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The 5 biggest first-round takeaways from the 2016 NBA Draft

Published Jun. 23, 2016 11:00 p.m. ET

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Andrew Lynch

Who knew chaos could be so uneventful?

Somehow, the 2016 NBA Draft felt both frantic and kind of boring. There were rumors of trades all night, with one big move stealing the show from the likes of Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram. That drama added a much-needed element of suspense to a night that was light on household names.

Amid the dull, dull roar, a few distinct moments managed to out. Here are the five things you need to know from the first round of Thursday night's draft.

In a vacuum, Oklahoma City's trade of Serge Ibaka to the Orlando Magic for Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and the rights to Domantas Sabonis is a highway robbery by the Thunder. Ibaka has the biggest name recognition of the group, yet he's not the All-Star big man he used to be. Injuries have seen to that. He is still a smart defender with the ability to stretch the floor to a certain extent, and that's valuable, sure. His contract expires next season, though, and the Thunder have a nice mix of talented bigs right now. This isn't a sign of surrender. Anyone wringing their hands over what Ibaka's departure means for Kevin Durant's future in OKC can (probably) stop worrying.

It's so hard ... to say goodbye ... to yesterdaaaaaaaay ... (Getty Images)

On the flip side, Oladipo is a fairly solid backcourt complement to Russell Westbrook -- although his lack of 3-point shooting could squeeze the floor for a Thunder team that was already struggling to find space on offense. He might be better as a versatile sixth man who can play in crunch time depending on matchups; even if that's the case, he's one of the better young players in the league. The Thunder are trying to prop open their title window for as long as possible while realizing that this might close it ever so slightly in the immediate future. Call it a calculated risk, one made more bearable by Ilyasova's ability to soak up most of Ibaka's minutes. Furthermore, Ibaka's absence should clarify the roles for Steven Adams (assuming the Thunder re-sign him) and Enes Kanter going forward.

Yet with all that said, Oklahoma City will miss Ibaka in next year's postseason. It's hard to see how they can go toe-to-toe with the Warriors once more with the style they found so successful this year if they don't have their three-headed big man lineup. The hope, then, is that Durant will see how well the team is set up beyond 2016-17 and choose to commit long-term to the Thunder.

At the very least, Chicago reportedly contemplated dealing Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves just days after Derrick Rose was sent to the Big Apple. And to be frank, I can't really comprehend why.

Butler's an outstanding two-way player. That's not the kind of guy you try to lure to stockpile assets -- he's the guy you try to build around with said assets. If the Bulls think they can get more value back in a trade than Butler provides, it might make a little more sense. But if the deal is Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn for Butler, I mean ... that's fine, but you're banking on both of those guys developing into the players we think they can be. We already know Butler's that type of player. Moreover, he's only 26 years old! He's about to hit his prime, and you want to give him away for potential?

Okay. Whatever, Chicago. You probably know best. If a rebuild is the way forward, so be it. I have to think you can get even more value if you're willing to call around, for what it's worth.

The top two picks, Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram, were such locks to go to the 76ers and Lakers that certain publications had them penciled in to their draft boards before the night's festivities officially started. From pick No. 3 through the end of the first round, though, teams simply didn't care about consensus best player available or any of that nonsense.

The likes of the Celtics (Jaylen Brown), Bucks (Thon Maker) and Kings (Georgios Papagiannis, Malachi Richardson) eschewed conventional wisdom, taking the rookies they think fit with their plans going forward. Those moves earned plenty of social media ridicule, but who cares? The NBA is too complicated these days for a disparate grouping of random players to win a championship, no matter how talented. Ignore the Twitter trolls and take the players you think will help you win.

Let's be honest: NBA teams know a lot more than we do. We like to second guess and mock -- both with drafts and with sarcasm -- but these teams do their homework on prospects. They spend countless hours (and dollars) to come up with as much information as possible before they select a player.

That doesn't mean they're perfect; it doesn't even mean they're necessarily good at what they do. We should criticize when it's warranted and try to figure out better alternatives. When they make unconventional picks, it's fine to jump to conclusions. Just make sure you keep a healthy dose of skepticism about your own ability to assess the future, as well. We're all making educated guesses, right?

In the days and hours leading up to the draft, all anyone could talk about was what move Boston would make. They were going to acquire Jahlil Okafor. Or they were going to acquire Nerlens Noel. Before that, they were trying to pry away Gordon Hayward. Or Khris Middleton. Or ... you know what? You get the point.

Some of those conversations undoubtedly happened for real. Yet at the end of the night, the Celtics simply made the selections they had coming into the draft, including Jaylen Brown at No. 3. It's the latest reminder that you have to take any leaks regarding Danny Ainge's front office with the biggest grain of salt the world has ever seen.

Remember Davis? Big guy, plays in New Orleans, has a unibrow?

He was supposed to take a major leap forward last season as a potential MVP candidate. Then the Pelicans fell apart physically, with seemingly every player on the roster suffering through some sort of major injury. 2015-16 ended up as a lost season for New Orleans; meanwhile, the clock is starting to tick on Davis. He's been in the league for three years. His second contract kicks in next season. The time to build a winner around the Pelicans star would seem to be now.

Still, there's a lot of work to be done in New Orleans. Ideally, the Pelicans would have been able to trade the pick for multiple assets, but the same was true for a dozen other teams in the first round. That the market was weak can't be held against New Orleans. Either way, Hield should help by contributing right away as a scorer and a solid defender on the perimeter. From there, it's up to the Pelicans to keep refining their roster. With a little bit of health and a lot of Davis, things could turn around in due time.

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