Record Number of Second Round NBA Draft Picks Dealt at Trade Deadline

It’s official: seconds are the new firsts.

The 2022-23 NBA trade deadline came and went, but not without its usual fireworks.

This year’s show featured smoke bombs, sparklers and even the big guns in the form of Kyrie Irving to Dallas, Russell Westbrook to Utah in a three-team deal and superstar Kevin Durant back to the Western Conference with the Phoenix Suns.

But there was an undercurrent this year that took the trade deadline by storm: second round draft selections.

Long thought of as the lowest available asset in the NBA, seconds were oft used as nothing more than to facilitate deals and help manage salary. But this trade deadline saw them used like never before.

Two deals saw as many as five second round picks apiece send to teams for just one player. Jae Crowder and Gary Payton II likely got a boost of confidence today being traded for more picks than Durant himself.

New Orleans’ guard Devonte Graham was traded for four second rounders and a bevy of other seconds were dealt out in what was a wild day.

One theory (mine) as to why the seconds were used in abundance this year is this: with a few select teams now hoarding first round selections — Oklahoma City, Utah, New Orleans, etc. — seconds are now the latest and greatest trade asset to grab non-star players.

If firsts are going to be hoarded, seconds, a much more movable asset on the market that plenty of teams still own, are going to command new value.

Of course, the number of second round selections being moved begs the question: do they hold value? Or are those teams willing to part with that many due to their indifference in using them?

It’s an interesting conundrum and one we won’t likely have the answer to for several more years. Some would argue that's exactly how contenders should spend their seconds, as they have no real use in developing prospects drafted that late.

Others would say having more picks offers maximum flexibility in team-building for the future, regardless of where the selections are.

But for now, it seems seconds could be used more and more to nab some legitimate talent around the league. More-so than we would’ve thought yesterday.

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