State Farm was the presenting sponsor of the NBA draft for the eighth consecutive year.

Due to salary cap reasons, most of these trades were officially announced on July 6, after the NBA moratorium period ended.

This year, 66 players were originally invited to the combine, including top prospects Zion Williamson and Ja Morant.

[93] The pool of participants also included Croatian Luka Šamanić, postgraduate Jalen Lecque, and Darius Bazley, who took a route similar to Mitchell Robinson with not playing in college or another league for a year before entering the draft.

[94] This year, eleven participants from that event joined the combine, increasing the number of total invites up to 77.

Teams with better records had an increased chance for a top-four pick when compared to the previous system, which was what happened for the New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies, and Los Angeles Lakers this year.

The draft is conducted under the eligibility rules established in the league's 2017 collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with its players' union.

The previous 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 that date, "early entry" players are able to attend NBA pre-draft camps and individual team workouts to show off their skills and obtain feedback regarding their draft positions.

He can be represented beginning after any basketball season, following a request for an evaluation from the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee.

At the end of the deadline, 86 players declared their intentions to enter the draft with an agent while 89 announced their return to college for at least one more season.

On June 8, the NBA announced only 9 invited players to the event (all of whom played collegiately this year).