# 1970 NBA draft

The 1970 NBA draft was the 24th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on March 23, 1970, before the 1970–71 season. In this draft, 17 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was eligible for selection. If a player left college early, he would not be eligible for selection until his college class graduated. The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams that finished last in each division, with the order determined by a coin flip. The Detroit Pistons won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the San Diego Rockets were awarded the second pick. The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. Three expansion franchises, the Buffalo Braves, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Portland Trail Blazers, took part in the NBA Draft for the first time and were assigned the seventh, the eighth and the ninth pick in each round. In the first round, the Cavaliers had the seventh pick, while the Blazers and the Braves had the eighth and the ninth pick respectively. In the subsequent rounds, the Cavaliers and the Braves exchanged their order of selection, while the Blazers had the eighth pick throughout the draft. The draft consisted of 19 rounds comprising the selection of 239 players; it holds the record for the most prospects selected in any NBA draft.

## Draft selections and draftee career notes

Bob Lanier from St. Bonaventure University was selected first overall by the Detroit Pistons. Rudy Tomjanovich from the University of Michigan and Pete Maravich from Louisiana State University were selected second and third respectively. Fourth pick Dave Cowens from Florida State University and eighth pick Geoff Petrie from Princeton University went on to be named as joint winners of the Rookie of the Year Award in their first season. Six players from this draft, Lanier, Maravich, Cowens, 18th pick Calvin Murphy, 19th pick Nate Archibald and 122nd pick Dan Issel, have been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Maravich, Cowens and Archibald were also named to the list of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History announced at the league's 50th anniversary in 1996. Maravich had four All-NBA Team selections and five All-Star Game selections. Cowens won two NBA championships with the Boston Celtics in 1974 and 1976, one Most Valuable Player Award in 1973, and had three All-NBA Team selections and seven All-Star Game selections. Archibald won one NBA championship with the Celtics in 1981 and had five All-NBA Team selections and six All-Star Game selections. Lanier and Murphy were selected to eight and one All-Star Games respectively. Dan Issel initially opted to play in the American Basketball Association (ABA) with the Kentucky Colonels. He played six seasons in the ABA before finally joining the NBA with the Denver Nuggets when both leagues merged. He was selected to five All-ABA Teams, six ABA All-Star Games and one NBA All-Star Game.
Randy Smith, who was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the 205th pick, did not enter the league until the 1971–72 season, after he was drafted again in the 1971 NBA draft by the Buffalo Braves with the 104th pick. He was selected to both the All-NBA Team and the All-Star Game. Tomjanovich was selected to five All-Star Games during his career. Charlie Scott, the 106th pick, initially opted to play in the ABA with the Virginia Squires before joining the NBA in 1972. He was selected to two All-ABA Teams, two ABA All-Star Games and three NBA All-Star Games. Three other players from this draft, fifth pick Sam Lacey, seventh pick John Johnson and eighth pick Geoff Petrie, was also selected to at least one All-Star Game. The Rockets' first and second round picks, Tomjanovich and Murphy spent all of their playing career with the Rockets. Tomjanovich played 11 seasons while Murphy played 13 seasons with the Rockets.
Lanier, Tomjanovich, Cowens and Issel all became head coaches after ending their playing career. Lanier was the interim head coach of the Golden State Warriors in the 1995. Tomjanovich coached two NBA teams, the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers. He coached the Rockets for 12 seasons, leading them to the NBA championship twice in 1994 and 1995. He also coached the United States national basketball team to a gold medal at the 2000 Olympic Games. Cowens started his coaching career as a player-coach with the Celtics during the 1978–79 season, before returning to a full-time player in the next season. He later coached two more NBA teams, most recently with the Golden State Warriors. Issel coached the Denver Nuggets for six seasons in two separate three-year stints. Two other players drafted also went on to have coaching careers in the NBA: 40th pick Gar Heard and 125th pick George Irvine.
The 1970 draft class is considered to be one of the best in NBA history as it produced eight Hall of Famers and twelve All-Stars from those draftees who played in the NBA. The first four picks were inducted to the Hall of Fame and seven of the first eight picks became All-Stars. The 1970 Draft is also known as the first draft where international players who had never played U.S. high school and college basketball were selected. In the 10th and 11th round, the Atlanta Hawks drafted Mexican Manuel Raga and Italian Dino Meneghin; both were playing in the Italian league at the time. They became the first two international players drafted to the NBA. However, neither of them ever played in the league as the Hawks did not have US$35,000 to buy out either of their contracts with their teams. Meneghin, who played 28 seasons in Italy, has been inducted by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) to the FIBA Hall of Fame and also to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Raga has also been inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame.

## Key

| Pos. | G | F | C |
| Position | Guard | Forward | Center |
| ^ | Denotes player who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| * | 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 |

## Draft

| Rnd. | Pick | Player | Pos. | Nationality | Team | School / club team |
| 1 | 1 | Bob Lanier^ | C | United States | Detroit Pistons | St. Bonaventure (Sr.) |
| 1 | 2 | Rudy Tomjanovich^ | F | United States | San Diego Rockets | Michigan (Sr.) |
| 1 | 3 | Pete Maravich^ | G | United States | Atlanta Hawks (from San Francisco) | Louisiana State (Sr.) |
| 1 | 4 | Dave Cowens^ | F/C | United States | Boston Celtics | Florida State (Sr.) |
| 1 | 5 | Sam Lacey$^+$ | C | United States | Cincinnati Royals | New Mexico State (Sr.) |
| 1 | 6 | Jim Ard | F/C | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Cincinnati (Sr.) |
| 1 | 7 | John Johnson$^+$ | F | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Iowa (Sr.) |
| 1 | 8 | Geoff Petrie$^+$ | G | United States | Portland Trail Blazers | Princeton (Sr.) |
| 1 | 9 | George E. Johnson | C | United States | Baltimore Bullets (from Buffalo) | Stephen F. Austin (Sr.) |
| 1 | 10 | Greg Howard | F/C | United States | Phoenix Suns | Brill Cagliari (Italy) |
| 1 | 11 | Jimmy Collins | G | United States | Chicago Bulls | New Mexico State (Sr.) |
| 1 | 12 | Al Henry | C | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | Wisconsin (Sr.) |
| 1 | 13 | Jim McMillian | F | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | Columbia (Sr.) |
| 1 | 14 | John Vallely | G | United States | Atlanta Hawks | UCLA (Sr.) |
| 1 | 15 | John Hummer | F/C | United States | Buffalo Braves (from Baltimore) | Princeton (Sr.) |
| 1 | 16 | Gary Freeman | F | United States | Milwaukee Bucks | Oregon State (Sr.) |
| 1 | 17 | Mike Price | G | United States | New York Knicks | Illinois (Sr.) |
| 2 | 18 | Calvin Murphy^ | G | United States | San Diego Rockets | Niagara (Sr.) |
| 2 | 19 | Nate Archibald^ | G | United States | Cincinnati Royals (from San Francisco) | Texas-El Paso (Sr.) |
| 2 | 20 | Jake Ford | G | United States | Seattle SuperSonics (from Detroit) | Maryland State (Sr.) |
| 2 | 21 | Rex Morgan | G | United States | Boston Celtics | Jacksonville (Sr.) |
| 2 | 22 | Doug Cook$^#$ | F | United States | Cincinnati Royals | Davidson (Sr.) |
| 2 | 23 | Pete Cross | F/C | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | San Francisco (Sr.) |
| 2 | 24 | Cornell Warner | F/C | United States | Buffalo Braves | Jackson State (Sr.) |
| 2 | 25 | Walt Gilmore | F | United States | Portland Trail Blazers | Fort Valley State (Sr.) |
| 2 | 26 | Dave Sorenson | F | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Ohio State (Sr.) |
| 2 | 27 | Fred Taylor | G/F | United States | Phoenix Suns | Pan American (Sr.) |
| 2 | 28 | Paul Ruffner | F/C | United States | Chicago Bulls | Brigham Young (Sr.) |
| 2 | 29 | Joe DePre$^#$ | G | United States | Phoenix Suns (from Philadelphia) | St. John's (Sr.) |
| 2 | 30 | Earnie Killum | G | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | Stetson (Sr.) |
| 2 | 31 | Dan Hester$^#$ | F | United States | Atlanta Hawks | Louisiana State (Sr.) |
| 2 | 32 | Ken Warzynski$^#$ | F | United States | Detroit Pistons (from Baltimore) | DePaul (Sr.) |
| 2 | 33 | Bill Zopf | G | United States | Milwaukee Bucks | Duquesne (Sr.) |
| 2 | 34 | Howie Wright$^#$ | G | United States | New York Knicks | Austin Peay (Sr.) |
| 3 | 35 | Curtis Perry | F | United States | San Diego Rockets | Southwest Missouri (Sr.) |
| 3 | 36 | Earle Higgins$^#$ | F | United States | San Francisco Warriors | Eastern Michigan (Sr.) |
| 3 | 37 | Bob St. Pierre$^#$ | C | United States | Detroit Pistons | Hanover (Sr.) |
| 3 | 38 | Willie Williams | F | United States | Boston Celtics | Florida State (Sr.) |
| 3 | 39 | Greg Hyder | F | United States | Cincinnati Royals | Eastern New Mexico (Sr.) |
| 3 | 40 | Gar Heard | F | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Oklahoma (Sr.) |
| 3 | 41 | Surry Oliver$^#$ | F | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Stephen F. Austin (Sr.) |
| 3 | 42 | Bill Cain$^#$ | F | United States | Portland Trail Blazers | Iowa State (Sr.) |
| 3 | 43 | Chip Case$^#$ | G | United States | Baltimore Bullets | Virginia (Sr.) |
| 3 | 44 | Greg McDivitt$^#$ | F | United States | Phoenix Suns | Ohio (Sr.) |
| 3 | 45 | Lou Herndon$^#$ | G | United States | Chicago Bulls | Jackson State (Sr.) |
| 3 | 46 | Dennis Awtrey | C | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | Santa Clara (Sr.) |
| 3 | 47 | Jim Hayes$^#$ | G | United States | Detroit Pistons | Boston University (Sr.) |
| 3 | 48 | Vann Williford$^#$ | F | United States | Phoenix Suns | NC State (Sr.) |
| 3 | 49 | Seabern Hill$^#$ | G | United States | Baltimore Bullets | Arizona State (Sr.) |
| 3 | 50 | Marv Winkler | G | United States | Milwaukee Bucks | Southwestern Louisiana (Sr.) |
| 3 | 51 | Al Williams$^#$ | F | United States | New York Knicks | Drake (Sr.) |
| 4 | 52 | Jody Finney$^#$ | G | United States | San Diego Rockets | Ohio State (Sr.) |
| 4 | 53 | Ralph Ogden | F | United States | San Francisco Warriors | Santa Clara (Sr.) |
| 4 | 54 | Bill Stricker | F | United States | Baltimore Bullets (from Detroit) | Pacific (Sr.) |
| 4 | 55 | Jon McKinney$^#$ | F | United States | Boston Celtics | Norfolk State (Sr.) |
| 4 | 56 | Wade Fuller$^#$ | G | United States | Cincinnati Royals | Loyola Chicago (Sr.) |
| 4 | 57 | John Davis$^#$ | F | United States | Chicago Bulls | Alabama State (Sr.) |
| 4 | 58 | Erwin Polnick$^#$ | F | United States | Buffalo Braves | Stephen F. Austin (Sr.) |
| 4 | 59 | Jim Penix$^#$ | G | United States | Portland Trail Blazers | Bowling Green (Sr.) |
| 4 | 60 | Glenn Vidnovic$^#$ | G | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Iowa (Sr.) |
| 4 | 61 | Bob Lienhard$^#$ | C | United States | Phoenix Suns | Georgia (Sr.) |
| 4 | 62 | Jim Wilson$^#$ | G | United States | Chicago Bulls | Cheyney State (Sr.) |
| 4 | 63 | Dan Crenshaw$^#$ | F | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | Alabama State (Sr.) |
| 4 | 64 | Larry Mikan | F | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | Minnesota (Sr.) |
| 4 | 65 | Fred Davis$^#$ | F | United States | Atlanta Hawks | Howard Payne (Sr.) |
| 4 | 66 | Billy Jones$^#$ | C | United States | Baltimore Bullets | Louisiana College (Sr.) |
| 4 | 67 | Virgle Fredrick$^#$ | G | United States | Milwaukee Bucks | Drury (Sr.) |
| 4 | 68 | John Marren$^#$ | F | United States | New York Knicks | Manhattan (Sr.) |
| 5 | 69 | James Gilbert$^#$ | C | United States | San Diego Rockets | Adams State (Sr.) |
| 5 | 70 | Levi Fontaine | G | United States | San Francisco Warriors | Maryland State (Sr.) |
| 5 | 71 | Bill Jankans$^#$ | F | United States | Detroit Pistons | Cal State Long Beach (Sr.) |
| 5 | 72 | Tom Carter$^#$ | F | United States | Boston Celtics | Paul Quinn (Sr.) |
| 5 | 73 | Uluss Thompson$^#$ | F | United States | Cincinnati Royals | Wiley (Sr.) |
| 5 | 74 | Boyd Lynch$^#$ | F | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Eastern Kentucky (Sr.) |
| 5 | 75 | Wayne Sokolowski$^#$ | F | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Ashland (Sr.) |
| 5 | 76 | Ron Knight | F | United States | Portland Trail Blazers | Cal State-Los Angeles (Sr.) |
| 5 | 77 | Robert Moore$^#$ | G | United States | Buffalo Braves | Central State (Sr.) |
| 5 | 78 | John Canine$^#$ | G | United States | Phoenix Suns | Ohio (Sr.) |
| 5 | 79 | George T. Johnson | F/C | United States | Chicago Bulls | Dillard (Sr.) |
| 5 | 80 | Perry Wallace$^#$ | F | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | Vanderbilt (Sr.) |
| 5 | 81 | John Fultz$^#$ | F | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | Rhode Island (Sr.) |
| 5 | 82 | Bob Riley | F | United States | Atlanta Hawks | Mount St. Mary's (Sr.) |
| 5 | 83 | Gary Zeller | G | United States | Baltimore Bullets | Drake (Sr.) |
| 5 | 84 | Mike Grosso$^#$ | C | United States | Milwaukee Bucks | Louisville (Sr.) |
| 5 | 85 | Jim Oxley$^#$ | G | United States | New York Knicks | Army (Sr.) |
| 6 | 86 | Mike Kretzer$^#$ | F | United States | San Diego Rockets | East Tennessee State (Sr.) |
| 6 | 87 | Vic Bartolome | C | United States | San Francisco Warriors | Oregon State (Sr.) |
| 6 | 88 | Sevira Brown$^#$ | F | United States | Detroit Pistons | DePaul (Sr.) |
| 6 | 89 | Rod McIntyre$^#$ | F | United States | Boston Celtics | Jacksonville (Sr.) |
| 6 | 90 | Charles Bishop$^#$ | C | United States | Cincinnati Royals | Louisiana Tech (Sr.) |
| 6 | 91 | Sam Robinson$^#$ | F | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Cal State Long Beach (Sr.) |
| 6 | 92 | Doug Hess$^#$ | C | United States | Buffalo Braves | Toledo (Jr.) |
| 6 | 93 | George Janky$^#$ | F | United States | Portland Trail Blazers | Dayton (Sr.) |
| 6 | 94 | Joe Cooke | G | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Indiana (Sr.) |
| 6 | 95 | Joe Thomas | F | United States | Phoenix Suns | Marquette (Sr.) |
| 6 | 96 | Lonnie Kluttz$^#$ | F | United States | Chicago Bulls | North Carolina A&T (Sr.) |
| 6 | 97 | Jerry Venable$^#$ | F | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | Kansas State (Sr.) |
| 6 | 98 | Jerry Kroll$^#$ | G | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | Davidson (Sr.) |
| 6 | 99 | Dave Parker$^#$ | F | United States | Atlanta Hawks | Windham (Sr.) |
| 6 | 100 | Marvin Polnick$^#$ | F | United States | Baltimore Bullets | Stephen F. Austin (Sr.) |
| 6 | 101 | Willie Watson$^#$ | F | United States | Milwaukee Bucks | Oklahoma City (Sr.) |
| 6 | 102 | Jim Signorile$^#$ | F | United States | New York Knicks | NYU (Sr.) |
| 7 | 103 | Billy Paultz | F/C | United States | San Diego Rockets | St. John's (Sr.) |
| 7 | 104 | Joe Bergman$^#$ | F | United States | San Francisco Warriors | Creighton (Sr.) |
| 7 | 105 | Marv Copeland$^#$ | F | United States | Detroit Pistons | Shaw College (Sr.) |
| 7 | 106 | Charlie Scott^ | G/F | United States | Boston Celtics | North Carolina (Sr.) |
| 7 | 107 | Michael Bernard$^#$ | F | United States | Cincinnati Royals | Kentucky State (Sr.) |
| 7 | 108 | James Morgan$^#$ | F | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Maryland Eastern Shore (Sr.) |
| 7 | 109 | Narvis Anderson$^#$ | F | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Stephen F. Austin (Sr.) |
| 7 | 110 | Claude English | F | United States | Portland Trail Blazers | Rhode Island (Sr.) |
| 7 | 111 | Cliff Shegogg$^#$ | F | United States | Buffalo Braves | Colorado State (Sr.) |
| 7 | 112 | Heyward Dotson$^#$ | G | United States | Phoenix Suns | Columbia (Sr.) |
| 7 | 113 | Lou West$^#$ | G | United States | Chicago Bulls | Seattle (Sr.) |
| 7 | 114 | Carlton Poole$^#$ | F | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | Philadelphia (Sr.) |
| 7 | 115 | Willie Woods$^#$ | G | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | Eastern Kentucky (Sr.) |
| 7 | 116 | John Shinall$^#$ | G | United States | Atlanta Hawks | Jackson State (Sr.) |
| 7 | 117 | Charlie Wallace$^#$ | F | United States | Baltimore Bullets | Oklahoma City (Sr.) |
| 7 | 118 | John Rinka$^#$ | G | United States | Milwaukee Bucks | Kenyon (Sr.) |
| 7 | 119 | Ray Hodge$^#$ | G | United States | New York Knicks | Wagner (Sr.) |
| 8 | 120 | Don Adams | F | United States | San Diego Rockets | Northwestern (Sr.) |
| 8 | 121 | Jeff Sewell$^#$ | G | United States | San Francisco Warriors | Marquette (Sr.) |
| 8 | 122 | Dan Issel^ | F/C | United States | Detroit Pistons | Kentucky (Sr.) |
| 8 | 123 | Bobby Croft$^#$ | C | Canada | Boston Celtics | Tennessee (Sr.) |
| 8 | 124 | Joe McBride$^#$ | F | United States | Cincinnati Royals | Augusta State (Sr.) |
| 8 | 125 | George Irvine$^#$ | F | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Washington (Sr.) |
| 8 | 126 | Larry Woods$^#$ | F | United States | Buffalo Braves | West Virginia (Sr.) |
| 8 | 127 | Doug Boyd$^#$ | F | United States | Portland Trail Blazers | TCU (Sr.) |
| 8 | 128 | Walter Robertson$^#$ | G | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Loyola Chicago (Sr.) |
| 8 | 129 | Steve Patterson | C | United States | Phoenix Suns | UCLA (Sr.) |
| 8 | 130 | Mike Casey$^#$ | G | United States | Chicago Bulls | Kentucky (Jr.) |
| 8 | 131 | Fran O'Hanlan$^#$ | G | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | Villanova (Sr.) |
| 8 | 132 | Rick Mount$^#$ | G | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | Purdue (Sr.) |
| 8 | 133 | Herb White | G | United States | Atlanta Hawks | Georgia (Sr.) |
| 8 | 134 | Tom Dykstra$^#$ | G | United States | Baltimore Bullets | Wheaton (Illinois) (Sr.) |
| 8 | 135 | Jim Sarno$^#$ | F | United States | Milwaukee Bucks | Northwestern (Sr.) |
| 8 | 136 | Greg Fillmore | C | United States | New York Knicks | Cheyney State (Sr.) |
| 9 | 137 | Jim Gottschall$^#$ | G | United States | San Diego Rockets | Dayton (Sr.) |
| 9 | 138 | Lou Small$^#$ | G | United States | San Francisco Warriors | UNLV (Sr.) |
| 9 | 139 | Alex Winn$^#$ | F | United States | Detroit Pistons | Dartmouth (Sr.) |
| 9 | 140 | Tom Little$^#$ | G | United States | Boston Celtics | Seattle (Sr.) |
| 9 | 141 | Bob Mabry$^#$ | F | United States | Cincinnati Royals | Rio Grande (Sr.) |
| 9 | 142 | Claude Virden$^#$ | F | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Murray State (Sr.) |
| 9 | 143 | Tom Lagodich$^#$ | F | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Kent State (Sr.) |
| 9 | 144 | Billy Gaskins$^#$ | G | United States | Portland Trail Blazers | Oregon (Sr.) |
| 9 | 145 | Larry Ducksworth$^#$ | F | United States | Buffalo Braves | Arkansas AM&N (Sr.) |
| 9 | 146 | Carl Ashley$^#$ | F | United States | Phoenix Suns | Wyoming (Sr.) |
| 9 | 147 | Glen Johnson$^#$ | G | United States | Chicago Bulls | Jackson State (Sr.) |
| 9 | 148 | Mike Hauer$^#$ | F | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | Saint Joseph's (Sr.) |
| 9 | 149 | Bobby Sands$^#$ | G | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | Pepperdine (Sr.) |
| 9 | 150 | Larry Jackson$^#$ | G | United States | Atlanta Hawks | Sul Ross State (Sr.) |
| 9 | 151 | Will Hetzel$^#$ | F | United States | Baltimore Bullets | Maryland (Sr.) |
| 9 | 152 | Joe Hamilton$^#$ | G | United States | Milwaukee Bucks | North Texas (Sr.) |
| 9 | 153 | Walker Banks$^#$ | C | United States | New York Knicks | Western Kentucky (Sr.) |
| 10 | 154 | Toke Coleman$^#$ | G | United States | San Diego Rockets | Eastern Kentucky (Sr.) |
| 10 | 155 | Coby Dietrick | F/C | United States | San Francisco Warriors | San Jose State (Sr.) |
| 10 | 156 | Bruce Chapman$^#$ | F | United States | Detroit Pistons | UNLV (Sr.) |
| 10 | 157 | Mike Maloy$^#$ | F | United States | Boston Celtics | Davidson (Sr.) |
| 10 | 158 | Carl Johnson$^#$ | C | United States | Cincinnati Royals | Gustavus Adolphus (Sr.) |
| 10 | 159 | Chuck Lloyd$^#$ | C | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Yankton (Sr.) |
| 10 | 160 | Joe Taylor$^#$ | F | United States | Buffalo Braves | Dillard (Sr.) |
| 10 | 161 | Cisco Oliver$^#$ | F | United States | Portland Trail Blazers | Elizabeth City State (Sr.) |
| 10 | 162 | Ken Johnson$^#$ | F | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Indiana (Sr.) |
| 10 | 163 | Gerhard Schreur$^#$ | F | United States | Phoenix Suns | Arizona State (Sr.) |
| 10 | 164 | Dale Blaut$^#$ | G | United States | Chicago Bulls | West Texas State (Sr.) |
| 10 | 165 | Gordon Stiles$^#$ | G | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | American (Sr.) |
| 10 | 166 | Kindell Stephens$^#$ | F | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | Fisk (Sr.) |
| 10 | 167 | Manuel Raga$^#$ | F | Mexico | Atlanta Hawks | Ignis Varese (Italy) |
| 10 | 168 | Ron Becker$^#$ | G | United States | Baltimore Bullets | New Mexico (Sr.) |
| 10 | 169 | Bob Seemer$^#$ | F | United States | Milwaukee Bucks | Georgia Tech (Sr.) |
| 10 | 170 | Don Curnutt$^#$ | G | United States | New York Knicks | Miami (Florida) (Sr.) |
| 11 | 171 | Ron Belton$^#$ | F | United States | San Diego Rockets | Bellarmine (Sr.) |
| 11 | 172 | Rick Anheuser$^#$ | F | United States | Detroit Pistons | NC State (Sr.) |
| 11 | 173 | Ted Hillary$^#$ | F | United States | Cincinnati Royals | Saint Joseph's College (Sr.) |
| 11 | 174 | Andrew Owens$^#$ | F | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Florida (Sr.) |
| 11 | 175 | Dave Schneider$^#$ | C | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Wayne State College (Sr.) |
| 11 | 176 | Dan McLemore$^#$ | F | United States | Portland Trail Blazers | Bowling Green (Sr.) |
| 11 | 177 | Dick Walker$^#$ | G | United States | Buffalo Braves | Wake Forest (Sr.) |
| 11 | 178 | Jim Walls$^#$ | G | United States | Phoenix Suns | Clark Atlanta (Sr.) |
| 11 | 179 | Doug Howard$^#$ | G | United States | Chicago Bulls | BYU (Sr.) |
| 11 | 180 | David Whitley$^#$ | G | United States | Philadelphia 76ers | Tufts (Sr.) |
| 11 | 181 | Bob Dukiet$^#$ | F | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | Boston College (Sr.) |
| 11 | 182 | Dino Meneghin$^#$ | C | Italy | Atlanta Hawks | Ignis Varese (Italy) |
| 11 | 183 | Mel Ball$^#$ | F | United States | Baltimore Bullets | Houston (Sr.) |
| 12 | 184 | Jim Brooks$^#$ | F | United States | San Diego Rockets | Nebraska (Sr.) |
| 12 | 185 | Don Ogletree$^#$ | G | United States | Detroit Pistons | Cincinnati (Sr.) |
| 12 | 186 | Reggie Roach$^#$ | G | United States | Cincinnati Royals | Virginia State (Sr.) |
| 12 | 187 | Joe Brunson$^#$ | F | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Furman (Sr.) |
| 12 | 188 | Paul Adams$^#$ | F | United States | Portland Trail Blazers | Central Washington (Sr.) |
| 12 | 189 | Ollie Taylor$^#$ | G | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Houston (Sr.) |
| 12 | 190 | Ric Cobb$^#$ | F | United States | Phoenix Suns | Marquette (Sr.) |
| 12 | 191 | Booker Brown$^#$ | C | United States | Chicago Bulls | Middle Tennessee (Sr.) |
| 12 | 192 | Dewey Varner$^#$ | G | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | Tuskegee (Sr.) |
| 12 | 193 | Ben McGilmer$^#$ | F | United States | Baltimore Bullets | Iowa (Sr.) |
| 13 | 194 | Harry Lozon$^#$ | G | United States | San Diego Rockets | Old Dominion (Sr.) |
| 13 | 195 | Ernest Hardy$^#$ | F | United States | Detroit Pistons | Harvard (Sr.) |
| 13 | 196 | Larry Gray$^#$ | G | United States | Cincinnati Royals | Huston–Tillotson (Sr.) |
| 13 | 197 | Allen McManus$^#$ | G | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Winston-Salem State (Sr.) |
| 13 | 198 | Kevin Wilson$^#$ | F | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Ashland (Sr.) |
| 13 | 199 | Alex Boyd$^#$ | F | United States | Portland Trail Blazers | Nevada (Sr.) |
| 13 | 200 | Fred Carpenter$^#$ | F | United States | Phoenix Suns | Hawaii (Sr.) |
| 13 | 201 | Charles Bloodworth$^#$ | F | United States | Chicago Bulls | Northwestern State (Sr.) |
| 13 | 202 | Gary Elliot$^#$ | F | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | Washington State (Sr.) |
| 13 | 203 | Don Debardelaben$^#$ | F | United States | Baltimore Bullets | Northern Arizona (Sr.) |
| 14 | 204 | Clyde Oatis$^#$ | G | United States | San Diego Rockets | Aurora (Sr.) |
| 14 | 205 | Randy Smith* | G/F | United States | Buffalo Braves | Buffalo State (Sr.) |
| 14 | 206 | Andy Jennings$^#$ | F | United States | Cincinnati Royals | Alderson-Broaddus (Sr.) |
| 14 | 207 | Dan Beeson$^#$ | F | United States | Seattle SuperSonics | Linfield (Sr.) |
| 14 | 208 | Frank Lothridge$^#$ | F | United States | Portland Trail Blazers | Pan American (Sr.) |
| 14 | 209 | Don Tomilson$^#$ | G | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Missouri (Sr.) |
| 14 | 210 | Chad Calabria$^#$ | G | United States | Phoenix Suns | Iowa (Sr.) |
| 14 | 211 | Paul Funkhouser$^#$ | F | United States | Chicago Bulls | McKendree (Sr.) |
| 14 | 212 | Ron Sanford$^#$ | F | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | Noalex Venezia (Italy) |
| 14 | 213 | Mike Williams$^#$ | F | United States | Baltimore Bullets | Northern Arizona (Sr.) |
| 15 | 214 | Jay Bond$^#$ | C | United States | San Diego Rockets | Washington (Sr.) |
| 15 | 215 | Denis Clark$^#$ | G | United States | Detroit Pistons | Springfield (Sr.) |
| 15 | 216 | Mike Neer$^#$ | F | United States | Cincinnati Royals | Washington and Lee (Sr.) |
| 15 | 217 | Steve Wannamaker$^#$ | F | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Drake (Sr.) |
| 15 | 218 | Wayne Canaday$^#$ | F | United States | Portland Trail Blazers | Miami (Florida) (Sr.) |
| 15 | 219 | Walt Williams$^#$ | G | United States | Phoenix Suns | Miami (Ohio) (Sr.) |
| 15 | 220 | Paul Otay$^#$ | F | United States | Chicago Bulls | Boise State (Sr.) |
| 15 | 221 | Will Teague$^#$ | C | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | Youngstown State (Sr.) |
| 15 | 222 | Ted Rose$^#$ | F | United States | Baltimore Bullets | Northern Michigan (Sr.) |
| 16 | 223 | Dean Elofson$^#$ | F | United States | San Diego Rockets | Wayne State College (Sr.) |
| 16 | 224 | Harvey Marlatt | G | United States | Detroit Pistons | Eastern Michigan (Sr.) |
| 16 | 225 | Paul Favorite$^#$ | F | United States | Cincinnati Royals | Georgetown (Sr.) |
| 16 | 226 | Doug Williams$^#$ | F | United States | Portland Trail Blazers | St. Mary's (Texas) (Sr.) |
| 16 | 227 | Steve Wilson$^#$ | G | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Hanover (Sr.) |
| 16 | 228 | Pete Walthour$^#$ | C | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | Fort Valley State (Sr.) |
| 16 | 229 | Don Rather$^#$ | F | United States | Baltimore Bullets | Northern Arizona (Sr.) |
| 17 | 230 | Dennis Dickens$^#$ | F | United States | San Diego Rockets | Azusa Pacific (Sr.) |
| 17 | 231 | Rich Peterson$^#$ | F | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Concordia College (Sr.) |
| 17 | 232 | Bob Thati$^#$ | G | United States | Los Angeles Lakers | Occidental (Sr.) |
| 17 | 233 | Vince Fritz$^#$ | G | United States | Baltimore Bullets | Oregon State (Sr.) |
| 18 | 234 | Jeff Cunningham$^#$ | G | United States | San Diego Rockets | UC Irvine (Sr.) |
| 18 | 235 | Bruce Butchko$^#$ | F | United States | Portland Trail Blazers | Southern Illinois (Sr.) |
| 18 | 236 | Emmanuel Cannon$^#$ | F | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | Grambling State (Sr.) |
| 19 | 237 | Rick Erickson$^#$ | G | United States | San Diego Rockets | Washington State (Sr.) |
| 19 | 238 | Allen Waller$^#$ | F | United States | Cleveland Cavaliers | St. Mary of the Plains (Sr.) |
| 19 | 239 | Mark Gabriel$^#$ | F | United States | Portland Trail Blazers | Hanover (Sr.) |

## Trades

* $^a$ On February 2, 1970, the Atlanta Hawks acquired a first-round pick and future consideration (the Hawks acquired Clyde Lee on October 4, 1974) from the San Francisco Warriors in exchange for Zelmo Beaty. The Hawks used the pick to draft Pete Maravich.
* $^{b1}$ $^2$ On the draft-day, the Baltimore Bullets acquired the Buffalo Braves' first-round pick from the Braves in exchange for Mike Davis and the Bullets' first-round pick. The Bullets used the pick to draft George E. Johnson while the Braves used the pick to draft John Hummer.
* $^c$ On December 25, 1969, the Cincinnati Royals acquired a second-round pick from the San Francisco Warriors in exchange for Adrian Smith. The Royals used the pick to draft Nate Archibald.
* $^d$ On November 1, 1969, the Seattle SuperSonics acquired a second-round pick from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Erwin Mueller. The Sonics used the pick to select Jake Ford.
* $^e$ On September 13, 1969, the Phoenix Suns acquired a second-round pick from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Bill Melchionni. The Suns used the pick to draft Joe DePre.
* $^{f1}$ $^2$ On February 1, 1970, the Detroit Pistons acquired Bob Quick and a second-round pick from the Bullets in exchange for Eddie Miles and a fourth-round pick. The Pistons used the pick to draft Ken Warzynski. The Bullets used the pick to select Bill Stricker.

## Notable undrafted players

These players were not selected in the 1970 draft but played at least one game in the NBA.
| Player | Pos. | Nationality | School/club team |
| Charlie Criss | G | United States | New Mexico State (Sr.) |
| Jeff Webb | G | United States | Kansas State (Sr.) |