Safekipedia2011 NBA draft
Adapted from Wikipedia · Adventurer experience
The 2011 NBA draft was held on June 23, 2011, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft began at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (23:00 UTC), and was shown in the United States on ESPN. Kia Motors was the main sponsor of the 2011 NBA draft. In this draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns picking amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players.
The Cleveland Cavaliers had the first pick because of a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. They chose point guard Kyrie Irving from Duke. The 2011 NBA draft was the last time the New Jersey Nets took part in an NBA draft. After the 2011–12 season, the team moved to Brooklyn, New York and became the Brooklyn Nets.
The 2011 draft is thought to be one of the best in NBA history. Many players from this draft went on to play in All-Star games and All-NBA Teams. As of 2025, some players from this draft were still playing in the NBA during the 2025–26 season.
Draft selections
Notable undrafted players
Further information: List of undrafted NBA players
Some players were not picked in the 2011 NBA draft but still played in the NBA.
Eligibility rules
Main article: Eligibility for the NBA draft
To join the NBA draft in 2011, players needed to follow some rules. They had to be at least 19 years old by the end of the year, meaning they needed to be born on or before December 31, 1992.
Players from outside the United States needed to live outside the U.S. for three years before the draft and couldn’t have gone to a U.S. college. For these players, being 22 years old or older by the end of the draft year made them eligible. Players who finished college could also join the draft. Some players could declare for the draft by a certain date, but if they did this and hired an agent, they could no longer play college basketball again.
Draft lottery
Further information: NBA draft lottery
The first 14 picks in the draft went to teams that did not make the playoffs. Their order was decided by a lottery. The lottery picked three teams for the first three spots. The other picks went to teams based on their records from the previous season.
The lottery happened on May 17, 2011, in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Cleveland Cavaliers won the lottery and got the first pick. The Minnesota Timberwolves got the second pick, and the Utah Jazz got the third pick.
^ 1: New Jersey Nets' pick was conveyed to the Utah Jazz.[b]
^ 2: Los Angeles Clippers' pick was conveyed to the Cleveland Cavaliers.[a]
| Team | 2010–11 record | Lottery chances | Pick | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | |||
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 17–65 | 250 | .250 | .215^ | .178 | .357 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 19–63 | 199 | .199 | .188 | .171 | .319^ | .123 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Toronto Raptors | 22–60 | 156 | .156 | .157 | .156 | .226 | .265^ | .040 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Washington Wizards | 23–59 | 119 | .119 | .126 | .133 | .099 | .351 | .161^ | .013 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sacramento Kings | 24–58 | 76 | .076 | .084 | .095 | — | .261 | .386 | .093^ | .004 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| New Jersey Nets | 24–58 | 75 | .075 | .083 | .094^ | — | — | .413 | .294 | .039 | .001 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Detroit Pistons | 30–52 | 43 | .043 | .049 | .058 | — | — | — | .599 | .232^ | .018 | .000 | — | — | — | — |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 32–50 | 28 | .028^ | .033 | .039 | — | — | — | — | .725 | .168 | .008 | .000 | — | — | — |
| Charlotte Bobcats | 34–48 | 17 | .017 | .020 | .024 | — | — | — | — | — | .813^ | .122 | .004 | .000 | — | — |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 35–47 | 11 | .011 | .013 | .016 | — | — | — | — | — | — | .870^ | .089 | .002 | .000 | — |
| Golden State Warriors | 36–46 | 8 | .008 | .009 | .012 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | .907^ | .063 | .001 | .000 |
| Utah Jazz | 39–43 | 7 | .007 | .008 | .010 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | .935^ | .039 | .000 |
| Phoenix Suns | 40–42 | 6 | .006 | .007 | .009 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | .960^ | .018 |
| Houston Rockets | 43–39 | 5 | .005 | .006 | .007 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | .982^ |
Entrants
Early entrants
College underclassmen
(All players are Americans except as indicated)
International players
This list includes players who meet special rules for being from outside the United States.
- Dāvis Bertāns – F, Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia)
- Bismack Biyombo – F, Baloncesto Fuenlabrada (Spain)
- Nikola Mirotić – F, Real Madrid (Spain)
- Donatas Motiejūnas – F, Benetton Treviso (Italy)
- Jonas Valančiūnas – C, Lietuvos Rytas (Lithuania)
- Jan Veselý – F, Partizan Belgrade (Serbia)
Automatically eligible entrants
Players can join the draft right away if they meet certain rules.
If they are not from outside the United States, they can join if:
- They finished all four years of college basketball.
- Four years have passed since they graduated from high school in the U.S. and did not go to college.
- They signed and played for a professional basketball team outside the NBA, anywhere in the world.
If they are from outside the United States, they can join if:
- They are at least 22 years old during the year of the draft. This means they were born on or before December 31, 1989.
- They signed and played for a professional basketball team outside the NBA but within the United States.
Alec Burks – G, Colorado (sophomore) DeAngelo Casto – C, Washington State (junior) Roscoe Davis – F, Midland JC (TX) (freshman) Jeremy Green – G, Stanford (junior) Jordan Hamilton – G/F, Texas (sophomore) Tobias Harris – F, Tennessee (freshman) Tyler Honeycutt – F, UCLA (sophomore) Scotty Hopson – G, Tennessee (junior) Kyrie Irving – G, Duke (freshman) Reggie Jackson – G, Boston College (junior) Terrence Jennings – F, Louisville (junior)  Enes Kanter – F/C, Kentucky (freshman)Although Kanter enrolled at Kentucky, he never played because he was declared ineligible by the NCAA due to financial benefits he had received from his previous Turkish club, Fenerbahçe Ülker. Ryan Kelley – G, Colorado (sophomore) Dan Kelm – G, Viterbo (WI) (sophomore) Brandon Knight – G, Kentucky (freshman) Malcolm Lee – G, UCLA (junior) Kawhi Leonard – F, San Diego State (sophomore) Travis Leslie – G, Georgia (junior) | DeAndre Liggins – G, Kentucky (junior) Shelvin Mack – G, Butler (junior) Keishawn Mayes – F, Campbell (junior) Darius Morris – G, Michigan (sophomore) Marcus Morris – F, Kansas (junior) Markieff Morris – F, Kansas (junior) Willie Reed – F, Saint Louis (junior) Jereme Richmond – G/F, Illinois (freshman) Carleton Scott – F, Notre Dame (junior) Josh Selby – G, Kansas (freshman) Iman Shumpert – G, Georgia Tech (junior) Chris Singleton – F, Florida State (junior) Greg Smith – C, Fresno State (sophomore) Isaiah Thomas – G, Washington (junior) Trey Thompkins – F, Georgia (junior) Klay Thompson – G, Washington State (junior) Kemba Walker – G, Connecticut (junior) Antoine Watson – G, Florida International (junior) Derrick Williams – F, Arizona (sophomore) Jordan Williams – F, Maryland (sophomore) |
Invited attendees
The NBA invites some players to sit in a special room during the draft. This room is for the players, their families, and their agents. In 2011, several players were invited. They came from different countries and played for teams in many places. Some players were added to the list later.
Trades involving draft picks
Pre-draft trades
Before the draft, several trades happened that let teams swap their chances to pick new players.
- On February 24, 2011, the Cleveland Cavaliers got Baron Davis and a pick from the Los Angeles Clippers for Mo Williams and Jamario Moon.
- On February 23, 2011, the Utah Jazz got Devin Harris and Derrick Favors from the New Jersey Nets for Deron Williams.
- On February 22, 2011, the Chicago Bulls got a pick from the Toronto Raptors for James Johnson.
- On February 23, 2011, the Washington Wizards got Mike Bibby, Maurice Evans, Jordan Crawford, and a pick from the Atlanta Hawks for Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong.
- On February 23, 2011, the Charlotte Bobcats got Joel Przybilla, Dante Cunningham, Sean Marks, and picks from the Portland Trail Blazers for Gerald Wallace.
- On July 13, 2010, the Minnesota Timberwolves got Kosta Koufos and picks from the Utah Jazz for Al Jefferson.
- On February 24, 2011, the Houston Rockets got Goran Dragić and a pick from the Phoenix Suns for Aaron Brooks.
- On December 15, 2010, the New Jersey Nets got a pick from the Los Angeles Lakers in a three-team trade.
- On July 12, 2010, the Miami Heat got picks from the Minnesota Timberwolves for Michael Beasley.
- On June 15, 2007, the Detroit Pistons got picks from the Toronto Raptors for Carlos Delfino.
- On February 16, 2009, the Los Angeles Clippers got a pick from the Detroit Pistons for Alex Acker.
- On August 6, 2008, the Houston Rockets got the chance to swap picks from the Los Angeles Clippers for Steve Novak.
- On July 8, 2010, the Chicago Bulls got Carlos Boozer and a pick from the Utah Jazz for a trade exception.
- On July 22, 2010, the Golden State Warriors got a pick from the Chicago Bulls for C. J. Watson.
- On September 29, 2010, the New Orleans Hornets got Willie Green, Jason Smith, and the chance to swap picks from the Philadelphia 76ers for Darius Songaila and Craig Brackins.
- On June 26, 2009, the Los Angeles Lakers got a pick from the New York Knicks for the rights to Toney Douglas.
- On July 13, 2009, the Detroit Pistons got a pick from the Denver Nuggets for Arron Afflalo, Walter Sharpe, and cash.
- On July 10, 2010, the Cleveland Cavaliers got picks from the Miami Heat for LeBron James.
- On June 26, 2009, the Los Angeles Lakers got a pick from the Miami Heat for the rights to Patrick Beverley.
- On July 21, 2010, the Sacramento Kings got Darnell Jackson and a pick from the Milwaukee Bucks for Jon Brockman.
Draft-day trades
Trades made on the day of the draft involved players being picked.
- In a three-team trade, the Charlotte Bobcats got Corey Maggette and the rights to Bismack Biyombo from the Sacramento Kings, the Kings got John Salmons and the rights to Jimmer Fredette from the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Bucks got Beno Udrih, Stephen Jackson, Shaun Livingston, and the rights to Tobias Harris from the Bobcats.
- The Indiana Pacers got George Hill from the San Antonio Spurs for the rights to Kawhi Leonard and others.
- The Houston Rockets got Jonny Flynn and the rights to Donatas Motiejūnas from the Minnesota Timberwolves for Brad Miller and others.
- The Chicago Bulls got the rights to Nikola Mirotić from the Minnesota Timberwolves for the rights to Norris Cole and others.
- The New Jersey Nets got the rights to Marshon Brooks from the Boston Celtics for the rights to JaJuan Johnson and a pick.
- In a three-team trade, the Denver Nuggets got the rights to Jordan Hamilton from the Dallas Mavericks, the Mavericks got Rudy Fernández and the rights to Petteri Koponen from the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Blazers got Raymond Felton from the Nuggets and the rights to Tanguy Ngombo from the Mavericks.
- The Miami Heat got the rights to Norris Cole from the Minnesota Timberwolves for the rights to Bojan Bogdanović and others.
- The New Jersey Nets got the rights to Bojan Bogdanović from the Minnesota Timberwolves for a pick and cash.
- The Orlando Magic got the rights to Justin Harper from the Cleveland Cavaliers for picks.
- The Golden State Warriors got the rights to Jeremy Tyler from the Charlotte Bobcats for cash.
- The New York Knicks got the rights to Josh Harrellson from the New Orleans Hornets for cash.
- The Denver Nuggets got the rights to Chukwudiebere Maduabum from the Los Angeles Lakers for a future pick.
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