NEW YORK — With Andrew Wiggins at No. 1, it was a big night for Canada and Kansas. And it better be the right one for the Cavaliers.
Cleveland went north of the border to open the NBA draft for the second straight year Thursday night, hoping Wiggins works out better than Anthony Bennett.
Thrilled to go first and even happier when Jayhawks teammate Joel Embiid went two picks later, Wiggins beamed in his black tuxedo jacket with a white floral pattern.
“A thousand thoughts are going through my head right now,” Wiggins said. “It’s a dream come true.”
Bennett was injured last summer, came into the season out of shape and made no impact, one of the reasons the Cavs were back in this spot again.
But Wiggins seems a much more ready product after averaging a Kansas freshman-record 17.1 points. He might have ended up as the top pick anyway, but became the best option for the Cavs when Embiid suffered a stress fracture in his right foot shortly before the draft.
After making Canada the only country besides the U.S. to have consecutive No. 1 picks, Wiggins slipped on a maroon Cleveland hat, hugged his supporters and went on stage to shake hands with Commissioner Adam Silver, who was calling the first round for the first time since replacing David Stern.
Milwaukee followed with another freshman, Duke forward Jabari Parker, who on Wednesday disputed that he was out of shape for his workout with Cleveland and performed poorly. Some consider him the more NBA-ready player after an All-American season for the Blue Devils, and getting to play in Milwaukee puts him near his family in Chicago.
“I’m just very optimistic,” Parker said. “If it was 1, 2, put me at 60, just getting that opportunity, getting that chance of being in the NBA.”
Embiid went third to Philadelphia, drawing loud cheers from the many red-and-blue dressed 76ers fans who made the trip to Barclays Center in Brooklyn, as well as from Philadelphia guard Michael Carter-Williams, last season’s Rookie of the Year who was sitting on the arena floor level.
The 76ers had two top-10 picks and could afford to take a chance on Embiid, the big man who may have ended up the top prize despite his lone season at Kansas ending early because of a bad back. But once the foot injury popped up during workouts, leaving his NBA debut uncertain after surgery, the two teams at the top passed.
“He worked so hard,” Wiggins said. “He didn’t let nothing get to him. He always stayed motivated. So I’m just proud. It’s a proud moment for Kansas.
Arizona forward Aaron Gordon went fourth to Orlando, which also had two picks in the lottery, followed by Australian guard Dante Exum to Utah.
Then came two teams not used to picking so high: The Boston Celtics took Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart, with the rival Los Angeles Lakers following at No. 7 with Kentucky forward Julius Randle.
It was considered a deep draft, with top-level talent stretching toward the bottom of the lottery and perhaps beyond. It squeezed itself into the free agency frenzy that kicked off Monday, when Carmelo Anthony informed the New York Knicks he would become a free agent. LeBron James did the same the next day in Miami, and moves around the league since then appeared to be made with the pursuit of them in mind.
If James is interested in returning to Cleveland, a new teammate would be glad to welcome him.
“I want to win,” Wiggins said. “If he wants to win, we’d be good together.”
The 76ers took point guard Elfrid Payton of Louisiana-Lafayette at No. 10 with their second pick— they went into the draft with seven overall in the two rounds— and Orlando grabbed Croatian forward Dario Saric with its other lottery pick at No. 12.
In between, Denver took Creighton’s Doug McDermott, but the scoring star was already bracing for a reported trade to Chicago, asking officials if he was supposed to keep wearing the Nuggets hat. He was told he was until the deal was made.
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