After a day of furious trade rumors that included Hawks forward Josh Smith, the NBA draft ended up being a pretty standard affair at the top.
The Cavaliers, as expected, selected Duke guard Kyrie Irving with the No. 1 pick. The Timberwolves took Arizona forward Derrick Williams No. 2 after the Hawks were among several teams that reportedly tried to pry the pick away in a trade.
Hawks general manager Rick Sund said Atlanta explored potential trades to move into the first round but “there was nothing that really made sense.” The Hawks instead used their second-round pick, No. 48 overall, to select Oakland (Mich.) University center Keith Benson.
Irving and Williams were considered the only potential All-Star players in the draft. Once they were off the board, teams jockeyed for position to get the prospects they wanted but none of the potential major trades reported throughout the day were consummated.
The Hawks got caught up in the buzz when Yahoo Sports reported Thursday afternoon that the team was trying to trade Smith to the Timberwolves for the No. 2 overall pick. The report said Sund wanted to use the pick to select Turkish center Enes Kanter, whom the Jazz ended up selecting at No. 3.
Sund declined to comment on the specifics of his trade conversations with other executives.
"The draft was—I don't want to say weak—but it wasn't one that was real strong [with depth] picking other than the top five or six," Sund said. "Pick eight is maybe as good as 15. We inquired [about trades] but most of the people wanted to keep [their picks]."
Much of the speculation about Atlanta trading Smith is fueled by the belief that he's disgruntled with the Hawks. Smith was frustrated by what he felt was unfair criticism last season from fans, media and coach Larry Drew, most of it focused on his shot selection.
Smith said Thursday he's aware of the swirling speculation but said he's not eager to get out of Atlanta.
“I’m not saying I want [a trade] to happen but if it does I will just have to deal with it,” Smith said.
Smith said the Hawks haven’t told him anything about a potential trade. But he noted that players aren’t usually privy to the team’s internal deliberations until a deal is imminent.
“Right now I’m with the Hawks,” he said. “I think we have a special group. I just want to win.”
The Hawks now turn their attention to Benson, who is scheduled to arrive in Atlanta on Sunday for a minicamp that starts Monday at Philips Arena. Sund said the Hawks also are working on bringing in some undrafted free agents for the camp.
Benson, 22, is 6-foot-11 with a wingspan of 7-4. Hawks assistant general manager Dave Pendergraft said the team likes Benson's length, athleticism, shot-blocking ability and his production during his four seasons at Oakland.
Benson was a two-time Summit League player of the year and also won the conference's defensive player of the year award as a senior. Pendergraft said Oakland played a tough non-conference schedule so the Hawks were able to evaluate Benson against top NCAA competition.
The major questions about Benson concern his lack of strength, size and toughness. Benson said he weighs just 224 pounds, a weight that will get him pushed around by bigger centers in the NBA.
Still, Pendergraft said the Hawks didn't think Benson would still be available at No. 48.
“Obviously he needs to get stronger and get into the weight room,” Pendergraft said. “There's upside. We do like his potential. We feel like he has the ability to score the ball now. . . . We don't think it will be that long of a wait [for Benson to be NBA-ready].”
Benson said he was 6-foot-9 and 190 when he got to Oakland, which is located in a Detroit suburb near his hometown of Farmington Hills.
“I think I have the frame to put on a lot of weight,” Benson said. “My game will really increase once I put on that weight and some strength. I think I can put on 20 or more pounds.”
Hawks coach Larry Drew said Benson can play both center and power forward. Drew said he wants the Hawks to take a "very aggressive approach" to defense next season and Benson could help that process.
"Going into the draft and looking at the free-agent market, if we are going to be one of the top teams in the [Eastern Conference] we have got to get better defensively," he said. "And what better way to get better than to bring in a shot blocker."
The Hawks didn't have a first-round pick after trading it to Washington in February as part of a deal to acquire guard Kirk Hinrich. Washington used that pick, which was No. 18 overall, to select Dunwoody High product Chris Singleton, who played at Florida State.
Georgia Tech guard Iman Shumpert was the first player with local ties to be drafted. The Knicks selected Shumpert, who skipped his senior season to declare for the draft, with the No. 17 overall pick.
The lack of depth in the draft was reflected by the fact that four of the top seven players selected lack collegiate experience, which usually means they need time before they are ready for the NBA. The NBA said it's the first time four international players with no NCAA experience were selected in the draft lottery.
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