UNDATED (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Georgia freshman guard Anthony Edwards the No. 1 pick in the delayed NBA draft. Edwards became the 11th straight one-and-done player to be the top pick, coming in a year where there was no clear obvious choice.
He averaged 19.1 points for the Bulldogs, tops among all freshman. Commissioner Adam Silver announced the pick from ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut.
The Golden State Warriors, stung by the news that Klay Thompson sustained another leg injury earlier Wednesday, took Memphis center James Wiseman with the second pick. They stumbled to the bottom of the league while Thompson missed the entire season with a torn ACL in his left knee.
LaMelo Ball then went to the Charlotte Hornets, the next stop on a lengthy basketball journey that sent the guard from high school in California to stops as a professional in Lithuania and Australia.
The Chicago Bulls took Patrick Williams of Florida State, the ACC sixth man of the year as a freshman, at No. 4. Cleveland followed with Auburn’s Isaac Okoro, another freshman, to round out the top five.
The latter half of the top 10 featured a couple of highly regarded international players in France’s Killian Hayes, taken by Detroit at No. 7, and Deni Avdija, the highest player to come from Israel when Washington picked him at No. 9.
In between, the New York Knicks took forward Obi Toppin, the national player of the year last season at Dayton.
The draft was originally scheduled for June 25 before multiple delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic pushed it out of its usual home at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
In draft day moves:
—A person with knowledge of the trade says the Houston Rockets have agreed to send Trevor Ariza and the 16th pick in the NBA draft to the Detroit Pistons for a future first-round pick.
— The Philadelphia 76ers agreed to send Al Horford and a protected future first-round pick to Oklahoma City, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. The Thunder also acquired the 17th overall pick from the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations, for the 25th and 28th picks and point guard Ricky Rubio.
—The Knicks acquired the No. 23 selection from Utah, sending the Nos. 27 and 38 picks to the Jazz. New York also received the draft rights to Croatian center Ante Tomic, who was taken by the Jazz in the second round in 2008 but has spent his entire career in Europe.
— In other notable picks, Precious Achiuwa was the best player in the American Athletic Conference in his lone collegiate season. The 6-foot-9 Achiuwa was taken by the Miami Heat with the No. 20 pick in Wednesday’s NBA draft, giving the reigning Eastern Conference champions more frontcourt depth and athleticism. And, the Dallas Mavericks have drafted Arizona guard Josh Green with the 18th pick in the first round. The native of Australia adds a backcourt mate for Luka Doncic as Dallas continues to build around the 21-year-old sensation and fellow European star Kristaps Porzingis.
