# 2018 NBA draft

The 2018 NBA Draft was held on June 21, 2018, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. It was televised nationally by ESPN. State Farm was the presenting sponsor of the NBA draft for the seventh consecutive year. This draft was the last to use the original weighted lottery system that gave teams near the bottom of the NBA draft better odds at the top three picks of the draft while teams higher up had worse odds in the process; the rule was agreed upon by the NBA on September 28, 2017, but would not be implemented until the 2019 draft. It was also considered the final year where undrafted college underclassmen were forced to begin their professional careers early; on August 8, 2018, the NCAA announced that players who declared for the NBA draft and were not selected would have the opportunity to return to their school for at least another year. With the last year of what was, at the time, the most recent lottery system (with the NBA draft lottery being held in Chicago instead of in New York), the Phoenix Suns won the first overall pick on May 15, 2018, with the Sacramento Kings at the second overall pick and the Atlanta Hawks at third overall pick. The Suns' selection was their first No. 1 overall selection in franchise history. They used the selection on the Bahamian center Deandre Ayton from the nearby University of Arizona.
This draft was also notable for its lack of draft-day trades involving NBA veterans. An average of more than five veterans per year were traded on the day of the last three drafts, but this draft was the first since 2003 in which no such trades were announced. At the end of the 2018–19 season the top 5 picks from the draft were picked as the All-Rookie 1st Team, the first time this had happened since the 1984 draft.
Later retrospectives generally rank the 2018 NBA draft class as one of the deeper drafts in NBA history.

## Draft selections

| PG | Point guard | SG | Shooting guard | SF | Small forward | PF | Power forward | C | Center |
| * | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game and All-NBA Team |
| $^+$ | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game |
| $^#$ | Denotes player who has never appeared in an NBA regular season or playoff game |
| $^~$ | Denotes player who has been selected as Rookie of the Year |
| Rnd. | Pick | Player | Pos. | Nationality | Team | School / club team |
| 1 | 1 | Deandre Ayton | C | Bahamas | Phoenix Suns | Arizona (Fr.) |
| 1 | 2 | Marvin Bagley III | PF | United States | Sacramento Kings | Duke (Fr.) |
| 1 | 3 | Luka Dončić$^{*~}$ | PG | Slovenia | Atlanta Hawks (traded to Dallas) | Real Madrid (Spain) |
| 1 | 4 | Jaren Jackson Jr.$^+$ | PF | United States | Memphis Grizzlies | Michigan State (Fr.) |
| 1 | 5 | Trae Young$^*$ | PG | United States | Dallas Mavericks (traded to Atlanta) | Oklahoma (Fr.) |
| 1 | 6 | Mo Bamba | C | United States | Orlando Magic | Texas (Fr.) |
| 1 | 7 | Wendell Carter Jr. | C | United States | Chicago Bulls | Duke (Fr.) |
| 1 | 8 | Collin Sexton | SG/PG | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers (from Brooklyn via Boston) | Alabama (Fr.) |
| 1 | 9 | Kevin Knox II | SF | United States | New York Knicks | Kentucky (Fr.) |
| 1 | 10 | Mikal Bridges | SF | United States | Philadelphia 76ers (from L.A. Lakers via Phoenix; traded to Phoenix) | Villanova (Jr.) |
| 1 | 11 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander$^*$ | SG/PG | Canada | Charlotte Hornets (traded to the L.A. Clippers) | Kentucky (Fr.) |
| 1 | 12 | Miles Bridges | SF | United States | Los Angeles Clippers (from Detroit, traded to Charlotte) | Michigan State (So.) |
| 1 | 13 | Jerome Robinson | SG | United States | Los Angeles Clippers | Boston College (Jr.) |
| 1 | 14 | Michael Porter Jr. | SF | United States | Denver Nuggets | Missouri (Fr.) |
| 1 | 15 | Troy Brown Jr. | SF | United States | Washington Wizards | Oregon (Fr.) |
| 1 | 16 | Zhaire Smith | SG | United States | Phoenix Suns (from Miami; traded to Philadelphia) | Texas Tech (Fr.) |
| 1 | 17 | Donte DiVincenzo | SG | United States | Milwaukee Bucks | Villanova (So.) |
| 1 | 18 | Lonnie Walker IV | SG | United States | San Antonio Spurs | Miami (Fr.) |
| 1 | 19 | Kevin Huerter | SG | United States | Atlanta Hawks (from Minnesota) | Maryland (So.) |
| 1 | 20 | Josh Okogie | SG | Nigeria | Minnesota Timberwolves (from Oklahoma City via Utah) | Georgia Tech (So.) |
| 1 | 21 | Grayson Allen | SG | United States | Utah Jazz | Duke (Sr.) |
| 1 | 22 | Chandler Hutchison | SF/SG | United States | Chicago Bulls (from New Orleans) | Boise State (Sr.) |
| 1 | 23 | Aaron Holiday | PG | United States | Indiana Pacers | UCLA (Jr.) |
| 1 | 24 | Anfernee Simons | SG | United States | Portland Trail Blazers | IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida; HSPg.) |
| 1 | 25 | Moritz Wagner | PF | Germany | Los Angeles Lakers (from Cleveland via Portland and Cleveland) | Michigan (Jr.) |
| 1 | 26 | Landry Shamet | SG | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | Wichita State (So.) |
| 1 | 27 | Robert Williams III | PF/C | United States | Boston Celtics | Texas A&M (So.) |
| 1 | 28 | Jacob Evans | SG | United States | Golden State Warriors | Cincinnati (Jr.) |
| 1 | 29 | Džanan Musa | SF | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Brooklyn Nets (from Toronto) | Cedevita Zagreb (Croatia) |
| 1 | 30 | Omari Spellman | PF | United States | Atlanta Hawks (from Houston via L.A. Clippers) | Villanova (Fr.) |
| 2 | 31 | Élie Okobo | PG | France | Phoenix Suns | Pau-Lacq-Orthez (France) |
| 2 | 32 | Jevon Carter | PG | United States | Memphis Grizzlies | West Virginia (Sr.) |
| 2 | 33 | Jalen Brunson$^*$ | PG | United States | Dallas Mavericks | Villanova (Jr.) |
| 2 | 34 | Devonte' Graham | PG | United States | Atlanta Hawks (traded to Charlotte) | Kansas (Sr.) |
| 2 | 35 | Melvin Frazier | SF | United States | Orlando Magic | Tulane (Jr.) |
| 2 | 36 | Mitchell Robinson | C | United States | New York Knicks (from Chicago via Oklahoma City) | Chalmette HS (Chalmette, Louisiana; HS Sr.) |
| 2 | 37 | Gary Trent Jr. | SG | United States | Sacramento Kings (traded to Portland) | Duke (Fr.) |
| 2 | 38 | Khyri Thomas | SG | United States | Philadelphia 76ers (from Brooklyn, traded to Detroit) | Creighton (Jr.) |
| 2 | 39 | Isaac Bonga | SF | Germany | Philadelphia 76ers (from New York, traded to the L.A. Lakers) | Frankfurt Skyliners (Germany) |
| 2 | 40 | Rodions Kurucs | SF | Latvia | Brooklyn Nets (from L.A. Lakers via Orlando and Toronto) | FC Barcelona Lassa (Spain) |
| 2 | 41 | Jarred Vanderbilt | SF | United States | Orlando Magic (from Charlotte via Memphis and Phoenix, traded to Denver) | Kentucky (Fr.) |
| 2 | 42 | Bruce Brown | SG | United States | Detroit Pistons | Miami (So.) |
| 2 | 43 | Justin Jackson$^#$ | SF | Canada | Denver Nuggets (from L.A. Clippers via Philadelphia and New York, traded to Orlando) | Maryland (So.) |
| 2 | 44 | Issuf Sanon$^#$ | PG | Ukraine | Washington Wizards | Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia) |
| 2 | 45 | Hamidou Diallo | SG | United States | Brooklyn Nets (from Milwaukee, traded to Oklahoma City via Charlotte) | Kentucky (Fr.) |
| 2 | 46 | De'Anthony Melton | SG | United States | Houston Rockets (from Miami via Memphis) | USC (So.) |
| 2 | 47 | Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk | SG | Ukraine | Los Angeles Lakers (from Denver via Utah and Chicago) | Kansas (Sr.) |
| 2 | 48 | Keita Bates-Diop | SF | United States | Minnesota Timberwolves | Ohio State (Jr.) |
| 2 | 49 | Chimezie Metu | PF | Nigeria | San Antonio Spurs | USC (Jr.) |
| 2 | 50 | Alize Johnson | PF | United States | Indiana Pacers | Missouri State (Sr.) |
| 2 | 51 | Tony Carr$^#$ | PG | United States | New Orleans Pelicans (from New Orleans via Miami, New Orleans and Chicago) | Penn State (So.) |
| 2 | 52 | Vincent Edwards | SF | United States | Utah Jazz (traded to Houston) | Purdue (Sr.) |
| 2 | 53 | Devon Hall | SG | United States | Oklahoma City Thunder | Virginia (Sr.) |
| 2 | 54 | Shake Milton | SG | United States | Dallas Mavericks (from Portland via Denver, traded to Philadelphia) | SMU (Jr.) |
| 2 | 55 | Arnoldas Kulboka | SF | Lithuania | Charlotte Hornets (from Cleveland via Philadelphia and Brooklyn) | Orlandina Basket (Italy) |
| 2 | 56 | Ray Spalding | PF | United States | Philadelphia 76ers (traded to Dallas) | Louisville (Jr.) |
| 2 | 57 | Kevin Hervey | PF | United States | Oklahoma City Thunder (from Boston) | Texas-Arlington (Sr.) |
| 2 | 58 | Thomas Welsh | C | United States | Denver Nuggets (from Golden State) | UCLA (Sr.) |
| 2 | 59 | George King | SG | United States | Phoenix Suns (from Toronto) | Colorado (Sr.) |
| 2 | 60 | Kostas Antetokounmpo | SF/PF | Greece | Philadelphia 76ers (from Houston, traded to Dallas) | Dayton (Fr.) |

## Notable undrafted players

These players were not selected in the 2018 NBA draft, but have played at least one game in the NBA.
| Player | Pos. | Nationality | School/club team |
| Jaylen Adams | PG | United States | St. Bonaventure (Sr.) |
| Deng Adel | SF | Australia | Louisville (Jr.) |
| Rawle Alkins | SG | United States | Arizona (So.) |
| Elijah Bryant | SG | United States | BYU (Sr.) |
| Joe Chealey | PG | United States | College of Charleston (Sr.) |
| Chris Chiozza | PG | United States | Florida (Sr.) |
| Gary Clark | PF | United States | Cincinnati (Sr.) |
| Bonzie Colson | PF | United States | Notre Dame (Sr.) |
| Xavier Cooks | PF | Australia | Winthrop (Sr.) |
| Marcus Derrickson | SF | United States | Georgetown (Jr.) |
| Tyler Davis | C | Puerto Rico | Texas A&M (Jr.) |
| Ángel Delgado | C | Dominican Republic | Seton Hall (Sr.) |
| Trevon Duval | PG | United States | Duke (Fr.) |
| Drew Eubanks | C | United States | Oregon State (Jr.) |
| Wenyen Gabriel | PF | South Sudan | Kentucky (So.) |
| Kaiser Gates | SF | United States | Xavier (Sr.) |
| Brandon Goodwin | PG | United States | Florida Gulf Coast (Sr.) |
| Donte Grantham | SG | United States | Clemson (Sr.) |
| Haywood Highsmith | SF | United States | Wheeling Jesuit (Sr.) |
| B. J. Johnson | SG | United States | La Salle (Sr.) |
| Jemerrio Jones | SF | United States | New Mexico State (Sr.) |
| Jock Landale | C | Australia | Saint Mary's (Sr.) |
| Zach Lofton | SG | United States | New Mexico State (Sr.) |
| Daryl Macon | PG | United States | Arkansas (Sr.) |
| J. P. Macura | SG | United States | Xavier (Sr.) |
| Will Magnay | C/PF | Australia | Brisbane Bullets (Australia) |
| Kelan Martin | SF | United States | Butler (Sr.) |
| Yante Maten | PF | United States | Georgia (Sr.) |
| Dakota Mathias | SG | United States | Purdue (Sr.) |
| Jordan McLaughlin | PG | United States | USC (Sr.) |
| Chima Moneke | PF | Nigeria | UC Davis (Sr.) |
| Malik Newman | SG | United States | Kansas (So.) |
| Kendrick Nunn | PG | United States | Oakland (Sr.) |
| Theo Pinson | SF | United States | North Carolina (Sr.) |
| Duop Reath | C | Australia | LSU (Sr.) |
| Cameron Reynolds | SG | United States | Tulane (Sr.) |
| Duncan Robinson | SG | United States | Michigan (Sr.) |
| Brandon Sampson | SG | United States | LSU (Jr.) |
| Jae'Sean Tate | SG | United States | Ohio State (Sr.) |
| Jared Terrell | SG | United States | Rhode Island (Sr.) |
| Emanuel Terry | PF | United States | Lincoln Memorial (Sr.) |
| Allonzo Trier | SG | United States | Arizona (Jr.) |
| Gabe Vincent | SG/PG | Nigeria | UC Santa Barbara (Sr.) |
| Yuta Watanabe | SF | Japan | George Washington (Sr.) |
| Johnathan Williams | PF | United States | Gonzaga (Sr.) |
| Kenrich Williams | SF | United States | TCU (Sr.) |

## Combine

The invitation-only NBA Draft Combine was held in Chicago from May 16 to 20. The on-court element of the combine took place on May 18 and 19. A total of 69 players were invited to the NBA Draft this year, with two top talents in Deandre Ayton and Luka Dončić declining invitations for the event that year, with the latter player being involved with the 2018 EuroLeague Final Four at the time. Both mystery man Mitchell Robinson and Chandler Hutchison would remove themselves from the event at the last minute, although two other players would enter the event instead of them, leaving the proper number of official participants at 69. At the end of the draft deadline for international players, 12 players that entered the NBA Draft Combine that year ultimately withdrew from the NBA Draft, with 11 players returning to college and Brian Bowen planning on playing professionally before trying another NBA draft instead.

## Draft lottery

The NBA draft lottery took place during the playoffs on May 15, 2018. This year will be the last time it uses what was originally the updated system for the NBA draft lottery to upgrade draft odds for teams in the lower regions of the NBA. Starting in 2019 onward, the newer updated draft lottery will give the bottom 3 teams equal odds for the No. 1 pick, while some of the teams higher up the NBA draft would get an increased chance for a top-four pick instead of a top-three pick like in this year, thus hoping to discourage teams from potentially losing games on purpose for higher draft picks (and potentially better talent in the process). There were also two tiebreakers involved for lottery odds this season; the first involved the Dallas Mavericks having one more result favoring them having the No. 1 pick over the Atlanta Hawks after splitting the odds together, while the second tiebreaker had the Chicago Bulls splitting odds with the Sacramento Kings, resulting in the Bulls having slightly better odds on their end in the process. Funnily enough, both of the teams mentioned that lost the tiebreakers would wind up being in the Top 3 at the end of the NBA draft lottery. Furthermore, the Hawks would trade their Top 3 selection to Dallas for their selection in the draft instead.
* Denotes the actual lottery result
| Team | 2017–18 record | Lottery chances | Lottery probabilities | Lottery probabilities | Lottery probabilities | Lottery probabilities | Lottery probabilities | Lottery probabilities | Lottery probabilities | Lottery probabilities | Lottery probabilities | Lottery probabilities | Lottery probabilities | Lottery probabilities | Lottery probabilities | Lottery probabilities |
| Team | 2017–18 record | Lottery chances | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th |
| Phoenix Suns | 21–61 | 250 | .250 | .215 | .178 | .358 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 22–60 | 199 | .199 | .188 | .171 | .319 | .124 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dallas Mavericks | 24–58 | 138 | .138 | .142 | .145 | .238 | .290 | .045 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Atlanta Hawks | 24–58 | 137 | .137 | .142 | .145 | .085 | .323 | .155 | .013 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Orlando Magic | 25–57 | 88 | .088 | .096 | .106 | — | .262 | .359 | .084 | .004 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Chicago Bulls | 27–55 | 53 | .053 | .060 | .070 | — | — | .440 | .331 | .045 | .001 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sacramento Kings | 27–55 | 53 | .053 | .060 | .070 | — | — | — | .573 | .226 | .018 | .000 | — | — | — | — |
| Brooklyn Nets | 28–54 | 28 | .028 | .033 | .039 | — | — | — | — | .725 | .168 | .008 | .000 | — | — | — |
| New York Knicks | 29–53 | 17 | .017 | .020 | .024 | — | — | — | — | — | .813 | .122 | .004 | .000 | — | — |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 35–47 | 11 | .011 | .013 | .016 | — | — | — | — | — | — | .870 | .089 | .002 | .000 | — |
| Charlotte Hornets | 36–46 | 8 | .008 | .009 | .012 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | .908 | .063 | .001 | .000 |
| Detroit Pistons | 39–43 | 7 | .007 | .008 | .010 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | .935 | .039 | .000 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 42–40 | 6 | .006 | .007 | .009 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | .960 | .018 |
| Denver Nuggets | 46–36 | 5 | .005 | .006 | .007 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | .982 |
^ 1: The Brooklyn Nets pick was automatically conveyed to the Cleveland Cavaliers this year. ^ 2: The Los Angeles Lakers' pick was conveyed to the Philadelphia 76ers since the pick turned unprotected for them this year and wasn't in the Nos. 2-5 range. ^ 3: The Detroit Pistons' pick was conveyed to the Los Angeles Clippers since it was outside the top 4.

## Eligibility and entrants

The draft is conducted under the eligibility rules established in the league's 2017 collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with its players' union. The previous CBA that ended the 2011 lockout instituted no immediate changes to the draft but called for a committee of owners and players to discuss future changes.
* All drafted players must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft. In terms of dates, players who are eligible for the 2018 draft must be born on or before December 31, 1999.
* Since the 2016 draft, the following rules, as implemented by the NCAA Division I council for that division, are:
** Declaration for the draft no longer results in automatic loss of college eligibility. As long as a player does not sign a contract with a professional team outside the NBA, or sign with an agent, he will retain college eligibility as long as he makes a timely withdrawal from the draft.
** NCAA players have until 10 days after the end of the NBA Draft Combine to withdraw from the draft. Since the combine is held in mid-May, the current deadline is about five weeks after the previous mid-April deadline.
** NCAA players may participate in the draft combine and are allowed to attend one tryout per year with each NBA team without losing college eligibility.
** NCAA players may enter and withdraw from the draft up to two times without loss of eligibility. Previously, the NCAA treated the second declaration of draft eligibility as a permanent loss of college eligibility.
The NBA has since expanded the draft combine to include players with remaining college eligibility (who, like players without college eligibility, can only attend by invitation).

### Early entrants

Players who are not automatically eligible have to declare their eligibility for the draft by notifying the NBA offices in writing no later than 60 days before the draft. For the 2018 draft, the date fell on April 22. After that date, "early entry" players can attend NBA pre-draft camps and individual team workouts to show off their skills and obtain feedback regarding their draft positions. Under the CBA a player may withdraw his name from consideration from the draft at any time before the final declaration date, which is 10 days before the draft. Under current NCAA rules, players had until May 30 (10 days after the draft combine) to withdraw from the draft and retain college eligibility.
A player who has hired an agent forfeits his remaining college eligibility regardless of whether he is drafted.

#### College underclassmen

A record-high 236 underclassed draft prospects (i.e., players with remaining college eligibility) had declared by the April 22 deadline, with 181 of these players being from college. The names listed here mean that they hired an agent, or had announced that they planned to do so before the night of the draft. At the end of the deadline, 77 players declared their intentions to enter the draft with an agent (with one player announcing his entry after the deadline) while 100 players announced their return to college for at least one more season. Meanwhile, Matur Maker, Brian Bowen, Micah Seaborn and Tavarius Shine did not enter the draft after letting their deadlines to retain college eligibility expire. These players instead decided to enter in 2019 via either the NBA G League or another professional league.
* / Deng Adel – F, Louisville (junior)
* Rawle Alkins – G, Arizona (sophomore)
* Mike Amius – F, Western Carolina (junior)
* / Kostas Antetokounmpo – F, Dayton (freshman)
* Deandre Ayton – C, Arizona (freshman)
* Marvin Bagley III – F/C, Duke (freshman)
* Mo Bamba – C, Texas (freshman)
* Keita Bates-Diop – F, Ohio State (junior)
* Tashawn Berry – G, Dakota College (sophomore)
* Leron Black – F, Illinois (junior)
* Jordan Brangers – G, South Plains College (sophomore)
* Mikal Bridges – F, Villanova (junior)
* Miles Bridges – F, Michigan State (sophomore)
* Bruce Brown Jr. – G, Miami (sophomore)
* Troy Brown Jr. – F, Oregon (freshman)
* Jalen Brunson – G, Villanova (junior)
* Elijah Bryant – G, BYU (junior)
* Tony Carr – G, Penn State (sophomore)
* Wendell Carter Jr. – F/C, Duke (freshman)
* Kameron Chatman – G/F, Detroit (junior)
* Bryant Crawford – G, Wake Forest (junior)
* Eric Davis – G, Texas (junior)
* / Tyler Davis – C, Texas A&M (junior)
* Marcus Derrickson – F, Georgetown (junior)
* Hamidou Diallo – G, Kentucky (freshman)
* Donte DiVincenzo – G, Villanova (sophomore)
* Dikembe Dixson – F, UIC (sophomore)
* Trevon Duval – G, Duke (freshman)
* Drew Eubanks – F, Oregon State (junior)
* Jacob Evans – G/F, Cincinnati (junior)
* Tremaine Fraiser – G, Westchester CC (sophomore)
* Melvin Frazier Jr. – G/F, Tulane (junior)
* / Wenyen Gabriel – F, Kentucky (sophomore)
* Kaiser Gates – F, Xavier (junior)
* Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – G, Kentucky (freshman)
* D. J. Hogg – F, Texas A&M (junior)
* Aaron Holiday – G, UCLA (junior)
* Kevin Huerter – G, Maryland (sophomore)
* DeAngelo Isby – G/F, Utah State (junior)
* Jaren Jackson Jr. – F, Michigan State (freshman)
* Justin Jackson – F/G, Maryland (sophomore)
* Ismaila Kane – F, Atlanta Metropolitan State College (freshman)
* Devonte Klines – G, Montana State (junior)
* Kevin Knox II – F, Kentucky (freshman)
* Terry Larrier – F, Connecticut (junior)
* Marquez Letcher-Ellis – F, Nevada (sophomore)
* Makinde London – F, Chattanooga (junior)
* Brandon McCoy – C, UNLV (freshman)
* De'Anthony Melton – G, USC (sophomore)
* Chimezie Metu – F, USC (junior)
* Shake Milton – G, SMU (junior)
* Max Montana – F, San Diego State (junior)
* Doral Moore – C, Wake Forest (junior)
* Malik Newman – G, Kansas (sophomore)
* / Josh Okogie – G, Georgia Tech (sophomore)
* Ajdin Penava – F, Marshall (junior)
* Michael Porter Jr. – F, Missouri (freshman)
* Jerome Robinson – G, Boston College (junior)
* Mitchell Robinson – C, Western Kentucky (freshman)
* Brandon Sampson – G, LSU (junior)
* Corey Sanders – G, Rutgers (junior)
* Collin Sexton – G, Alabama (freshman)
* Landry Shamet – G, Wichita State (sophomore)
* / Yankuba Sima – F, Oklahoma State (junior)
* Anfernee Simons – G, IMG Academy (Postgraduate)
* Fred Sims – G, Chicago State (junior)
* Zhaire Smith – G/F, Texas Tech (freshman)
* Ray Spalding – F/C, Louisville (junior)
* Omari Spellman – F/C, Villanova (freshman)
* Khyri Thomas – G, Creighton (junior)
* Gary Trent Jr. – G, Duke (freshman)
* Allonzo Trier – G, Arizona (junior)
* Jarred Vanderbilt – F, Kentucky (freshman)
* Moritz Wagner – F, Michigan (junior)
* Lonnie Walker IV – G, Miami (freshman)
* Robert Williams III – F/C, Texas A&M (sophomore)
* Trae Young – G, Oklahoma (freshman)

#### International players

International players that had declared this year and did not previously declare in another prior year can drop out of the draft about 10 days before the draft begins on June 11. Initially, there were 55 players who originally expressed interest in entering the 2018 draft, one of which was a player who came directly out of high school from Canada. However, by the end of the deadline, 43 of those players (including the aforementioned Canadian high schooler) would ultimately pull their names out of the draft, leaving only 11 true international players entering the NBA Draft this year (the NBA link mentions LiAngelo Ball as an international player in the loosest sense of the word, but not Billy Preston there). Combining both the number of players listed previously and both LiAngelo Ball and Billy Preston as automatically eligible underclassmen under unique situations, the total number of underclassmen rounds out to 90 overall players.
* Isaac Bonga – G, Frankfurt Skyliners (Germany)
* Luka Dončić – G/F, Real Madrid (Spain)
* Tryggvi Hlinason – C, Valencia Basket (Spain)
* Michał Kolenda – F, Trefl Sopot (Poland)
* Arnoldas Kulboka – F, Betaland Capo d'Orlando (Italy)
* Rodions Kurucs – F, FC Barcelona Lassa (Spain)
* Džanan Musa – F, Cedevita Zagreb (Croatia)
* Williams Narace – SLUC Nancy Basket (France)
* Élie Okobo – G, Élan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez (France)
* Issuf Sanon – G, Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia)
* Filip Zagrajski – G, Vrijednosnice Osijek (Croatia)

### Automatically eligible entrants

Players who do not meet the criteria for "international" players are automatically eligible if they meet any of the following criteria:
* They have completed four years of their college eligibility.
* If they graduated from high school in the U.S., but did not enroll in a U.S. college or university, four years have passed since their high school class graduated.
* They have signed a contract with a professional basketball team not in the NBA, anywhere in the world, and have played under that contract.
Players who meet the criteria for "international" players are automatically eligible if they meet any of the following criteria:
* They are at least 22 years old during the calendar year of the draft. In terms of dates, players born on or before December 31, 1996, are automatically eligible for the 2018 draft.
* They have signed a contract with a professional basketball team not in the NBA within the United States, and have played under that contract.
Other automatically eligible players :
| Player | Team | Note |
| LiAngelo Ball | Vytautas Prienai–Birštonas (Lithuania) | Removed himself from UCLA in 2017. |
| Darin Johnson | Delaware 87ers (NBA G League) | Left Cal State Northridge in 2017; playing professionally since 2017–18 season. |
| Will Magnay | Brisbane Bullets (Australia) | Left Tulsa in 2017; playing professionally since 2017–18 season |
| Billy Preston | Igokea Laktaši (Bosnia & Herzegovina) | Removed himself from Kansas in 2018. |
| Maverick Rowan | Lakeland Magic (NBA G League) | Left NC State in 2017; playing professionally since 2017–18 season |

## Trades involving draft picks
### Pre-draft trades

Before the day of the draft, the following trades were made and resulted in exchanges of draft picks between the teams below.
* 1 2 July 12, 2013: Brooklyn Nets to Boston Celtics Boston acquired Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, Keith Bogans, MarShon Brooks, Kris Joseph, a 2014 first-round pick, a 2016 first-round pick, the option to swap 2017 first-round picks, and a 2018 first-round pick Brooklyn acquired Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jason Terry and D. J. White; Brooklyn also acquired Boston's 2017 second-round pick for compensation after the 2015–16 season ended. August 30, 2017: Boston Celtics to Cleveland Cavaliers Cleveland acquired Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Žižić, the Brooklyn Nets' 2018 first-round pick, and the Miami Heat's 2020 second-round pick (latter pick added as compensation for Thomas' failed physical) Boston acquired Kyrie Irving
* 1 2 July 7, 2012: Los Angeles Lakers to Phoenix Suns Phoenix acquired a 2013 first-round pick, a 2013 second-round pick, a 2014 second-round pick, and an unprotected 2018 first-round pick L.A. Lakers acquired Steve Nash February 19, 2015: Phoenix Suns to Philadelphia 76ers (three-team trade with Milwaukee) Philadelphia acquired the L.A. Lakers' 2018 first-round pick from Phoenix Phoenix acquired Brandon Knight and Kendall Marshall from Milwaukee Milwaukee acquired Michael Carter-Williams from Philadelphia, Miles Plumlee and Tyler Ennis from Phoenix
* 1 2 January 29, 2018: Detroit Pistons to Los Angeles Clippers L.A. Clippers acquired Avery Bradley, Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanović, and a top-4 protected 2018 first-round pick Detroit acquired Blake Griffin, Brice Johnson, and Willie Reed
* ↑ February 19, 2015: Miami Heat to Phoenix Suns (three-team trade with New Orleans Pelicans) Phoenix acquired John Salmons from New Orleans, Danny Granger, a top-7 protected 2018 first-round pick, a 2021 unprotected first-round pick, and a traded player exception from Miami Miami acquired Goran Dragić and Zoran Dragić from Phoenix New Orleans acquired Norris Cole, Shawne Williams, Justin Hamilton, and cash considerations from Miami
* ↑ February 10, 2015: Minnesota Timberwolves to Atlanta Hawks Atlanta acquired a lottery protected 2018 first-round pick Minnesota acquired Adreian Payne
* ↑ February 19, 2015: Oklahoma City Thunder to Utah Jazz (three-team trade with Detroit Pistons) Utah acquired a 2017 second-round pick from Detroit, Kendrick Perkins, Grant Jerrett, the player rights to Tibor Pleiß, and a lottery protected 2018 first-round pick from Oklahoma City Oklahoma City acquired Enes Kanter and Steve Novak, D. J. Augustin, Kyle Singler, and a 2019 second-round pick from Detroit Detroit acquired Reggie Jackson June 30, 2017: Utah Jazz to Minnesota Timberwolves Minnesota acquired a lottery-protected 2018 Oklahoma City first-round pick Utah acquired Ricky Rubio
* 1 2 February 1, 2018: New Orleans Pelicans to Chicago Bulls Chicago acquired Tony Allen, Jameer Nelson, Ömer Aşık, a top-5 protected 2018 first-round pick, and the rights to swap 2021 second-round picks New Orleans acquired Nikola Mirotić and reacquired their 2018 second-round pick once again
* ↑ February 18, 2016: Cleveland Cavaliers to Portland Trail Blazers Portland acquired Anderson Varejão and a 2018 protected first-round pick Cleveland acquired a 2020 second-round pick January 6, 2017: Portland Trail Blazers to Cleveland Cavaliers Cleveland reacquired their rights to that 2018 protected first-round pick (protections removed) Portland acquired a 2017 first-round pick February 8, 2018: Cleveland Cavaliers to Los Angeles Lakers L.A. Lakers acquired Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye and a top-3 protected 2018 first-round pick Cleveland acquired Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr.
* 1 2 July 13, 2017: Toronto Raptors to Brooklyn Nets Brooklyn acquired DeMarre Carroll, a lottery protected 2018 first-round pick, and the worst 2018 second-round pick between Orlando and the L.A. Lakers Toronto acquired Justin Hamilton
* ↑ June 28, 2017: Houston Rockets to Los Angeles Clippers L.A. Clippers acquired Patrick Beverley, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell, Darrun Hilliard, DeAndre Liggins, Lou Williams, Kyle Wiltjer, and a top-3 protected 2018 first-round pick Houston acquired Chris Paul July 7, 2017: Los Angeles Clippers to Atlanta Hawks (three-team trade with Denver Nuggets) Atlanta acquired Jamal Crawford, Diamond Stone, a top-3 protected 2018 Houston first-round pick and cash considerations from the L.A. Clippers L.A. Clippers acquired Danilo Gallinari from Denver Denver acquired the Washington Wizards' 2019 second-round pick from Atlanta
* ↑ February 23, 2017: Chicago Bulls to Oklahoma City Thunder Oklahoma City acquired Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott, and a 2018 second-round pick Chicago acquired Joffrey Lauvergne, Anthony Morrow, and Cameron Payne September 25, 2017: Oklahoma City Thunder to New York Knicks New York acquired Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott, and Chicago's 2018 second-round pick Oklahoma City acquired Carmelo Anthony
* 1 2 December 11, 2014: Brooklyn Nets to Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia acquired Andrei Kirilenko, Jorge Gutiérrez, the right to swap 2018 second-round picks between Cleveland and Brooklyn, a 2020 second-round pick, and cash considerations Brooklyn acquired Brandon Davies and the Cleveland Cavaliers' 2018 second-round pick
* 1 2 October 27, 2014: New York Knicks to Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia acquired Travis Outlaw, the right to swap 2018 second-round picks between New York and the L.A. Clippers, and a 2019 second-round pick New York acquired Arnett Moultrie
* ↑ June 20, 2018: Philadelphia 76ers to Los Angeles Lakers L.A. Lakers acquired New York's second-round pick Philadelphia acquired Chicago's 2019 second-round pick from Los Angeles and cash considerations
* ↑ August 10, 2012: Los Angeles Lakers to Orlando Magic (four-team trade with Philadelphia and Denver) Orlando acquired Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, a 2013 second-round pick, and the worse of Denver's and New York's 2014 first-round picks from Denver; Nikola Vučević, Maurice Harkless, and a 2015 conditional first-round pick that was conveyed in 2017 for the Sacramento Kings from Philadelphia; Josh McRoberts, Christian Eyenga, a 2015 protected second-round pick, and the Lakers' 2017 protected first-round pick (converted to the Lakers' 2017 second-round pick and 2018 second-round pick) from the L.A. Lakers L.A. Lakers acquired Dwight Howard, Earl Clark, and Chris Duhon from Orlando Philadelphia acquired Jason Richardson from Orlando and Andrew Bynum from the L.A. Lakers Denver acquired Andre Iguodala from Philadelphia May 25, 2017: Orlando Magic to Toronto Raptors Toronto acquired the worse 2018 second-round pick between Orlando and the L.A. Lakers; Orlando acquired the contractual release of Toronto general manager Jeff Weltman, whom the Magic immediately signed as their new president of basketball operations
* 1 2 February 16, 2016: Charlotte Hornets to Memphis Grizzlies (three-team trade with Miami) Memphis acquired P. J. Hairston, a 2018 second-round pick, and Brooklyn's 2019 second-round pick from Charlotte; Chris Andersen, a 2018 second-round pick, and a top-55 protected 2019 second-round pick from Miami Charlotte acquired Courtney Lee and cash considerations from Memphis Miami acquired Brian Roberts from Charlotte
* ↑ September 22, 2017: Memphis Grizzlies to Phoenix Suns Phoenix acquired Troy Daniels and a 2018 second-round pick for the middle choice between Charlotte, Memphis, and Miami Memphis acquired a top-55 protected 2018 Phoenix second-round pick (which would not be conveyed) February 8, 2018: Phoenix Suns to Orlando Magic Orlando acquired a 2018 second-round pick for the middle choice between Charlotte, Memphis, and Miami Phoenix acquired Elfrid Payton
* ↑ February 20, 2014: Los Angeles Clippers to Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia acquired Byron Mullens and a 2018 second-round pick (which would later be swapped with the New York Knicks) L.A. Clippers acquired a protected 2014 second-round pick (which ultimately wasn't conveyed)
* 1 2 February 8, 2018: Denver Nuggets to Dallas Mavericks (three-team trade with New York) Dallas acquired Doug McDermott and the Portland Trail Blazers' 2018 second-round pick from Dallas Denver acquired Devin Harris from Dallas and the L.A. Clippers' 2018 second-round pick from New York New York acquired Emmanuel Mudiay from Denver
* ↑ February 5, 2018: Milwaukee Bucks to Brooklyn Nets Brooklyn acquired Rashad Vaughn and a 2018 protected second-round pick Milwaukee acquired Tyler Zeller
* ↑ June 22, 2017: Memphis Grizzlies to Houston Rockets Houston acquired the worst 2018 second-round pick between Charlotte, Memphis, and Miami Memphis acquired the draft rights to Dillon Brooks
* 1 2 July 10, 2013: Utah Jazz to Denver Nuggets (three-team trade with Golden State) Utah acquired a 2018 second-round pick from Denver, Andris Biedriņš, Richard Jefferson, Brandon Rush, a 2014 first-round pick, a 2016 second-round pick, a 2017 first-round pick, a 2017 second-round pick, and cash considerations from Golden State; Denver acquired Randy Foye from Utah and a 2018 second-round pick from Golden State; Golden State acquired Andre Iguodala from Denver via sign-and-trade and Kevin Murphy from Utah
* ↑ February 18, 2016: Utah Jazz to Chicago Bulls (three-team trade with Atlanta) Chicago acquired Justin Holiday from Atlanta and a 2018 second-round pick from Utah; Utah acquired Shelvin Mack from Atlanta; Atlanta acquired Kirk Hinrich from Chicago July 7, 2016: Chicago Bulls to Los Angeles Lakers L.A. Lakers acquired José Calderón, Denver's 2018 second-round pick, and Chicago's 2019 second-round pick; Chicago acquired the player rights to Ater Majok
* ↑ February 18, 2016: New Orleans Pelicans to Miami Heat Miami acquired a top-55 protected 2018 second-round pick New Orleans acquired Jarnell Stokes and cash considerations July 10, 2016: Miami Heat to New Orleans Pelicans New Orleans reacquired their own 2018 second-round pick (protections removed) Miami acquired Luke Babbitt September 1, 2017: New Orleans Pelicans to Chicago Bulls Chicago acquired Quincy Pondexter, a 2018 second-round pick, and cash considerations New Orleans acquired the player rights to Ater Majok
* ↑ February 12, 2017: Portland Trail Blazers to Denver Nuggets Denver acquired Mason Plumlee, the least favorable 2018 second-round pick between Portland and Sacramento, and cash considerations Portland acquired Jusuf Nurkić and Memphis' 2017 first-round pick
* ↑ September 27, 2014: Cleveland Cavaliers to Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia acquired Keith Bogans and a 2018 second-round pick Cleveland acquired a conditional 2015 second-round pick (that ultimately wasn't conveyed)
* ↑ June 25, 2015: Brooklyn Nets to Charlotte Hornets Charlotte acquired the least valuable 2018 second-round pick between Brooklyn and Cleveland, a 2019 second-round pick, and cash considerations Brooklyn acquired the draft rights to Juan Pablo Vaulet
* ↑ July 14, 2015: Boston Celtics to Oklahoma City Thunder Oklahoma City acquired a top-55 protected 2018 second-round pick Boston acquired Perry Jones, a 2019 second-round pick, and cash considerations
* ↑ February 23, 2017: Toronto Raptors to Phoenix Suns Phoenix acquired Jared Sullinger, a 2017 second-round pick, and a 2018 second-round pick Toronto acquired P. J. Tucker
* ↑ June 28, 2017: Houston Rockets to Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia acquired a 2018 second-round pick and cash considerations Houston acquired Shawn Long

### Draft-day trades

Draft-day trades occurred on June 21, 2018, the day of the draft.
* 1 2 June 21, 2018: Atlanta Hawks to Dallas Mavericks Dallas acquired Atlanta's first-round pick (No. 3 – Luka Dončić) Atlanta acquired Dallas' first-round pick (No. 5 – Trae Young) and a protected 2019 first-round selection
* 1 2 June 21, 2018: Philadelphia 76ers to Phoenix Suns Phoenix acquired Philadelphia's first-round pick (No. 10 – Mikal Bridges) Philadelphia acquired Phoenix's first-round pick (No. 16 – Zhaire Smith) and the Miami Heat's 2021 first-round selection
* 1 2 June 21, 2018: Charlotte Hornets to Los Angeles Clippers Los Angeles Clippers acquired Charlotte's first-round pick (No. 11 – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) Charlotte acquired the Los Angeles Clippers' first-round pick (No. 12 – Miles Bridges) and two future second-round selections
* ↑ June 21, 2018: Atlanta Hawks to Charlotte Hornets Charlotte acquired Atlanta's second-round pick Atlanta acquired Charlotte's 2019 and 2023 second-round selections
* ↑ June 21, 2018: Sacramento Kings to Portland Trail Blazers Portland acquired Sacramento's second-round pick Sacramento acquired two future second-round selections and cash considerations
* ↑ June 21, 2018: Philadelphia 76ers to Detroit Pistons Detroit acquired Philadelphia's second-round pick Philadelphia acquired two future second-round selections
* 1 2 June 21, 2018: Orlando Magic to Denver Nuggets Denver acquired Orlando's second-round pick (No. 41 – Jarred Vanderbilt) Orlando acquired Denver's second-round pick (No. 43 – Justin Jackson) and a future second-round selection
* ↑ June 21, 2018: Utah Jazz to Houston Rockets Houston acquired Utah's second-round pick Utah acquired cash considerations
* 1 2 3 June 21, 2018: Dallas Mavericks to Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia acquired Dallas' second-round selection (No. 54 – Shake Milton) Dallas acquired two of Philadelphia's second-round selections (No. 56 – Ray Spalding and No. 60 – Kostas Antetokounmpo)

## Invited attendees

The NBA annually invites around 15–20 players to sit in the so-called "green room", a special room set aside at the draft site for the invited players plus their families and agents. When their names are called, the player leaves the room and goes up on stage. Other players who are not invited are allowed to attend the ceremony. They sit in the stands with the fans and walk up on stage when (or if) they are drafted. On June 15, 2018, 19 total players were announced as invites for the NBA Draft that year (all of whom coming out of college this year), while potential top 3 pick Luka Dončić was initially not invited to the event due to the Liga ACB Finals potentially extending through the draft. On June 19, ESPN reported that Dončić would attend the draft, after all, following Real Madrid's championship victory the previous night, extending the list to 20 players. The following players (listed alphabetically) were confirmed as invites for the event this year:
* Deandre Ayton, Arizona
* Marvin Bagley III, Duke
* Mohamed Bamba, Texas
* Mikal Bridges, Villanova
* Miles Bridges, Michigan State
* Wendell Carter Jr., Duke
* Donte DiVincenzo, Villanova
* Luka Dončić, Real Madrid (Spain)
* Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kentucky
* Aaron Holiday, UCLA
* Chandler Hutchison, Boise State
* Jaren Jackson Jr., Michigan State
* Kevin Knox II, Kentucky
* Michael Porter Jr., Missouri
* Jerome Robinson, Boston College
* Collin Sexton, Alabama
* Zhaire Smith, Texas Tech
* Lonnie Walker IV, Miami
* Robert Williams, Texas A&M
* Trae Young, Oklahoma