SportsRelocation.com - NBA Draft Day Is Day Of Big Trades

Kyrie Irving Goes Number One As Expected

The 2011 NBA Draft may turn out to be more memorable for the trades it generated than for the players drafted.  As expected, Kyrie Irving, the talented freshman point guard out of Duke, went first overall to the Cleveland Cavaliers.  But shortly after that selection things got interesting in a hurry as teams jockeyed for drafting position and others filled their shelves with future draft picks.

Probably the biggest deal of the day happened between Charlotte, Milwaukee, and Sacramento.  The Kings traded the draft rights to Bismack Biyombo, the #7 pick, to Charlotte and guard Beno Udrih to Milwaukee for forward John Salmons and the draft rights to Jimmer Fredette, the #10 pick. Milwaukee also received Stephen Jackson and guard Shaun Livingston and the draft rights to Tobias Harris (#19 pick).  Charlotte also received forward Corey Maggette.

In case you are keeping score on that one, the total number of players who will be relocating shortly due to one trade was eight.

San Antonio and Indiana did their own two-step shuffle when the Spurs traded guard George Hill to Indiana for the draft rights to forward Kawhi Leonard, #15, forward Davis Bertans, #42, and forward Ezarem Lorbek, #46 from 2005.

Another three team trade involved Minnesota, Houston, and Chicago.  Minnesota traded guard Jonny Flynn and the draft rights to Donatas Motiejunas (#20) to Houston for center Brad Miller, the draft rights to Kikola Mirotic (#23), Chandler Parsons, (#38) and a future first-round pick.  Minnesota then traded Mirotic’s rights to Chicago for the rights to Norris Cole, #28, and Malcolm Lee, #43.  Minnesota then sold the rights to Parsons back to Houston in a dizzying array of inventive trades.

Eight more trades occurred during the first two rounds of the draft involving another sixteen players and when it was all said and done for the day the landscape of the NBA had changed considerably.  Oh, by the way, the first ten picks in this year’s draft were as follows:

  • Kyrie Irving to Cleveland
  • Derrick Williams to Minnesota
  • Enes Kantner to Utah
  • Tristan Thompson to Cleveland
  • Jonas Valanciunas to Toronto
  • Jan Vesely to Washington
  • Bismack Biyombo to Charlotte
  • Brandon Knight to Detroit
  • Kemba Walker to Charlotte
  • Jimmer Fredette to Sacramento

So that’s where we stand right now.  Trades will continue, teams will re-adjust, and the ever-present threat of a lockout is looming on the horizon.

New millionaires for sure, transition time for some veterans as they move to new teams, it all adds up to a busy next couple months as quite a few players relocate to new environs, and the pros at SportsRelocation.com will be right in the thick of things helping many of these players find housing, transport goods, and anything else we can do to make their transition to a new city go smoothly.  Give us a call and find out what we can do for you, and CONGRATULATIONS to the newest players of the NBA!

By: Ikem Chukumerije

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