Cavs take Irving at No. 1; Fredette headed to Kings

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Kyrie Irving headed to Cleveland as the No. 1 pick minutes after the NBA draft started.

Jimmer Fredette had to wait hours to officially become a member of the Sacramento Kings.

Plenty other players, from veterans to picks, were on the move Thursday night in a draft that some considered a dud but certainly wasn't dull.

There was no chance the Cavs would deal Irving, confident his foot is healthy enough to lead the rebuilding effort that follows LeBron James' departure.

Loudly cheered by family and friends not far from where he starred at St. Patrick's High School in Elizabeth, the Duke point guard showed no signs of the toe injury on his right foot that limited him to 11 games last season as he walked up the stairs to shake hands with Commissioner David Stern.

“I didn’t have any doubts about going to No. 1. I was looking to the organization to pick who they felt was the right choice,” Irving said. “But now to this moment, from being a fan of the NBA draft and now being drafted, it’s a special feeling in my heart and knowing that my friends and family were together, it’s a memory I’m going to remember for the rest of my life.”

A three-team trade that included Charlotte, Milwaukee and Sacramento that had been agreed to earlier in the day wasn’t approved until midway through the second round, forcing Fredette to wait about 2½ hours for his NBA destination to be determined after he was taken with the No. 10 pick by the Bucks.

“Took a little while waiting back there, but it’s a great moment for me and for my family, and for the Sacramento Kings organization,” the player of the year from BYU said. “Hopefully their fan base is excited because I’m really excited to get out there and start the season with them and have a great year.”

Sacramento also selected Washington guard Isaiah Thomas with the final pick of the draft (No. 60).

After grabbing Irving at No. 1, the Cavs used the No. 4 selection on Texas forward Tristan Thompson.

The Minnesota Timberwolves took Arizona forward Derrick Williams with the No. 2 pick. The Utah Jazz then took Turkish big man Enes Kanter third with their first of two lottery selections.

Lithuania’s Jonas Valanciunas went fifth to Toronto and Jan Vesely of the Czech Republic was taken sixth by Washington.

Bismack Biyombo of Congo went seventh as one of six international players who went in the first round, three short of the record set in 2003. The 18-year-old forward moved to Charlotte as part of a three-way deal.

Kentucky’s Brandon Knight went eighth to Detroit. He was followed by Walker of national champion Connecticut to Charlotte and Fredette.

Indiana took San Diego State’s Kawhi Leonard at No. 15 and traded his rights to San Antonio for former IUPUI star George Hill. That started a number of trades at the bottom of the first round, including a Houston-Minnesota swap that sent the Timberwolves’ Jonny Flynn to the Rockets in a deal that included Brad Miller.

Portland acquired guard Raymond Felton from Denver for veteran guard Andre Miller. The Trail Blazers also traded swingman Rudy Fernandez to Dallas for draft picks.