James Harden continued his headline-making day by being picked last in the 2022 NBA All-Star draft Thursday.
The Brooklyn Nets have reportedly traded Harden plus Paul Millsap in a blockbuster deadline deal to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
LeBron James took Harden with the final selection after Kevin Durant, Harden’s former teammate in Brooklyn, opted to take Utah Jazz big man Rudy Gobert with his final selection.
“I’m going to need some size and some defence on the interior, especially with Giannis (Antetokounmpo) and LeBron James playing such great basketball this year, I need someone to offset that,” Durant said before selecting Gobert during the draft on the NBA on TNT.
James had the first choice and took Antetokounmpo, the reigning NBA Finals MVP from the Milwaukee Bucks, with Durant choosing Joel Embiid, Harden’s future teammate on the 76ers, as his top pick.
LeBron couldn't keep it together after KD picked Gobert over Harden#NBAAllStar | @Nike pic.twitter.com/2wS1U8t7sE
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 11, 2022
James drafted Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet with his penultimate pick at No. 21.
Durant, who will not play due to injury and had an extra first-round pick, took Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins, from Vaughan, Ont., with his fourth selection at No. 8.
The NBA All-Star Game is scheduled for Feb. 20 in Cleveland.
Below are the full roster in order of selection:
Team LeBron
• Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
• Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
• DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls
• Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
• Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
• Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers
• Chris Paul, Phoenix Suns
• Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
• Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz
• Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors
• James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers
Team Durant
• Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
• Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
• Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
• Andrew Wiggins, Golden State Warriors
• Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
• Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
• Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
• Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls
• Dejounte Murray, San Antonio Spurs
• Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
• LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets
• Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
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