As it happens every year, we’re on the verge of witnessing the best basketball prospects on Earth take their talents to the NBA. The NBA Draft gives them the chance to fulfill their lifelong dream.
Just 60 players are drafted every year, which means that dozens of them will have to earn a spot in the NBA the hard way: Via the G-League, with Summer League contracts, or playing in foreign tournaments.
But before we get ahead of ourselves, we’ll have to answer a few questions. How many rounds are in the 2021 NBA Draft and in which order will the teams get the players? Let’s break it down:
How Many Rounds Are In The NBA Draft?
The 2021 NBA Draft has two rounds consisting of 30 picks each. The first 14 picks are labeled ‘lottery picks’, as the teams that didn’t make the playoffs the prior season go through a lottery to determine the order in which they’ll pick the players. The worst their record was, the higher odds they have to land the best players in the Draft.
Decades ago and when the league was expanding, the NBA Draft had many more rounds to complete the rosters. Now, players that go undrafted are eligible to sign contracts as free agents or join the G-League team to showcase their skills. Others decide to play overseas.
2021 NBA Draft Order:
First Round
1. Detroit
2. Houston
3. Cleveland
4. Toronto
5. Orlando
6. Oklahoma City
7. Golden State (from Minnesota)
8. Orlando (from Chicago)
9. Sacramento
10. New Orleans
11. Charlotte
12. San Antonio
13. Indiana
14. Golden State
15. Washington
16. Oklahoma City (from Boston)
17. Memphis
18. Oklahoma City (from Miami via the LA Clippers, Philadelphia, and Phoenix)
19. New York
20. Atlanta
21. New York (from Dallas)
22. Los Angeles Lakers
23. Houston (from Portland)
24. Houston (from Milwaukee)
25. LA Clippers
26. Denver
27. Brooklyn
28. Philadelphia
29. Phoenix
30. Utah
Second Round
31. Milwaukee (from Houston)
32. New York (from Detroit via the LA Clippers and Philadelphia)
33. Orlando
34. Oklahoma City
35. New Orleans (from Cleveland via Atlanta)
36. Oklahoma City (from Minnesota via Golden State)
37. Detroit (from Toronto via Brooklyn)
38. Chicago (from New Orleans)
39. Sacramento
40. New Orleans (from Chicago)
41. San Antonio
42. Detroit (from Charlotte via New York)
43. New Orleans (from Washington via Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Utah)
44. Brooklyn (from Indiana)
45. Boston
46. Toronto (from Memphis via Sacramento)
47. Toronto (from Golden State via Utah and New Orleans)
48. Atlanta (from Miami via Sacramento and Portland)
49. Brooklyn (from Atlanta)
50. Philadelphia (from New York)
51. Memphis (from Portland via Dallas, Detroit, and Cleveland)
52. Detroit (from Los Angeles Lakers via Sacramento, Houston, and Detroit)
53. New Orleans (from Dallas)
54. Indiana (from Milwaukee via Houston and Cleveland)
55. Oklahoma City (from Denver via Golden State and Philadelphia)
56. Charlotte (from LA Clippers)
57. Charlotte (from Brooklyn)
58. New York (from Philadelphia)
59. Brooklyn (from Phoenix)
60. Indiana (from Utah)
