2023 NBA Draft: Why are there only 58 picks in this year's draft process?
The NBA Draft is on Thursday, June 22. This year’s show will look slightly different. Usually teams get one pick in the first round and one pick in the second round to make 60 selections in the draft.
This year there will only be 58 picks. The Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers forfeited their second-round picks this year. The two teams were forced to give up the picks after violating tampering rules during free agency.
This is the second straight season teams had to give up draft picks due to tampering. Last season, the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat were forced to give up their second-round picks for violating tampering rules.
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Why did the Sixers lose their pick?
The Sixers were forced to give up their pick after the league investigated their free agency acquisitions. They were found to have contacted P.J. Tucker and Danuel House before the legal period began. However, the investigation found no wrongdoing in the signing of James Harden.
The investigation was triggered after Harden signed with the Sixers while taking less money. Harden opted out of his $47.4 million player option to allow the Sixers the cap flexibility to sign House and Tucker. Harden then signed for less money.
Why did the Bulls lose their pick?
The Bulls lost their pick after an investigation in 2021. The investigation found that Chicago tampered with Lonzo Ball before it traded for him. Chicago acquired Ball on a sign-and-trade when he was a restricted free agent. Ball and the Bulls agreed to a four-year, $80 million deal.
The Bulls dealt Garrett Temple and Tomas Satoransky to the New Orleans Pelicans for Ball. The point guard has since had trouble staying on the court for the Bulls while suffering through leg injuries. Ball missed all of the 2022-23 season. He only played in 35 games the season before.
The teams could possibly execute a trade and get a second-round pick back that way. The second round is often overlooked. Most players drafted in the second round do not make NBA rosters or end up in the G League.
However, there are some second-round steals. Two-time MVP and NBA champion Nikola Jokic was drafted in the second round.