The Charlotte Hornets are making significant roster changes this offseason, with their latest big move involving Miles Bridges. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the Hornets are sending Bridges to the Phoenix Suns, and with that, no player selected in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft is still with their original team.
Here is a look at the teams those 30 players started their careers with and where they are now.
1. Deandre Ayton: Phoenix Suns, currently with the Los Angeles Lakers
2. Marvin Bagley III: Sacramento Kings, currently with the Dallas Mavericks
3. Luka Doncic: Dallas Mavericks, currently with the Los Angeles Lakers
4. Jaren Jackson Jr.: Memphis Grizzlies, currently with the Utah Jazz
5. Trae Young: Atlanta Hawks, currently with the Washington Wizards
6. Mo Bamba: Orlando Magic, currently a free agent
7. Wendell Carter Jr.: Chicago Bulls, currently with the Orlando Magic
8. Collin Sexton: Cleveland Cavaliers, currently with the Chicago Bulls
9. Kevin Knox II: New York Knicks, currently with the Windy City Bulls
10. Mikal Bridges: Phoenix Suns, currently with the New York Knicks
11. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Los Angeles Clippers, currently with the Oklahoma City Thunder
12. Miles Bridges: Charlotte Hornets, currently with the Phoenix Suns
13. Jerome Robinson: Los Angeles Clippers, currently with Galatasaray S.K.
14. Michael Porter Jr.: Denver Nuggets, currently with the Brooklyn Nets
15. Troy Brown Jr.: Washington Wizards, currently a free agent
16. Zhaire Smith: Philadelphia 76ers, currently with Piratas de Quebradillas
17. Donte DiVincenzo: Milwaukee Bucks, currently with the Minnesota Timberwolves
18. Lonnie Walker IV: San Antonio Spurs, currently with Maccabi Tel Aviv
19. Kevin Huerter: Atlanta Hawks, currently with the Detroit Pistons
20. Josh Okogie: Minnesota Timberwolves, currently with the Houston Rockets
21. Grayson Allen: Utah Jazz, currently with the Charlotte Hornets
22. Chandler Hutchinson: Chicago Bulls, currently with the Rip City Remix
23. Aaron Holiday: Indiana Pacers, currently with the Houston Rockets
24. Anfernee Simons: Portland Trail Blazers, currently with the Chicago Bulls
25. Mortiz Wagner: Los Angeles Lakers, currently with the Orlando Magic
26. Landry Shamet: Philadelphia 76ers, currently with the New York Knicks
27. Robert Williams III: Boston Celtics, currently with the Portland Trail Blazers
28. Jacob Evans: Golden State Warriors, currently with Pardubice
29. Dzanan Musa: Brooklyn Nets, currently with Dubai Basketball
30. Omari Spellman: Atlanta Hawks, currently with the Beijing Ducks
The Suns selected Deandre Ayton with the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, but he did not live up to the hype. Ayton was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in 2023 and then had his contract bought out in 2025.
Ayton then signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, and it’s unclear whether he’ll play for them next season as he has an $8.1 million player option. What we do know for sure is that Luka Doncic will remain a Laker.
Doncic had initially been drafted by the Atlanta Hawks, who then traded him to the Dallas Mavericks on draft night. That should have been the only time that the Slovenian was ever traded, but it wasn’t. The Mavericks stunningly sent Doncic, who has now won two scoring titles and made six All-NBA teams, to the Lakers in February 2025, and that might be the biggest mistake made by a franchise in recent NBA history.
The Sacramento Kings also made a big mistake by passing on Doncic for Marvin Bagley III. Bagley has turned out to be a journeyman, playing for five teams in eight seasons. He suited up for the Mavericks in the second half of last season, and it will be interesting to see if they bring him back.
Staying with Doncic-related mistakes, the Hawks agreed to part with him for Trae Young and a first-round pick. Young was pretty good for the Hawks, this past season aside, but they sent him to the Washington Wizards in January 2026.
Jaren Jackson Jr. was pretty good for the Memphis Grizzlies, too, winning DPOY in 2023. With the Grizzlies entering rebuild mode, though, they sent Jackson to the Utah Jazz in February 2026.
Going down a bit further, we get to Mikal Bridges. The Philadelphia 76ers had initially selected Mikal, but then sent him to the Suns. He would thrive with them, but was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in 2023 as part of the package for Kevin Durant.
The Nets then traded Mikal to the New York Knicks in 2024 for a whole lot of draft picks. The Knicks were criticized for this trade, but he has now helped them win the NBA championship in 2026. All that chatter is gone with that triumph.
Right after the 76ers selected Mikal, the Hornets selected Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with the No. 11 pick. They would trade Gilgeous-Alexander to the Los Angeles Clippers soon after, for Miles.
That was an excellent move by the Clippers, but they then sent Gilgeous-Alexander to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019 as part of the package for Paul George. That has proven to be a colossal mistake.
Gilgeous-Alexander has a title, a Finals MVP, and two MVPs with the Thunder. Doncic might still be the best player of this class, but the Canadian is the most decorated.
Despite all these players getting traded, this was still a pretty good class. We even had Jalen Brunson go in the second round, and he is another who is not with the team that he started his career with.
The Mavericks had selected Brunson with the No. 33 pick and lost him in free agency in 2022 to the Knicks. He, of course, led them to the championship this year and has become the darling of New York.
The Mavericks should have been the biggest winners by far in this draft, but they might be the biggest losers now. They’re going to regret losing Doncic and Brunson for a very long time.
