When NBA commissioner Adam Silver walked to the podium Thursday night in New York City, the NBA community braced for what was to come.
There was assurance and calm with the first pick. DeMatha High School graduate and Maryland native, Markelle Fultz, was selected by the burgeoning Philadelphia 76ers No. 1 overall. Fultz, who spent one season at the University of Washington, was known to be the top pick after Philadelphia swapped spots with Boston earlier in the week. The tranquility of Fultz’s selection gave way to brief chaos.
Instantly, rumors began to move about Chicago Bulls star Jimmy Butler, who reportedly had said earlier in the week that he would not go to Cleveland in a trade.