NBA Draft Grades 2016: Scores for Overall Results, Trades and Team Decisions

In one sense, NBA draft grades can fall into the same classification as mock drafts as an unnecessary feature going into or out of an event.

But we know the usefulness of mock drafts, which at least offer a one-stop shop of information pertaining to every team's need and the prospect stock market. Sure, it can't predict Guerschon Yabusele will be a lottery pick, but nothing can. 

It's the same theme for grades—a tool that examines every selection made and assigns value to give folks an idea if a team hit its needs and at a good value. Sure, letter grades will change over time, but what doesn't?

Below, let's review the NBA draft and provide some necessary context to the league before things get downright wild in NBA free agency. 

Team	Grade	Analysis
Philadelphia 76ers	A	Ben Simmons was an easy move and the right one.
Los Angeles Lakers	A	Brandon Ingram is pro-ready with quite the ceiling and a good way to convince free agents to come to town.
Boston Celtics	B -	There's no reason to distrust general manager Danny Ainge, but this was an odd class.
Phoenix Suns	A+	Dragan Bender, Marquese Chriss and Tyler Ulis make for a borderline-jaw-dropping class.
Minnesota Timberwolves	B	Kris Dunn gives Minnesota flexibility, both with Ricky Rubio on the court and on the trade market.
New Orleans Pelicans	B+	Buddy Hield gets Anthony Davis some much-needed help.
Denver Nuggets	B	Jamal Murray gives Denver some much-needed name recognition and shooting.
Sacramento Kings	C	Yikes. Trades and projects aren't how you keep DeMarcus Cousins happy.
Toronto Raptors	B	Jakob Poeltl is a big boon for a team that might lose size in free agency.
Milwaukee Bucks	B	Thon Maker is the right idea for a team able to develop a center right now.
Orlando Magic	C	Serge Ibaka blocks Aaron Gordon and is a one-year rental.
Atlanta Hawks	B	Atlanta sought out versatility and got it, which is a win as the franchise heads in a new direction.
Chicago Bulls	B	Denzel Valentine is quite the get for a team wanting to improve right away.
Memphis Grizzlies	B+	Nailing down Deyonta Davis and letting him learn from Marc Gasol is a major win.
Detroit Pistons	B+	Henry Ellenson and Andre Drummond? Yes please.
Brooklyn Nets	C	Brooklyn seems to keep its head above water here, which isn't amazing.
Charlotte Hornets	N/A
Los Angeles Clippers	B +	Brice Johnson will look good in L.A.'s fast-twitch approach.
San Antonio Spurs	A	Dejounte Murray is a major steal, which makes sense based on the team stealing him.
Golden State Warriors	B	Damian Jones adds quality depth to a team running small-ball lineups.
Cleveland Cavaliers	C	Kay Felder might not see the floor anytime soon, but he provides solid depth.
Miami Heat	N/A
Indiana Pacers	B	Georges Niang gives Indiana some reinforcements down low.
Washington Wizards	N/A
New York Knicks	N/A
Oklahoma City Thunder	A	Victor Oladipo next to Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant is silly. And scary.
Portland Trail Blazers	C	Portland did like Brooklyn and had a quiet draft that might not amount to much.
Dallas Mavericks	B -	A.J. Hammons seems like the beginning of Dallas taking a serious look at the future.
Houston Rockets	C	Zhou Qi has unlimited upside and fits today's game, though Dwight Howard might not stick around to buy him time.
Utah Jazz	C	Utah wanted shooting and got it, boosting the backcourt.

Best Move: Oklahoma City Dishes Serge Ibaka 

Tired of hearing about this yet? 

Don't be. The Oklahoma City Thunder have to do whatever it takes to keep Kevin Durant in town. Though it might seem like a negative move, dealing power forward Serge Ibaka to the Orlando Magic makes perfect sense.

Ibaka had only one year left on his deal at a cap hit of $12.25 million, according to Spotrac. It's not too much for a team to pay a starting power forward, but it is if the guy isn't happy and saw his blocks per game drop from 2.4 in 2014 to 1.9 last year.

Long story short, the Thunder asked Ibaka to leave the paint more and act as a stretch forward to help combat the small-ball lineups trotted out by the Golden State Warriors and many others. 

And it worked, but that doesn't mean Ibaka wants to play such a role and Oklahoma City wants to pay him so much. Anthony Slater of the Oklahoman explained Ibaka's side of the equation:

The Thunder just got something in return for Ibaka's possible eventual departure, made playing a smaller lineup more possible and added not only the No. 11 pick, Domantas Sabonis, but shooting guard Victor Oladipo.

Oladipo is a major threat on his own, forming a wicked backcourt with Russell Westbrook. It's almost a surefire situation Durant will want to return to after just missing on a Finals bid.

Team That Made No Sense: Houston Rockets

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Shocking, right?

The Houston Rockets never make a ton of sense, whether it's somehow inking major free agents, canning a head coach in the infancy of a season or being unable to get the most out of a team led by James Harden and Dwight Howard.

Now Howard opted out of his contract, and it seems like the Rockets want to act as major players in free agency again, so they went out and drafted two players.

Chinanu Onuaku and Zhou Qi.

Look, these guys aren't bad prospects on their own. Onuaku is a fierce defender, but he's so raw offensively that he shoots free throws underhanded. No joke—just ask ESPN's Chad Ford:

Qi is even more interesting; he's 7'2" and 218 pounds and can shoot the ball well from range. Size and strength make him quite the project, though.

Projects don't help a team like the Rockets right now, though, and both players might not step on the court at all next season. For a team in win-now mode, Houston didn't seem to help itself much on the court next year with these picks, and the front office can't use the selections to entice free agents to come aboard.

Quietest Big Winner: Indiana Pacers

Few have brought up the Indiana Pacers because a smaller-market team making waves doesn't mean much in the face of Oklahoma City flexing its muscle to keep one of the league's best players. 

Quietly, though, the Pacers hit it out of the park—and maybe right over the river right behind it.

After a 45-win season and taking the Toronto Raptors to seven games in the conference quarterfinals, the Pacers hit the draft strong by acquiring two new starters via trade and a high-upside forward who could find playing time soon.

First, the team traded for former Atlanta Hawks point guard Jeff Teague, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. This means the Pacers just nailed down a starting point who averaged 15.7 points and 5.9 assists per game last year.

Not even close to done, the Pacers then dished the No. 20 pick to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for power forward Thaddeus Young, according to Wojnarowski. For those keeping track, Young averaged 15.1 points and 9.0 rebounds last season.

Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star summed up the moves quite well, also hinting at the cash the team has to spend in free agency:

Adding Georges Niang at No. 50 was just a bonus. The four-year player at Iowa State enters the pros after averaging 20.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.

Indeed, a Teague-Monta Ellis-Paul George-Young lineup looks scary, provided center Myles Turner (the No. 11 pick in 2015) can keep developing at a steady pace. Indiana could also sign a free agent or two with all the money it has to burn.

The Pacers want to win now, and after this recent reconstruction, they seem like a strong force in the Eastern Conference.

All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.