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2015 NBA draft

Basketball player selection

Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

The 2015 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2015, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It was televised nationally in the U.S. by ESPN. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The draft lottery took place on May 19, 2015.

The Minnesota Timberwolves won the draft lottery to earn the first overall pick in the draft. It marked the first time in Timberwolves history that they would receive the first overall pick through the lottery. The player selected would also be the third consecutive number one pick on the Timberwolves roster, joining Andrew Wiggins (2014) and Anthony Bennett (2013) - who were traded to Minnesota for forward Kevin Love. This draft also gave the Los Angeles Lakers the second overall pick after jumping over the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks within the draft lottery.

Highlights from the draft include the first Dominican to be the first overall pick (Karl-Anthony Towns), the highest number of Kentucky Wildcats selected in the draft lottery (four with Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein, Trey Lyles, and Devin Booker), which tied the North Carolina Tar Heels in 2005 for most players selected in the lottery by one school; the tied record for most Kentucky players selected in the draft (six with Towns, Cauley-Stein, Lyles, Booker, Andrew Harrison, and Dakari Johnson), the second Latvian to have been drafted in the first round (Kristaps Porziņģis), the first former high school player to have skipped college to play in China that was selected in the draft (Emmanuel Mudiay), and the first Indian-born player to have been selected in the NBA (Satnam Singh), who was also the first player since 2005 to have been drafted directly from high school (albeit as a postgraduate).

Other noteworthy announcements that came out of the draft included the official announcement of the passing of the last pioneer of the original NBA, Harvey Pollack, around the third pick and the resignation of the league's president of basketball operations Rod Thorn that became official in August after the end of the first round.

01Draft selections

* Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game and All-NBA Team
+ Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game
# Denotes player who has never appeared in an NBA regular-season or playoff game
~ Denotes player who has been selected as Rookie of the Year
Rnd. Pick Player Pos. Nationality Team School / club team
1 1 Karl-Anthony Towns*~ C  Dominican Republic Minnesota Timberwolves Kentucky (Fr.)
1 2 D'Angelo Russell+ PG  United States Los Angeles Lakers Ohio State (Fr.)
1 3 Jahlil Okafor C  United States Philadelphia 76ers Duke (Fr.)
1 4 Kristaps Porziņģis+ PF/C  Latvia New York Knicks Baloncesto Sevilla (Spain)
1 5 Mario Hezonja SG/SF  Croatia Orlando Magic FC Barcelona (Spain)
1 6 Willie Cauley-Stein PF  United States Sacramento Kings Kentucky (Jr.)
1 7 Emmanuel Mudiay PG DR Congo Denver Nuggets Guangdong Southern Tigers
1 8 Stanley Johnson SF  United States Detroit Pistons Arizona (Fr.)
1 9 Frank Kaminsky PF  United States Charlotte Hornets Wisconsin (Sr.)
1 10 Justise Winslow SF  United States Miami Heat Duke (Fr.)
1 11 Myles Turner C  United States Indiana Pacers Texas (Fr.)
1 12 Trey Lyles PF  Canada Utah Jazz Kentucky (Fr.)
1 13 Devin Booker* SG  United States Phoenix Suns Kentucky (Fr.)
1 14 Cameron Payne PG  United States Oklahoma City Thunder Murray State (So.)
1 15 Kelly Oubre Jr. SF  United States Atlanta Hawks (from Brooklyn, traded to Washington) Kansas (Fr.)
1 16 Terry Rozier PG  United States Boston Celtics Louisville (So.)
1 17 Rashad Vaughn SG  United States Milwaukee Bucks UNLV (Fr.)
1 18 Sam Dekker SF  United States Houston Rockets (from New Orleans) Wisconsin (Jr.)
1 19 Jerian Grant PG  United States Washington Wizards (traded to New York via Atlanta) Notre Dame (Sr.)
1 20 Delon Wright PG  United States Toronto Raptors Utah (Sr.)
1 21 Justin Anderson SF  United States Dallas Mavericks Virginia (Jr.)
1 22 Bobby Portis PF  United States Chicago Bulls Arkansas (So.)
1 23 Rondae Hollis-Jefferson SF  United States Portland Trail Blazers (traded to Brooklyn) Arizona (So.)
1 24 Tyus Jones PG  United States Cleveland Cavaliers (traded to Minnesota) Duke (Fr.)
1 25 Jarell Martin PF  United States Memphis Grizzlies LSU (So.)
1 26 Nikola Milutinov# C  Serbia San Antonio Spurs Partizan Belgrade (Serbia)
1 27 Larry Nance Jr. PF  United States Los Angeles Lakers (from Houston) Wyoming (Sr.)
1 28 R. J. Hunter SG  United States Boston Celtics (from L.A. Clippers) Georgia State (Jr.)
1 29 Chris McCullough PF  United States Brooklyn Nets (from Atlanta) Syracuse (Fr.)
1 30 Kevon Looney PF  United States Golden State Warriors UCLA (Fr.)
2 31 Cedi Osman SG/SF  Turkey Minnesota Timberwolves (traded to Cleveland) Anadolu Efes (Turkey)
2 32 Montrezl Harrell PF/C  United States Houston Rockets (from New York) Louisville (Jr.)
2 33 Jordan Mickey PF  United States Boston Celtics (from Philadelphia via Miami) LSU (So.)
2 34 Anthony Brown SF  United States Los Angeles Lakers Stanford (Sr.)
2 35 Willy Hernangómez C  Spain Philadelphia 76ers (from Orlando, traded to New York) Baloncesto Sevilla (Spain)
2 36 Rakeem Christmas PF/C  United States Minnesota Timberwolves (from Sacramento via Houston, traded to Cleveland) Syracuse (Sr.)
2 37 Richaun Holmes SF/PF  United States Philadelphia 76ers (from Denver via Houston, Portland and Minnesota) Bowling Green (Sr.)
2 38 Darrun Hilliard SG  United States Detroit Pistons Villanova (Sr.)
2 39 Juan Pablo Vaulet# SF  Argentina Charlotte Hornets (traded to Brooklyn) Estudiantes de Bahía (Argentina)
2 40 Josh Richardson SG  United States Miami Heat Tennessee (Sr.)
2 41 Pat Connaughton SG  United States Brooklyn Nets (traded to Portland) Notre Dame (Sr.)
2 42 Olivier Hanlan# PG  Canada Utah Jazz Boston College (Jr.)
2 43 Joe Young PG  United States Indiana Pacers Oregon (Sr.)
2 44 Andrew Harrison PG  United States Phoenix Suns (traded to Memphis) Kentucky (So.)
2 45 Marcus Thornton# PG  United States Boston Celtics William & Mary (Sr.)
2 46 Norman Powell+ SG  United States Milwaukee Bucks (traded to Toronto) UCLA (Sr.)
2 47 Artūras Gudaitis# C  Lithuania Philadelphia 76ers (from New Orleans via Washington and L.A. Clippers) Žalgiris Kaunas (Lithuania)
2 48 Dakari Johnson C  United States Oklahoma City Thunder Kentucky (So.)
2 49 Aaron White# PF  United States Washington Wizards Iowa (Sr.)
2 50 Marcus Eriksson# SG  Sweden Atlanta Hawks (from Toronto) FC Barcelona (Spain)
2 51 Tyler Harvey# PG  United States Orlando Magic (from Chicago) Eastern Washington (Jr.)
2 52 Satnam Singh# C  India Dallas Mavericks IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida; HS Pg.)
2 53 Sir'Dominic Pointer# SF  United States Cleveland Cavaliers (from Portland via Chicago and Denver) St. John's (Sr.)
2 54 Dani Díez# SF  Spain Utah Jazz (from Cleveland, traded to Portland) Gipuzkoa Basket (Spain)
2 55 Cady Lalanne# PF  Haiti San Antonio Spurs Massachusetts (Sr.)
2 56 Branden Dawson SF  United States New Orleans Pelicans (from Memphis, traded to L.A. Clippers) Michigan State (Sr.)
2 57 Nikola Radičević# PG  Serbia Denver Nuggets (from L.A. Clippers) Baloncesto Sevilla (Spain)
2 58 J. P. Tokoto# SG/SF  United States Philadelphia 76ers (from Houston) North Carolina (Jr.)
2 59 Dimitrios Agravanis# PF  Greece Atlanta Hawks Olympiacos (Greece)
2 60 Luka Mitrović# PF  Serbia Philadelphia 76ers (from Golden State via Indiana) Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)
Karl-Anthony Towns was selected first overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Karl-Anthony Towns was selected first overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
D'Angelo Russell was selected second by the Los Angeles Lakers.
D'Angelo Russell was selected second by the Los Angeles Lakers.

02Notable undrafted players

These players were not selected in the 2015 NBA draft, but have appeared in at least one regular-season or playoff game in the NBA.

Player Pos. Nationality School/club team
Cliff Alexander PF  United States Kansas (Fr.)
Nicolás Brussino SF/SG  Argentina Regatas Corrientes (Argentina)
Quinn Cook PG  United States Duke (Sr.)
Bryce Dejean-Jones SG  United States Iowa State (Sr.)
Duje Dukan PF  Croatia Wisconsin (Sr.)
Michael Frazier II SG  United States Florida (Jr.)
Treveon Graham SG  United States VCU (Sr.)
Javonte Green SF/SG  United States Radford (Sr.)
Aaron Harrison SG  United States Kentucky (So.)
William Howard SG  France Denain Voltaire (France)
Vince Hunter SF  United States UTEP (So.)
Stanton Kidd SF  United States Colorado State (Sr.)
T. J. McConnell PG  United States Arizona (Sr.)
Alfonzo McKinnie SF  United States Green Bay (Sr.)
Malcolm Miller SF  United States Holy Cross (Sr.)
Luis Montero SG  Dominican Republic Westchester CC (So.)
Maurice Ndour PF  Senegal Ohio (Sr.)
J. J. O'Brien SF/SG  United States San Diego State (Sr.)
Royce O'Neale SF  United States Baylor (Sr.)
Kevin Pangos PG  Canada Gonzaga (Sr.)
Vincent Poirier C  France Paris-Levallois (France)
Chasson Randle PG  United States Stanford (Sr.)
Jordan Sibert SG  United States Dayton (Sr.)
Keifer Sykes PG  United States Green Bay (Sr.)
Juan Toscano-Anderson SF  Mexico Marquette (Sr.)
Julian Washburn SF  United States UTEP (Sr.)
Brianté Weber PG  United States VCU (Sr.)
Greg Whittington PF  United States Georgetown (So.)
Alan Williams C/F  United States UC Santa Barbara (Sr.)
Christian Wood PF  United States UNLV (So.)
Kristaps Porziņģis was selected fourth by the New York Knicks.
Kristaps Porziņģis was selected fourth by the New York Knicks.

03Eligibility and entrants

The draft was conducted under the eligibility rules established in the league's new 2011 collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with its players union. The CBA that ended the 2011 lockout instituted no immediate changes to the draft, but called for a committee of owners and players to discuss future changes. Since the 2011 CBA, the basic eligibility rules have been:

  • All drafted players must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft. In terms of dates, players eligible for the 2015 draft must be born on or before December 31, 1996.
  • Any player who is not an "international player", as defined in the CBA, must be at least one year removed from the graduation of his high school class. The CBA defines "international players" as players who permanently resided outside the United States for three years prior to the draft, did not complete high school in the U.S., and have never enrolled at a U.S. college or university.

Early entrants

Player who are not automatically eligible must declare their eligibility for the draft by notifying the NBA offices in writing no later than 60 days before the draft. For the 2015 draft, this date fell on April 26. After this date, "early entry" players may attend NBA pre-draft camps and individual team workouts to show off their skills and obtain feedback regarding their draft positions. Under the CBA, a player may withdraw his name from consideration from the draft at any time before the final declaration date, which is 10 days before the draft. Under NCAA rules at that time, players only had until April 16 to withdraw from the draft and maintain their college eligibility. In January 2016, the NCAA changed its draft withdrawal date to 10 days after the end of the annual NBA Draft Combine in May, with the 2016 draft the first to be held under the new rule.

A player who has hired an agent will forfeit his remaining college eligibility, regardless of whether he is drafted. Also, while the CBA allows a player to withdraw from the draft twice, the NCAA then mandated that a player who declared twice lost his college eligibility. The aforementioned 2016 NCAA rule change also allowed players to declare for more than one draft without losing college eligibility.

This year, a total of 48 collegiate players and 43 international players declared as early entry candidates before the April 26 deadline. On June 15, the withdrawal deadline, 34 early entry candidates withdrew from the draft and one early entry candidate is added, leaving 47 collegiate players and 11 international players as the early entry candidates for the draft.

International players

Automatically eligible entrants

Players who do not meet the criteria for "international" players are automatically eligible if they meet any of the following criteria:

  • They have completed 4 years of their college eligibility.
  • If they graduated from high school in the U.S., but did not enroll in a U.S. college or university, four years have passed since their high school class graduated.
  • They have signed a contract with a professional basketball team outside of the NBA, anywhere in the world, and have played under that contract.

Players who meet the criteria for "international" players are automatically eligible if they meet any of the following criteria:

  • They are least 22 years old during the calendar year of the draft. In terms of dates, players born on or before December 31, 1993, are automatically eligible for the 2015 draft.
  • They have signed a contract with a professional basketball team outside of the NBA within the United States, and have played under that contract.

Based on the eligibility rules, every college seniors who have completed their college eligibility and every "international" players who were born on or before December 31, 1993, are automatically eligible for the draft. However, there are other players who became automatically eligible even though they have not completed their four-year college eligibility.

Other automatically eligible players
PlayerTeamNoteRef.
Isaac FotuBàsquet Manresa (Spain)Left college in 2014, playing professionally since 2014-15 season
Jamal JonesDelaware 87ers (D-League)Left college in 2014, playing professionally since 2014-15 season
Todd MayoWestchester Knicks (D-League)Left college in 2014, playing professionally since 2014-15 season
Emmanuel MudiayGuangdong Southern Tigers (China)Graduated from high school in 2014, playing professionally since 2014-15 season
Naadir TharpeLos Angeles D-Fenders (D-League)Left college in 2014, playing professionally since 2014-15 season
Jarvis ThreattRio Grande Valley Vipers (D-League)Left college in 2014, playing professionally since 2014-15 season
Myles Turner was selected 11th by the Indiana Pacers.
Myles Turner was selected 11th by the Indiana Pacers.

04Combine

The invitation-only NBA Draft Combine was scheduled to occur in Chicago from May 12 to 17. The on-court element of the combine was scheduled for May 14 and 15.

Devin Booker was selected 13th by the Phoenix Suns.
Devin Booker was selected 13th by the Phoenix Suns.

05Draft lottery

The NBA conducted an annual draft lottery to determine the draft order for the teams that did not make the playoffs in the preceding season. Every NBA team that missed the NBA playoffs had a chance at winning a top three pick, but teams with worse records had a better chance at winning a top three pick. After the lottery selected the teams that receive a top three pick, the other teams received an NBA draft pick based on their winning percentage from the prior season. The table below shows each non-playoff team's chances (based on their record at the end of the NBA season) of receiving picks 1-14.

The 2015 NBA lottery was held on May 19. The Minnesota Timberwolves, who had the worst record in the NBA and the highest chance to win the lottery at 25%, won the lottery. The Los Angeles Lakers moved from the fourth spot to second, while the Philadelphia 76ers got the third pick. The only team that moved down from their original draft position altogether was the New York Knicks, who moved from the projected second pick to the fourth pick.

^ Denotes the actual lottery result
Team 2014-15
record
Lottery
chances
Lottery probabilities
1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th
Minnesota Timberwolves16-66 250.250^.215.178.357, , , , , , , , , ,
New York Knicks17-65 199.199.188.171.319^.123, , , , , , , , ,
Philadelphia 76ers18-64 156.156.157.156^.226.265.040, , , , , , , ,
Los Angeles Lakers21-61 119.119.126^.133.099.351.160.012, , , , , , ,
Orlando Magic25-57 88.088.097.107, .261^.360.084.004, , , , , ,
Sacramento Kings29-53 63.063.071.081, , .440^.305.040.001, , , , ,
Denver Nuggets30-52 43.043.049.058, , , .600^.232.018.000, , , ,
Detroit Pistons32-50 28.028.033.039, , , , .724^.168.008.000, , ,
Charlotte Hornets33-49 17.017.020.024, , , , , .813^.122.004.000, ,
Miami Heat37-45 11.011.013.016, , , , , , .870^.089.002.000,
Indiana Pacers38-44 8.008.009.012, , , , , , , .907^.063.001.000
Utah Jazz38-44 7.007.008.010, , , , , , , , .935^.039.000
Phoenix Suns39-43 6.006.007.009, , , , , , , , , .960^.018
Oklahoma City Thunder45-37 5.005.006.007, , , , , , , , , , .982^
Bobby Portis was selected 22nd by the Chicago Bulls.
Bobby Portis was selected 22nd by the Chicago Bulls.

06Draft ceremony

In the first round of the NBA draft, each team has up to five minutes to decide which player they would like to select. The team can also propose a trade with another team before making their selection. The NBA commissioner will announce the selection and the player, wearing a basketball cap sporting the team's logo, comes up to the stage to be congratulated and presented to the audience. In the second round, each team has up to two minutes to make their picks while the deputy commissioner assumes the commissioner's role.

The NBA annually invites around 15-20 players to sit in the "green room", a special room set aside at the draft site for the invited players plus their families and agents. When their names are called, the player leaves the room and goes up on stage. Other players who are not invited are allowed to attend the ceremony, sit in the stands with the fans and walk up on stage when (or if) they are drafted. The 19 players who accepted invitations to attend the draft were Devin Booker, Willie Cauley-Stein, Sam Dekker, Jerian Grant, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Stanley Johnson, Frank Kaminsky, Kevon Looney, Trey Lyles, Emmanuel Mudiay, Jahlil Okafor, Kelly Oubre Jr., Cameron Payne, Bobby Portis, Kristaps Porziņģis, D'Angelo Russell, Karl-Anthony Towns, Myles Turner, and Justise Winslow. International prospect Mario Hezonja did not attend because he was still involved with his then-team FC Barcelona at the time. Three other players, R.J. Hunter, Tyus Jones, and Delon Wright all had invitations as well, but they declined their invitations for undisclosed reasons.

Kevon Looney was selected 30th by the Golden State Warriors.
Kevon Looney was selected 30th by the Golden State Warriors.

07Trades involving draft picks

Pre-draft trades

Prior to the day of the draft, the following trades were made and resulted in exchanges of draft picks between the teams.

Draft-day trades

The following trades involving drafted players were made on the day of the draft.

Norman Powell was selected 46th by the Milwaukee Bucks (traded to the Toronto Raptors).
Norman Powell was selected 46th by the Milwaukee Bucks (traded to the Toronto Raptors).
Watch videos about 2015 NBA draftExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article 2015 NBA draft, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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