How many rounds are in the NBA Draft?

The 2023 NBA Draft is coming up and should deliver plenty of depth to go along with star potential at the top. How many rounds are in the draft?

Victor Wembanyama is the headliner of the 2023 NBA Draft, a 7-foot-3 French teenager with elite shot-blocking and defensive skills, unbelievable mobility for his size and potentially transformational shooting touch and creation upside. But he isn’t the only future star who could emerge — unique prospects like Scoot Henderson, Cam Whitmore, Brandon Miller, Jarace Walker, Amen Thompson and his twin Ausar could help lead the NBA’s next generation.

But the 2023 NBA Draft class, is also incredibly deep, with all sorts of players outside the lottery who could become solid contributors on competitive teams or even emerge as stars themselves. That’s why this is a draft worth paying attention to from top to bottom.

How many rounds are in the NBA Draft?

There are two rounds in the NBA Draft, with one pick initially assigned to every team in each round. However, teams can trade both current and future picks and so not every team has a first- or second-round pick this year. The Celtics, Cavaliers, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Knicks, Suns and 76ers are the teams without first-round picks. The Magic, Rockets, Pacers, Jazz, Hornets and Nets all have multiple first-round picks.

Normally, two rounds of 30 picks mean 60 picks total but in the 2023 NBA Draft, we will only have 28 picks in the second round. The Bulls (No. 57) and 76ers (No. 58) forfeited their second round because an NBA investigation found evidence of tampering in the signing of Lonzo Ball by the Bulls and an attempt to circumvent league rules in the renegotiation of James Harden’s contract to allow the team to sign Danuel House and P.J. Tucker.

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