The 2014 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2014, at Barclays Center, Brooklyn. 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 7, 2014. The Cleveland Cavaliers won the draft lottery to earn the first overall pick in the draft; this is the fourth number-one pick for Cleveland since 2003 and third number-one pick over a four-year span from 2011 to 2014. This draft would also be the first for the reborn Charlotte Hornets, who played as the Bobcats from 2004 to 2014, since 2001, when the original Charlotte Hornets last selected as the Charlotte Hornets before moving to New Orleans and eventually becoming the current New Orleans Pelicans.
Television rights in the United States belonged to ESPN. It was tipped by many to be one of the deepest and most hyped draft classes in recent years, with several players touted as future stars. State Farm was the presenting sponsor of the draft. College underclassmen that were highly touted by NBA scouts and executives included: Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Joel Embiid, Aaron Gordon, Julius Randle, Zach LaVine, T. J. Warren, and Gary Harris. Other highly sought after talents included Australian player Dante Exum and Croatian player Dario Šarić, who both declared for the draft, and Doug McDermott, who was automatically eligible as a graduating college senior.
Highlights from the draft included the first selections made by Adam Silver as commissioner and Mark Tatum as deputy commissioner, the second Canadian to be the first overall pick (Andrew Wiggins), the first pair of Canadian top 10 picks and second pair of Canadian lottery picks (Wiggins and Nik Stauskas), three top 20 Canadian selections (Wiggins, Stauskas, and Tyler Ennis), the first NBA Development League player to be selected in the first round (P. J. Hairston), the first time multiple NBA Development League players were selected in the same draft (Hairston and Thanasis Antetokounmpo), and the first Cape Verdean player to be selected in the draft (Walter Tavares). In addition, a standing ovation for Isaiah Austin occurred between the 15th and 16th picks of the draft, which included having the NBA itself hold a ceremonial pick to select him as a means of letting his dream of having his name be heard in the NBA draft come true, which happened days after he was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome and originally was never considered to play professional basketball again. Nearly two months after the draft ended, Andrew Wiggins was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of a three-team deal that brought Kevin Love to Cleveland; this resulted in the second time since the NBA–ABA merger that a first overall draft pick would not play a single game for the team that drafted him (the first time being the Orlando Magic drafted Chris Webber first overall in 1993 and then minutes later, traded Webber to the Golden State Warriors for Golden State's third overall pick in the 1993 Draft, Penny Hardaway plus three of Golden State's future first-round draft selections).
Three-time MVP Nikola Jokić was taken with the 41st pick in the second round of the draft, making him the lowest draft selection ever to win the MVP Award and the NBA Finals MVP award.
Draft selections PG Point guard SG Shooting guard SF Small forward PF Power forward C Center
Player Team 11 +~SF/SGCleveland CavaliersKansas (Fr.)12SF/PFMilwaukee BucksDuke (Fr.)13 *CPhiladelphia 76ersKansas (Fr.)14PFOrlando MagicArizona (Fr.)15SG/PGUtah JazzAustralian Institute of Sport16SG/PGBoston CelticsOklahoma State (So.)17 *PFLos Angeles LakersKentucky (Fr.)18SGSacramento KingsMichigan (So.)19PFCharlotte Hornets (from Detroit)Indiana (Fr.)110PGPhiladelphia 76ers (from New Orleans, traded to Orlando)Louisiana–Lafayette (Jr.)111SFDenver Nuggets (traded to Chicago)Creighton (Sr.)112PFOrlando Magic (from New York via Denver, traded to Philadelphia)Cibona Zagreb (Croatia)113+SGMinnesota TimberwolvesUCLA (Fr.)114SFPhoenix SunsNorth Carolina State (So.)115PFAtlanta HawksMichigan State (Sr.)116CChicago Bulls (from Charlotte, traded to Denver)Cedevita Zagreb (Croatia)117SG/SFBoston Celtics (from Brooklyn)Kentucky (Fr.)118PGPhoenix Suns (from Washington)Syracuse (Fr.)119 SGChicago Bulls (traded to Denver)Michigan State (So.)120 SFToronto RaptorsEC Pinheiros (Brazil)121PFOklahoma City Thunder (from Dallas via L.A. Lakers and Houston)Michigan (So.)122SGMemphis GrizzliesUCLA (So.)123SGUtah Jazz (from Golden State)Duke (So.)124PGCharlotte Hornets (from Portland, traded to Miami)Connecticut (Sr.)125CHouston RocketsÉlan Chalon (France)126 SGMiami Heat (traded to Charlotte)Texas Legends (NBA D-League)127SGPhoenix Suns (from Indiana)Partizan Belgrade (Serbia)128SGLos Angeles ClippersWashington (Sr.)129SF/PFOklahoma City ThunderStanford (Sr.)130SFSan Antonio SpursUCLA (So.)231SFMilwaukee BucksChorale Roanne (France)232SFPhiladelphia 76ersClemson (Jr.)233SGCleveland Cavaliers (from Orlando)Virginia (Sr.)234SFNew York Knicks (from Boston via Dallas)Wichita State (Sr.)235PFUtah Jazz (traded to Memphis)Tennessee (Jr.)236PFMilwaukee Bucks (from L.A. Lakers via Phoenix and Minnesota)Louisiana State (Jr.)237 #SFToronto Raptors (from Sacramento)Connecticut (Jr.)238PG/SGDetroit PistonsColorado (Jr.)239SFPhiladelphia 76ers (from Cleveland)Syracuse (So.)240SFMinnesota Timberwolves (from New Orleans)Michigan (So.)241*CDenver NuggetsMega Vizura (Serbia)242PG/SGHouston Rockets (from New York)Arizona (Jr.)243CAtlanta HawksCB Gran Canaria (Spain)244SGMinnesota Timberwolves (traded to Brooklyn)Oklahoma State (Sr.)245PFCharlotte HornetsStanford (Sr.)246PGWashington Wizards (traded to L.A. Lakers)Missouri (Jr.)247PG/SGPhiladelphia 76ers (from Brooklyn via Boston and Dallas, traded to New Orleans)Louisville (Sr.)248SG/SFMilwaukee Bucks (from Toronto via Phoenix, traded to Atlanta)Pittsburgh (Sr.)249PF/CChicago BullsNew Mexico (Sr.)250 #CPhoenix SunsGreen Bay (Sr.)251SFNew York Knicks (from Dallas)Delaware 87ers (NBA D-League)252PGPhiladelphia 76ers (from Memphis via Cleveland)Mega Vizura (Serbia)253 #SFMinnesota Timberwolves (from Golden State, traded to Houston)Olimpia Milano (Italy)254 #SGPhiladelphia 76ers (from Houston via Milwaukee, traded to San Antonio)Mega Vizura (Serbia)255PGMiami Heat (traded to Oklahoma City via Charlotte)Xavier (So.)256SG/SFDenver Nuggets (from Portland, traded to Orlando)Iowa (Sr.)257#PF/CIndiana Pacers (traded to New York)Paris-Levallois Basket (France)258SGSan Antonio Spurs (from L.A. Clippers via New Orleans, traded to Philadelphia)Tennessee (Sr.)259 #PG/SGToronto Raptors (from Oklahoma City via New York, traded to Brooklyn)San Diego State (Sr.)260PFSan Antonio Spurs (traded to Brooklyn via Philadelphia)Baylor (Sr.)
Notable undrafted players
These eligible players were not selected in the 2014 NBA draft but have played at least one game in the NBA. In April 2015, the undrafted Sim Bhullar became the first player of Indian descent to play in the league.
Player Position Nationality School/club team PG Michigan State (Sr.) PF Towson (Sr.) C New Mexico State (So.) PF/C UNLV (Sr.) PF Kansas (Sr.) SG Missouri (Jr.) SF Arkansas (Sr.) PG Providence (Sr.) SG/SF USC Upstate (Sr.) SG/SF Adelaide 36ers (Australia) SG Duke (Sr.) SF Virginia Tech (Sr.) PF/C Flamengo (Brazil) PG/SG Penn State (Sr.) PG Saint Joseph's (Sr.) SG Fresno State (Sr.) SG Cincinnati (Sr.) C New Mexico (Sr.) PF s.Oliver Baskets (Germany) PG Bradley (Sr.) PF North Carolina (Jr.) PF Oregon State (Sr.) PG Rhode Island (Sr.) PF Delaware 87ers (NBA D-League) SF St. John's (So.) PG Gonzaga (Sr.) SG/SF Strasbourg IG (France) PF UCLA (Sr.) SF UCLA (Sr.) SF/PF Florida State (Sr.) PF/C Western Michigan (Sr.) SF Marquette (Sr.)
Eligibility and entrants
The draft is 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. , the basic eligibility rules for the draft are listed below. 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 2014 draft must be born on or before December 31, 1995. 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. (non-international players) (international players) For the 2014 draft, this date fell on April 27. 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 then-current NCAA rules, players only had until April 16 to withdraw from the draft and maintain their college eligibility.
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.
This year, a total of 45 collegiate players and 30 international players declared as early entry candidates. On June 16, the withdrawal deadline, 18 early entry candidates withdrew from the draft, leaving 44 collegiate players and 13 international players as the early entry candidates for the draft.
+College underclassmen Player Class UCLA Sophomore CC of Baltimore County Freshman UCLA Sophomore Baylor Sophomore Colorado State Junior New Mexico State Sophomore UNLV Junior Missouri Junior Arizona State Sophomore Xavier Sophomore Missouri Junior Connecticut Junior Colorado Junior Kansas Freshman Syracuse Freshman Arizona Freshman Syracuse Sophomore Michigan State Sophomore Duke Sophomore Arizona Junior New Mexico Junior UCLA Freshman North Carolina Junior Clemson Junior Michigan Sophomore Oregon State Junior LSU Junior Duke Freshman Louisiana–Lafayette Junior Kentucky Freshman Michigan Sophomore Ohio State Junior Clinton JC Freshman St. John's Sophomore Oklahoma State Sophomore UNLV Junior Michigan Sophomore Tennessee Junior Indiana Freshman North Carolina State Sophomore Kansas Freshman Kentucky Freshman Thompson Rivers (Canada) Junior
+International players Player EC Pinheiros (Brazil) Élan Chalon (France) Mega Vizura (Serbia) Australian Institute of Sport Chorale Roanne (France) Mega Vizura (Serbia) Filathlitikos (Greece) Avtodor Saratov (Russia) Franca BC (Brazil) Mega Vizura (Serbia) Cedevita Zagreb (Croatia) Cibona Zagreb (Croatia) Reggio Emilia (Italy) +Other players Player Texas Legends (NBA D-League)
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.