The 2011 NBA draft was held on June 23, 2011, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.[1] The draft started at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The Cleveland Cavaliers had the first pick due to a previous trade they had involving the Los Angeles Clippers, choosing point guard Kyrie Irving of Duke. Of the 60 players drafted, 7 were freshmen, 7 were sophomores, 14 were juniors, 19 were seniors, 12 were international players without U.S. college basketball experience (including the first ever Qatari-selected player), and 1 was a D-League player.

The 2011 NBA draft marked the final time the New Jersey Nets made an NBA draft appearance. After the end of the Nets' 2011-12 season, the franchise relocated to Brooklyn, New York and was renamed to the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets made their first draft appearance with the Brooklyn moniker in 2012. Four of the first round picks, including three of the top four picks, Kyrie Irving, Derrick Williams, Tristan Thompson, and Iman Shumpert would all eventually become teammates on the Cleveland Cavaliers. This is considered one of the most loaded drafts in NBA history. Seven players in the draft would play in at least one All-Star game, including the final pick of the draft, Isaiah Thomas. Thompson and Thomas would eventually be teammates on the Cavaliers, but only for a short while, as Thomas was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Draft selections [ edit ]

Notable undrafted players [ edit ]

These players were not selected in the 2011 NBA draft but have played at least one game in the NBA.

Eligibility rules [ edit ]

As of 2010, the basic eligibility rules for the draft are listed below.

All drafted players must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft. In terms of dates, players eligible for the 2011 draft must be born on or before December 31, 1992. [16]

Any player who is not an "international player", as defined in the CBA, must be at least one year removed from the graduation of his high school class.[16] The CBA defines "international players" as players who permanently resided outside the U.S. for three years prior to the draft, did not complete high school in the U.S., and have never enrolled at a U.S. college or university.[17]

The basic requirement for automatic eligibility for a U.S. player is the completion of his college eligibility.[18]

Players who meet the CBA definition of "international players" are automatically eligible if their 22nd birthday falls during or before the calendar year of the draft (i.e., born on or before December 31, 1989).[19] U.S. players who were at least one year removed from their high school graduation and have played minor-league basketball with a team outside the NBA are also automatically eligible.

A player who is not automatically eligible must declare his eligibility for the draft by notifying the NBA offices in writing no later than 60 days before the draft.[20][21] For the 2011 draft, this date fell on April 24. Under NCAA rules, players will only have until May 8 to withdraw from the draft and maintain their college eligibility.[22] This year, a total of 69 collegiate players and 20 international players declared as early entry candidates.[23] At the withdrawal deadline, 41 early entry candidates withdrew from the draft (25 from US colleges and institutions),[24] leaving 42 collegiate players and six international players as the early entry candidates for the draft.[25]

A player who has hired an agent will forfeit his remaining college eligibility, regardless of whether he is drafted. Also, while the CBA allows a player to withdraw from the draft twice, the NCAA mandates that a player who has declared twice loses his college eligibility.

Draft lottery [ edit ]

The first 14 picks in the draft belong to teams that missed the playoffs; the order will be determined through a lottery. The lottery will determine the three teams that will obtain the first three picks on the draft. The remaining first-round picks and the second-round picks were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win-loss record in the previous season. As it is commonplace in the event of identical win-loss records, the NBA performed a random drawing to break the ties on April 15, 2011.[26]

The lottery was held on May 17, 2011, in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Cleveland Cavaliers, who obtained the Los Angeles Clippers' first-round draft pick, won the lottery. The Cavaliers won the lottery with a 22.7% chance to win, combining a 19.9% chance from their own pick and 2.8% chance from the Clippers' pick. However, their winning lottery combination came from the Clippers' pick, which had significantly lower chance to win. The Minnesota Timberwolves, who had the worst record and the biggest chance to win the lottery, won the second pick. The Utah Jazz, who obtained the New Jersey Nets' first-round draft pick, won the third pick.[27][28]

Below were the chances for each team to get specific picks in the 2011 draft lottery, rounded to three decimal places.[29]

^ Denotes the actual lottery results

^ 1: New Jersey Nets' pick was conveyed to the Utah Jazz.[b]

^ 2: Los Angeles Clippers' pick was conveyed to the Cleveland Cavaliers.[a]



Entrants [ edit ]

Early entrants [ edit ]

College underclassmen [ edit ]

(All players are Americans except as indicated)[25]

International players [ edit ]

This list is restricted to players who meet the CBA definition of "international" players.[25]

Automatically eligible entrants [ edit ]

Players who do not meet the criteria for "international" players are automatically eligible if they meet any of the following criteria:[68]

They have completed 4 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 outside of 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 least 22 years old during the calendar year of the draft. In terms of dates, players born on or before December 31, 1989, are automatically eligible for the 2011 draft. [19]

They have signed a contract with a professional basketball team outside of the NBA within the United States, and have played under that contract.[69]

Invited attendees [ edit ]

The NBA annually invites 10 to 15 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. This season, the following players were invited (listed alphabetically):[70]

Trades involving draft picks [ edit ]

Pre-draft trades [ edit ]

Prior to the day of the draft, the following trades were made and resulted in exchanges of draft picks between the teams.

Draft-day trades [ edit ]

The following trades involving drafted players were made on the day of the draft.[101][102]

References [ edit ]

General