Recap: NBA Draft Rounds 1 and 2

Nolan Bianchi
The Detroit News
NBA commissioner Adam Silver, center, poses for a photo with players projected to be first-round draft picks before the draft.

Tonight's the night.

For the first time since 1970, the Detroit Pistons have the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. And all indications are it's a done deal, with Cade Cunningham expected to become the face of the future for the franchise.

You can follow all the picks HERE.

And you can follow all the action, including analysis and breaking news, from The News's Rod Beard (@detnewsrodbeard on Twitter) and Nolan Bianchi.

Pistons take Cade

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has welcomed the Brooklyn crowd, thanked the fans for sticking with them through pandemic, and introduced the first-overall pick.

The Detroit Pistons are on the clock.

In the meantime, Kendrick Perkins is on ESPN saying that Cade Cunningham is the most complete NBA prospect since LeBron James. So there's that.

The pick is in: The Detroit Pistons have selected Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham.

"Words can't explain the emotions," Cunningham says during his interview with ESPN.

"It means everything. I know my name was the first name called, but I didn't do this by myself." Cunningham said that his family is a "No. 1 pick family."

As far as landing in Detroit, it sounds that Cunningham is pretty happy with that. "Detroit, I'm all the way in. Detroit Pistons, I'm all the way in. Let's do it," he said. It's safe to say the feeling is mutual.

While speaking with the media afterward, Cunningham continues to boast his love for Detroit. He says putting the Pistons hat on was "surreal," and that he wants to bring some "bad boy" mentality back to the team.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver greets Cade Cunningham who was picked as the number one overall pick by the Detroit Pistons during the NBA basketball draft, Thursday, July 29, 2021, in New York.

Pistons general manager Troy Weaver, too, is pretty excited. He tells reporters, "We're excited. Great night for the Pistons. We're thrilled that we landed Cade and we're excited about him joining the Pistons family."

Cunningham was complimentary about the job his new general manager has done in the draft so far.

Rest of draft get Green light; Westbrook to L.A.

With Cunningham off the board, the Rockets go ahead and draft G-League shooting guard Jalen Green at pick No. 2. Houston was rumored to be in pursuit of Detroit's No. 1 pick for weeks, but fell away as contenders to get Cunningham late.

As the Cavaliers go over their options at No. 3, the Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards have finalized a trade that will send the former MVP to Los Angeles.

USC big man Evan Mobley is drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers at pick No. 3.

Florida State forward Scottie Barnes goes to the Toronto Raptors at No. 4. That's the first big surprise of this draft, as Gonzaga point guard Jalen Suggs will now head to the Orlando Magic at No. 5.

With pick No. 6, the Oklahoma City Thunder select Australian guard Josh Giddey.

The rich get richer at No. 7: The Golden State Warriors, after missing the playoffs for a second consecutive year, have taken forward Jonathan Kuminga. 

UM's Wagner feeling the Magic

With the No. 8 pick, Orland takes a local kid. University of Michigan star Franz Wagner is headed to the Magic to join his brother Moe, who delivers a video message of congratulations after the pick is made.

Moe Wagner is in Tokyo, representing Germany at the Olympics.

"You're just hoping to enjoy every moment, especially on draft night," Franz Wagner said.  

He's asked if he'll be able to forgive his brother Moe for not being there tonight.

"He's got bigger fish to fry," Franz jokes.

Draft continues with Kings, Pelicans

Baylor guard Davion Mitchell is taken by the Kings at No. 9. Mitchell's nickname is "Off-Night," a reference to the type of game that his opponents have while he's defending them. It's hard to get much cooler than that.

The Memphis Grizzlies at No. 10 select Stanford forward Ziaire Williams via the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Charlotte Hornets at No. 11 select UConn guard James Bouknight.

The San Antonio Spurs at No. 12 select Alabama guard Joshua Primo.

The Indiana Pacers at No. 13 select Oregon guard Chris Duarte.

The Golden State Warriors at No. 14 select Arkansas guard Moses Moody.

NBA takes time to honor late draft prospect

The NBA pauses after pick No. 14 to honor late Kentucky prospect Terrence Clarke, who passed away following a car accident in April and was expected to go in the first round of tonight's draft.

Silver takes the stage to honor Clarke's life before delivering some words of comfort to Clarke's mother and family.

"Please know that he will forever be part of the NBA family," Silver says. He then announces that with "the next pick," the NBA selects: Terrence Clarke. 

Picks continue with Thunder at No. 15

The Washington Wizards at No. 15 select Gonzaga forward Corey Kispert.

Cunningham returns to the ABC broadcast for an interview with Detroit native Jalen Rose. On what it means to be a Piston, Cunningham says, "It's everything."

Cunningham adds that when he met with the Pistons, they showed him that everyone in the organization matters. 

"When I went on my visit, they really took me through everybody," Cunningham said. He said that they introduced him to the owner and the janitor. 

The Houston Rockets at No. 16 select Turkish center Alperen Sengun via the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The New Orleans Pelicans at No. 17 select Virginia guard Trey Murphy via the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 18 select Florida guard Tre Mann. 

The Charlotte Hornets with pick No. 19 select Texas forward Kai Jones via the New York Knicks.

The Atlanta Hawks with pick No. 20 select Duke guard/forward Jalen Johnson.

The Los Angeles Clippers with pick No. 21 select Tennessee guard Keon Johnson via the New York Knicks. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski initially reported that the Pistons were the trade partner. A real roller coaster of emotions.

The Washington Wizards with pick No. 22 select Kentucky forward Isaiah Jackson via the Los Angeles Lakers via the Indiana Pacers.

The Houston Rockets with pick No. 23 select Spanish forward Usman Garuba.

The Houston Rockets with pick No. 24 select Arizona State guard Josh Christopher.

The New York Knicks with pick No. 25 select Houston guard Quentin Grimes via the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Denver Nuggets with pick No. 26 select VCU guard Nah'Shon "Bones" Hyland.

The Brooklyn Nets with pick No. 27 select LSU guard Cameron Thomas.

The Philadelphia 76ers with pick No. 28 select Tennessee guard Jaden Springer.

The Brooklyn Nets with pick No. 29 select Day'Ron sharpe via the Phoenix Suns.

The Memphis Grizzlies with pick No. 30 select Loyola-Maryland forward Santi Aldama via the Utah Jazz.

Round 2

The Indiana Pacers with pick No. 31 select G-League forward Isaiah Todd.

The Oklahoma City Thunder with pick No. 32 select Villanova forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

The Los Angeles Clippers with pick No. 33 select Ohio guard Jason Preston. This is one of the cooler stories in this draft: Preston, 21, is a former blogger for PistonsPowered.com. As a high-schooler, he averaged just 2 points per game and never appeared to have a future in basketball.

Now he's an NBA Draft pick.

The New York Knicks with pick No. 34 select Lithuanian guard Rokas Jokubaitis via the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The New Orleans Pelicans with pick No. 35 select Alabama forward Herbert Jones.

The New York Knicks with pick No. 36 select West Virginia Mile McBridge via the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Charlotte Hronets with pick No. 37 select Auburn forward JT Thor via the Detroit Pistons.

The Chicago Bulls with pick No. 38 select Illinois guard Ayo Dosunmu via the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Sacramento Kings with pick No. 39 select Utah State center Neemias Queta.

The Utah Jazz with pick No. 40 select Baylor guard Jared Butler via the New Orleans Pelicans.

The San Antonio Spurs with pick No. 41 select Iowa guard Joe Wieskamp. 

The Detroit Pistons with pick No. 42 select Michigan forward Isaiah Livers.

The Portland Trail Blazers with pick No. 43 select Texas forward Greg Brown via the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Brooklyn Nets with pick No. 44 select Pepperdine forward Kessler Edwards.

The Boston Celtics with pick No. 45 select Guadeloupe guard Juhann Begarin.

The Toronto Raptors with pick No. 46 select Nebraska forward Dalano Banton.

The Toronto Raptors with pick No. 47 select Louisville guard David Johnson.

The Atlanta Hawks with pick No. 48 select Auburn guard Sharife Cooper.

The Brooklyn Nets with pick No. 49 select Creighton guard Marcus Zegarowski.

The Philadelphia 76ers with pick No. 50 select Serbian center Filip Petrusev.

The New Orleans Pelicans with pick No. 51 select Kentucky guard Brandon Boston via the Memphis Grizzlies. 

The Detroit Pistons with pick No. 52 select Iowa center Luka Garza. 

The Philadelphia 76ers with pick No. 53 select Western Kentucky center Charles Bassey.

The Indiana Pacers with pick No. 54 select Seton Hall center Sandro Mamukelashvili.

The Oklahoma City Thunder with pick No. 55 select Maryland forward Aaron Wiggins.

The Charlotte Hornets with pick No. 56 select Florida guard Scottie Lewis.

The Detroit Pistons with pick No. 57 select Florida State center Balsa Koprivica via the Charlotte Hornets.

The New York Knicks with pick No. 58 select center Jericho Sims.

The Brooklyn Nets with pick No. 59 select Florida State forward RaiQuan Gray.

The Milwaukee Bucks with pick No. 60 select Greek forward Georgios Kalaitzakis via the Indiana Pacers to 

More Pistons coverage

No drama: Pistons taking Cade Cunningham, per most-dialed-in NBA reporter

Cade or trade: What will Pistons do with No. 1 pick in NBA Draft?

Rod Beard's 2021 NBA mock draft 2.0

The story behind Pistons' presumptive No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham

Wojo: Cunningham is safe pick for Pistons, but beware, Weaver doesn’t always play it safe