The first round of the NBA draft started with the Dallas Mavericks drafting the future of the franchise, Cooper Flagg, and ended with the Clippers taking Penn State product Yanic Konan Niederhauser.

Here are the Denver Gazette’s winners and losers from the first round:

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Winners

1. Hawks

What a couple of days it has been for Atlanta. The Hawks traded for Kristaps Porzingis on Tuesday and pulled off what appears to be a heist on Wednesday. Onsi Saleh’s front office traded the 13th pick, which was eventually used on Maryland big man Derik Queen, for the 23rd pick, which was used on Asa Newell. The most valuable part of the trade was the Pelicans including whichever 2026 first-round pick is more valuable between their own and Milwaukee’s. There are multiple viable routes for that pick to end up in the top 10 next year.

2. Spurs

San Antonio made the safe and expected decision, selecting Rutgers guard Dylan Harper with the second pick. A dozen picks later, the Spurs added Arizona forward Carter Bryant. Those two would be Day 1 contributors a lot of places, the San Antonio is quickly becoming rather deep. The Spurs are in such a good spot they could trade either Harper, a 6-foot-6 guard, or Bryant, a 6-foot-8 forward, in a package for a more established player if San Antonio’s front office wants to go all in sooner than later.

3. Kasparas Jakucionis

The Illinois product had to wait a little longer than anticipated, but it was worth it. The Heat ended the projected lottery pick’s wait with the 20th pick. Not only does the Lithuanian get to start his NBA career in Miami, the Heat have a need for a guard with Jakucionis’s versatile skill set. The 6-foot-6 combo guard should get to play meaningful minutes right away.

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Losers

1. Hornets

Kon Knueppel is going to have a long and solid NBA career, but Charlotte left a couple of higher-upside prospects on the board. The Hornets aren’t a shooter away from contending, even in a wide-open Eastern Conference. Tre Johnson, Ace Bailey and Jeremiah Fears all have the star power that could actually make a difference in Charlotte. The Hornets night ended by adding Connecticut freshman Liam McNeeley.

2. Magic

The trade that brought Aaron Gordon to Denver is now finalized, and it doesn’t look good for the Magic. The Nuggets ended up getting a key piece to their 2023 championship and beyond. Orlando’s haul ended up being Gary Harris, who missed at least 20 games in all four of his seasons with the Magic, R.J. Hampton, who hasn’t played in the NBA since an eight-game stint with the Heat in 2023-24, and Jase Richardson, the 25th pick Wednesday. Richardson followed in the footsteps of his father, Jason, to Michigan State, where he had a nice freshman season before declaring for the draft. Now, Jase will get a chance in Orlando, where his father spent a couple of seasons. It will take a lot from Jase to turn that trade around for Orlando.

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3. Nolan Traore

A year ago, the French guard was regarded as the top European prospect in this class. Traore ended up being the third French player drafted after Noa Essengue (Chicago) and Joan Beringer (Minnesota). Even worse for Traore, he’s headed to Brooklyn that spent the No. 8 pick on Egor Demin, who plays the same position as Traore. If the Nets make more trades to speed up the rebuilt, the situation in Brooklyn could get messy quickly.