| TEAM | POSITION/PLAYER | HEIGHT/WEIGHT | SCHOOL/CLUB |
| 1. Rockets | C Yao Ming | 7-5, 296 pounds | Shanghai Sharks |
| Will China help or hinder his career in the U.S.? |
| 2. Bulls | PG Jay Williams | 6-2, 195 | Duke |
| With Williams in charge, Bulls look like a potential finalist in 2004-05. |
| 3. Warriors | SF Mike Dunleavy | 6-9, 221 | Duke |
| A glue guy whose shooting and passing should bring order to Golden State. |
| 4. Grizzlies | PF/SF Drew Gooden | 6-10, 230 | Kansas |
| Best player available, but how will he fit alongside Pau Gasol? |
| 5. Nuggets | PF/SF Nikoloz Tskitishvili | 7-0, 225 | Benetton Treviso (Italy) |
| Nuggets rebuild around the next Dirk Nowitzki. |
| 6. Cavaliers | SF/SG Caron Butler | 6-7, 235 | Connecticut |
| Ready-to-play scorer gives Cavs a potentially scary backcourt. |
| 7. Knicks | PF Chris Wilcox | 6-10, 221 | Maryland |
| Explosive big man fills a need but won't keep Knicks out of next lottery. |
| 8. Clippers | PG/SG Dajuan Wagner | 6-3, 200 | Memphis |
| Because of the run on size, slips down to become the newest cult Clipper. |
| 9. Suns | SF/PF Jared Jeffries | 6-10, 215 | Indiana |
| May be raw and skinny, but he's the rare rookie who knows how to play. |
| 10. Heat | PF Amare Stoudemire | 6-10, 245 | Orlando (Fla.) Cypress Creek High |
| The next Alonzo Mourning? He's strong, tough and athletic. |
| 11. Wizards | SF Qyntel Woods | 6-8, 221 | Northeast Mississippi CC |
| The kind of multitalented player Michael Jordan will enjoy grooming. |
| 12. Clippers | C/PF Curtis Borchardt | 7-0, 240 | Stanford |
| Provides insurance if L.A. doesn't re-sign Michael Olowokandi. |
| 13. Bucks | PF/C Maybyner (Nene) Hilario | 6-11, 260 | Vasco da Gama (Brazil) |
| Bucks will worry later about luxury-tax implications in order to grab top athlete in draft. |
| 14. Pacers | SG/PG Jiri Welsch | 6-7, 208 | Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia) |
| Tax-concerned Pacers may ask this highly rated combo guard to stay in Europe next season. |
| 15. Rockets | SF Bostjan Nachbar | 6-9, 221 | Benetton Treviso (Italy) |
| Well-coached small forward fills Rockets need at the position. |
| 16. Sixers | C Lazaros Papadopoulos | 6-11, 255 | Panathinaikos (Greece) |
| Surprise pick will stay in Europe while 76ers seek to avoid luxury tax. |
| 17. Hornets | SG Kareem Rush | 6-6, 215 | Missouri |
| Luxury-tax-mandated picks by rival teams allow Hornets to steal the big shooting guard they have long coveted. |
| 18. Magic | PG Frank Williams | 6-3, 205 | Illinois |
| Veteran scoring point guard will be groomed to take over for Darrell Armstrong. |
| 19. Jazz | PF/C Melvin Ely | 6-10, 260 | Fresno State |
| Goes higher than expected because college big men with postup moves are hard to find. |
| 20. Raptors | PG Dan Dickau | 6-0, 190 | Gonzaga |
| Tax-worried Raptors will avoid temptation to go foreign in order to grab their point guard for next decade. |
| 21. Trail Blazers | PF Marcus Haislip | 6-10, 230 | Tennessee |
| High-upside athlete will be given three years to develop by patient Blazers. |
| 22. Suns | PF Carlos Boozer | 6-9, 280 | Duke |
| A winner who brings immediate toughness off the bench to Suns frontline. |
| 23. Pistons | C Jason Jennings | 7-0, 250 | Arkansas State |
| No. 2 center in draft was No. 8 nationally in blocks (3.4 per game). |
| 24. Nets | C/PF David Andersen | 7-0, 242 | Kinder Bologna (Italy) |
| Another tax-minded pick, this highly active super sub will be asked to stay in Europe. |
| 25. Nuggets | PF/C Nenad Krstic | 6-11, 210 | Partizan (Yugoslavia) |
| Another promising project for Denver. This skinny 18-year-old already has a face-up game and likes to crash the boards. |
| 26. Spurs | SG/SF Rod Grizzard | 6-8, 200 | Alabama |
| Spurs may have a keeper in this third-year sharpshooter with a surprising knack for rebounding. |
| 27. Lakers | SG Mladen Sekularac | 6-8, 210 | FMP Zeleznik (Yugoslavia) |
| Lakers hope he will continue to develop in Europe while they avoid tax. |
| 28. Kings | PF Luis Scola | 6-9, 230 | Tau Ceramica (Spain) |
| Already over the projected luxury-tax threshold, Kings may never bring this pick to the NBA. |
