[4] It was tipped by many to be one of the deepest and most hyped draft classes in recent years, with several players touted as future stars.

[6] College underclassmen that were highly touted by NBA scouts and executives included: Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Joel Embiid, Aaron Gordon, Julius Randle, Zach LaVine, T. J. Warren, and Gary Harris.

In addition, a standing ovation for Isaiah Austin occurred between the 15th and 16th picks of the draft, which included having the NBA itself hold a ceremonial pick to select him as a means of letting his dream of having his name be heard in the NBA draft come true, which happened days after he was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome and originally was never considered to play professional basketball again.

The draft is conducted under the eligibility rules established in the league's new 2011 collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with its players union.

The CBA that ended the 2011 lockout instituted no immediate changes to the draft, but called for a committee of owners and players to discuss future changes.

After this date, "early entry" players may attend NBA pre-draft camps and individual team workouts to show off their skills and obtain feedback regarding their draft positions.

[92] The 2014 D-League Elite Mini Camp, which included 37 players, occurred in Chicago in the two days preceding the combine.

As it is commonplace in the event of identical win–loss records, the NBA performed a random drawing to break the ties on April 18, 2014.

[97] The Milwaukee Bucks, who had the worst record and the highest chance to win the lottery at 25%, obtained the second pick.

[98] The NBA commissioner then announce the selection and the player, wearing a basketball cap sporting the team's logo, comes up to the stage to be congratulated and presented to the audience.

Other players who are not invited, are allowed to attend the ceremony, sit in the stands with the fans and walk up on stage when they're drafted.

The 20 players who were invited and attended the draft are Tyler Ennis, Dante Exum, Aaron Gordon, Gary Harris, Rodney Hood, Zach LaVine, Doug McDermott, Shabazz Napier, Jusuf Nurkić, Jabari Parker, Adreian Payne, Elfrid Payton, Julius Randle, Dario Šarić, Marcus Smart, Nik Stauskas, Noah Vonleh, T. J. Warren, Andrew Wiggins and James Young.