NEW YORK — There were rumors galore heading into Thursday’s draft night, with stars ranging from trade-rumor veterans Paul George and Jimmy Butler to newbies Kristaps Porzingis and LaMarcus Aldridge grabbing headlines.

In the end, only Butler was dealt, but on the whole, it was one of the more active draft weeks in recent memory. And when it was over, there were, of course, winners, losers and everything in between.

MORE: Team-by-team NBA Draft grades

Big winner: The Process

You know there are big doings in Philadelphia when, in the dead of the second round of the NBA draft, well after 11 p.m., a chant of "Trust the Process!" breaks out among the fans gathered at Barclays Center. But it was a good night for the Sixers, who came away with the top pick, Markelle Fultz, to slide into their backcourt as a nice fit with Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid and Dario Saric. Just about every major young player with the team has an injury concern, but in terms of talent, there’s plenty of excitement. The Sixers went international, too, picking up 7-2 center Anzejs Pasecniks and promising ex-UCLA swingman Jonah Bolden.

Big loser: Phil Jackson

The Knicks went into the offseason with a couple of basic propositions. One, they needed to figure out how to move Carmelo Anthony. Two, they needed to not do anything goofy. In the hours before draft night, Phil Jackson had failed on both counts — Anthony is still a Knick and, wow, did Jackson get goofy. The franchise was not pleased with the decision of star big man Kristaps Porzingis to skip out on his exit interview in April, and as some form of punishment, the Knicks ran Porzingis through the draft-day trade-rumor wringer. Nothing came of it (yet), but now the Knicks have two messes on their hands: the Anthony debacle, and now a Porzingis problem.

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Big riser: D.J. Wilson, Milwaukee

The Bucks took a crack at Wilson, an athletic stretch-4 who improved dramatically this season and averaged 11.0 points and 5.3 rebounds as a sophomore, shooting 37.3 percent from the 3-point line. Wilson was projected to land in the second round, but he impressed the Bucks enough to convince them to pluck him at 17.

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Big dropper: Ike Anigbogu, Pacers

Some had Anigbogu, a young shot-blocking big man, in the teens, though most scouts really wanted to see him go back to school after his freshman year. Instead, no team was willing to take a chance on Anigbogu’s long, athletic frame in the first round, and he plummeted through the second round to Indiana at No. 47.

Winning team: The Kings

Yes, the Kings! Winners! They were roundly lampooned for their drafting foibles last season, and widely mocked again in February for the package they got in return for All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins. But they emerged from draft night with a nice first-round haul: Superquick point guard De’Aaron Fox, rehabbing forward Harry Giles and solid small forward Justin Jackson, taking the last two from Portland in exchange for the 10th pick. They added, as a bonus, polished point guard Frank Mason III in the second round. There’s some potential value in those players, and for a team desperately short on talent, Sacramento has been able to beef up its roster depth with youth.

MORE: Five first-round sleepers who could surprise

Losing player: Dwight Howard

It was just four years ago that the entire sporting world was in the thrall of Dwight Howard, eagerly refreshing Twitter for some sign — any sign — of where Howard would be heading next. Here we are in 2017, and Howard has sunk so low that he was dealt from the Hawks, just one year after signing a three-year, $70 million contract to return back to his Atlanta roots, to the Hornets ahead of the draft for the very thin return of Miles Plumlee and Marco Bellinelli. New GM Travis Schlenk made dumping Howard his top priority upon getting the Atlanta job, and though he will seek a revival in Charlotte, his stock is at an all-time low.

Struggling to keep up with all the #NBADraft trades this week? We got you covered. pic.twitter.com/yAV4WGyFhi — SN Graphics (@sportsphotos) June 23, 2017

Winning player: D’Angelo Russell

The Lakers made their decision to go with Lonzo Ball at point guard, and cleared out Russell to Brooklyn do so. That could very well work out for the Lakers, but it’s a big boost for Russell, too. He struggled at times in Los Angeles, and the Lakers — while dysfunctional themselves — were not impressed with Russell’s work ethic. But a fresh start in Brooklyn could be just the thing for Russell to get back on track. He averaged 15.6 points per game last year for the Lakers, and he will get a chance to continue building on his scoring with the Nets, who also added center Jarrett Allen.

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Another losing player: Dwyane Wade

Wade will opt in for his $23.8 million from Chicago, so let’s not feel too bad for him. But he is opting in on a team that will make trading him an immediate priority, because the deal that sent Jimmy Butler to Minnesota means the Bulls have finally accepted their lot as a rebuilding team. If Chicago can’t find a taker for Wade, he could be looking at missing out on the playoffs for just the third time in his 15-year career.

Winning coach: Steve Clifford

Clifford is, like the rest of the Hornets organization, under the gun heading into this season, the second on the three-year extension he signed in 2015. But he comes in armed with a roster much better positioned to play the way he’d like. The Hornets traded for Howard, who has been a problem player in each of his past four stops, but Clifford is probably as well-positioned as any coach to handle him — Clifford was an assistant coach for the Magic from 2007 to 2012, some of Howard’s best years.

Clifford lamented his team’s inability to defend the middle last year, and that could change if he can get Howard to stay engaged on that end. As a bonus, the Hornets saw shooting guard Malik Monk drop to the 11th pick, a great value for a guy some felt is the best shooter in the draft. Charlotte was just 18th in the league in 3-point shooting last season.

Losing coach: Nate McMillan

You’ve got to feel for McMillan, who did a credible job with the Pacers last year despite a roster that was mismatched for the style the front office wanted to play. Now, the Pacers are staring at the imminent departure of star forward Paul George, and there was some hope in the air that Indiana could wrangle some picks out of Boston for a shot at George — a free agent in 2018 known to be seeking a relocation to Los Angeles. But the talks between the Pacers and Celtics fell apart, and it remains unclear what, if anything, the Pacers can get for George.