complicate the situation. Unless the team concedes to a complete roster implosion this offseason, two of the three have an opportunity to start for the Hawks next year.
Hunter serves as a decent points-league fantasy play but has otherwise been very limited from a 9-category standpoint. The 25-year-old former fourth-overall pick gathered 15.4 points with scant across-the-board provisions in 4.2 boards, 1.4 helpers, and 0.8 combined steals and blocks over 67 games last year. The three-level-scoring Hunter would probably need to round out the other areas of his game before becoming a roto-league target, but he was quite effective in the playoffs.
Bey was quite volatile after being shipped from the Detroit Pistons to Atlanta in a diminished role but provided 11.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.0 threes on 40.0% shooting from deep. The 24-year-old has swiftly developed into a solid all-around scorer but with plenty of room to grow defensively. I like Bey as a late-round fantasy bet in his second year with Quin Snyder's system. Plus, Bey has stayed remarkably healthy in his career thus far.
Bogdanovic has acted as a rotational mainstay and versatile sixth man during his NBA career. The 30-year-old marksman's role has remained relatively stable during his Hawks career, accumulating 15.1 points, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steals, and 2.9 threes per game on 40% shooting from downtown across 163 games. The efficient Bogdanovic could be in for the first 30+ minute nightly workload of his NBA career.
Griffin didn't submit the most outstanding rookie campaign, but there was plenty of promise. In 12 starting opportunities, the 2022 first-rounder logged 13.4 points, 1.3 steals, and 1.8 threes in 28.9 minutes per try. Griffin still has work to do to evolve into more of a multi-stat contributor, but his explosiveness equips him with a ton of defensive potential. The raw 19-year-old could take a sophomore jump with some increased playing time. Griffin flashed some shot-creating ability last season.
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