| First Round | Player | College |
| 1. Los Angeles Lakers | Earvin Johnson | Michigan State |
| 2. Chicago Bulls | David Greenwood | UCLA |
| 3. New York Knicks | Bill Cartwright | San Francisco |
| 4. Detroit Pistons | Greg Kelser | Michigan State |
| 5. Milwaukee Bucks | Sidney Moncrief | Arkansas |
| 6. Seattle SuperSonics | James Bailey | Rutgers |
| 7. Seattle SuperSonics | Vinnie Johnson | Baylor |
| 8. New Jersey Nets | Calvin Natt | NE Louisiana |
| 9. New York Knicks | Larry Demic | Arizona |
| 10. Detroit Pistons | Roy Hamilton | UCLA |
| 11. New Jersey Nets | Cliff Robinson | USC |
| 12. Portland Trail Blazers | Jim Paxson | Dayton |
| 13. Indiana Pacers | Dudley Bradley | North Carolina |
| 14. Los Angeles Lakers | Brad Holland | UCLA |
| 15. Detroit Pistons | Phil Hubbard | Michigan |
| 16. Philadelphia 76ers | Jim Spanarkel | Duke |
| 17. Houston Rockets | Lee Johnson | East Texas State |
| 18. Kansas City Kings | Reggie King | Alabama |
| 19. San Antonio Spurs | Wiley Peck | Mississippi State |
| 20. Utah Jazz | Larry Knight | Loyola (Ill.) |
| 21. New York Knicks | Sylvester Williams | Rhode Island |
| 22. Phoenix Suns | Kyle Macy | Kentucky |
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