The 2024 NBA draft is now complete, with a disappointing lack of impact trades.

Only six picks changed teams during the first round, highlighted by the Minnesota Timberwolves trading for the No. 8 overall pick to select Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham.

The Houston Rockets held on to the No. 3 pick despite a lot of chatter that they were shopping it. The Memphis Grizzlies failed to move up to chase a particular center prospect. The Milwaukee Bucks held on to their own first-round pick instead of using it to chase win-now help.

We know the trades that happened. But these are the deals that should have gone down.

Grizzlies Move Up for Donovan Clingan

As the first round of the draft got underway, multiple NBA insiders reported that the Memphis Grizzlies were trading with the Charlotte Hornets to go from No. 9 to No. 6. They were presumably aiming to jump the Portland Trail Blazers for UConn center Donovan Clingan.

Instead, the deal fell through, and Clingan went No. 7 overall to the Blazers. Another move is now likely coming for Portland, who already has Deandre Ayton on a max contract and Robert Williams III signed for two more years.

Memphis instead settled on Purdue center Zach Edey at No. 9, a reach that Yahoo Sports Krysten Peek called "one of the worst draft picks" that she's seen in draft history.

Edey could turn out to be a solid pro if he continues to improve his outside shot, lateral mobility and other areas. However, Clingan is the better NBA prospect and should be a high-caliber rim protector immediately.

We would have liked to see the Hornets-Grizzlies deal go through, as a package of No. 9, No. 39 and Luke Kennard for No. 6 would have landed Clingan in Memphis while also getting the Grizz at least temporarily out of the luxury tax.

Charlotte still might have been able to get Tidjane Salaün at No. 9 and would have had players like Cody Williams, Matas Buzelis, Devin Carter and others on the board if not.

Bucks Trade No. 23 Overall Pick for Veteran Help

AJ Johnson was a wild pick for a Milwaukee Bucks team with a limited championship window. Giannis Antetokounmpo is going to turn 30 this year. Damian Lillard will be 34 in a few weeks. Khris Middleton turns 33 in August and Brook Lopez turned 36 in April.

With Malik Beasley, Jae Crowder and Patrick Beverley all hitting free agency, the Bucks aren't especially deep, either. Staying at No. 23 overall and drafting an older prospect who could contribute immediately is one thing, yet the 19-year-old Johnson barely played in the NBL last season (2.8 points in 7.7 minutes a game) and is "multiple years from contributing to a winning NBA rotation," according to ESPN's Jeremy Woo.

Milwaukee should have flipped this pick for a rotation-caliber veteran instead.

The Brooklyn Nets appear to be headed towards a rebuild after trading Mikal Bridges and didn't possess a single selection in the first round. We would have preferred to see the Bucks cobble enough salary together along with their first-round pick to make a run at a wing like Dorian Finney-Smith, who can defend multiple positions and knock down shots.

Seeing Milwaukee stay put and take a 167-pound guard who won't be able to contribute for years was puzzling.

Hawks Set Themselves Up for a Rebuild

Landing the No. 1 overall pick in the draft with only a 3 percent chance should have been a sign from the Basketball Gods that this franchise needs to rebuild.

Winning just 36 games even with a roster of Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, Jalen Johnson, Clint Capela, Bogdan Bogdanović, De'Andre Hunter and others was inexcusable, especially since the team didn't miss a beat (14-14 overall) in the 28 games Young missed due to injury.

Of course, the Hawks can't rebuild as their next three first-round picks are controlled by the San Antonio Spurs (unprotected picks going in 2025 and 2027 with swap rights in 2026).

Atlanta needed to take a page out of the Brooklyn Nets playbook and try to reacquire its own picks, giving it the opportunity to rebuild.

A trade sending Young or Murray to the Spurs in a deal that returned at least the next two years of picks to the Hawks would have been ideal and allowed San Antonio the ability to not make No. 4 overall pick Stephon Castle the primary playmaker right away.

Atlanta could have shopped vets like Bogdanović and Capela to try to get back into the second half of the first round, giving it a core of Zaccharie Risacher, Johnson, Kobe Bufkin and Onyeka Okongwu to build around.

Even with Risacher, the Hawks still don't look like a playoff lock and are right up against the luxury tax line before free agency begins.

The Nets made the smart move by pivoting to a rebuild right before a strong 2025 draft class comes. The Hawks should have done the same.

Spurs Trade Up for Reed Sheppard (or Don't Trade Rob Dillingham)

The San Antonio Spurs simply need foundational pieces to grow alongside Victor Wembanyama and had the opportunity to add two with the No. 4 and 8 overall picks in the draft.

UConn guard Stephon Castle was a good choice with their first pick, as his 6'6" size and defensive ability give the Spurs' backcourt a boost. Trading the No. 8 pick in Rob Dillingham to the Minnesota Timberwolves for future draft capital is going to turn out to be a rare miss by San Antonio's front office, however.

The Spurs desperately need shooters around Wembanyama, whose generational defensive ability can make up for a lack of stoppers on the perimeter. Castle was a terrible shooter as a freshman, knocking down just 26.7 percent of his threes. The Spurs' team mark of 34.7 percent ranked 28th overall last season.

Kentucky's Reed Sheppard would have been the perfect fit in San Antonio.

Sheppard's 52.1 percent three-point shooting would have kept the floor wide open for Wembanyama and others. The Kentucky freshman averaged 18.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals as a starter and was the best shooter in the draft. Dillingham was another small Kentucky guard with eye-popping offensive skills whose lack of size and defense would have been negated by Wembanyama's presence.

The Spurs have plenty of extra picks they could have used to move up from No. 4 or 8 to No. 3 to draft Sheppard. Even staying put at both spots and keeping Castle and Dillingham would have been a better option.

San Antonio still needs a lot more shooting, something it failed to address in the first round even with two opportunities.

Rockets Use No. 3 Overall Pick to Help land a Star

The No. 3 overall pick has been the topic of trade talks for weeks now, as ESPN's Jeremy Woo reported that "Houston has been active in conversations surrounding this pick dating back to the draft lottery—with the Rockets eager to improve their roster and win in the short term."

Despite this noise, Houston ended up staying at No. 3 and selecting Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard.

The Rockets can certainly use Sheppard's shooting after finishing 23rd in three-point accuracy last year (35.2 percent), yet there's no way this roster can grow and pay all of its young talent.

Jalen Green and Alperen Şengün are extension-eligible this summer. Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason can sign new deals next offseason with Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore coming in 2026. Houston also just traded for AJ Griffin from the Atlanta Hawks, giving it yet another young wing to try to find minutes for.

Along with Sheppard, the Rockets now have eight first-round picks from the past four drafts to develop. For a team that finished 41-41 and is hungry to make the playoffs, something is going to have to give.

Seeing Houston trade the No. 3 overall pick along with some of its young core for a proven All-Star would have made far more sense for its present and future. Putting a veteran like Jimmy Butler, Paul George or even Kevin Durant on this team would have made the Rockets a lock for the playoffs.

At some point, Houston will have to consolidate some of its young talent through a trade. Draft night was a prime opportunity to do so.