Oklahoma City and Houston’s scraps essentially serving as a supplemental draft A rather innocuous roster move by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday could foretell the future for teams loaded with future draft picks. The Thunder waived TyTy Washington Jr., the 29th pick of the 2022 NBA Draft who played his first season with the Houston Rockets. Both the Rockets and Thunder have a glut of future first- and second-round selections due to the Timberwolves, Clippers, and others throwing draft capital around like trading cards. However, despite rebuilding, the Thunder and Rockets have no vacancies due to crowded, young rosters. While Washington might not be a future all-star, or even a rotation player, the 6-foot-3 point guard was a five-star recruit who went to Kentucky, and is now on the waiver wire 14 months after starting his pro career. By my count, Houston and Oklahoma City have 31 picks combined over the next three drafts. That’s almost a fifth of the 160 possible picks. The only other choice for the many, many selections is to draft an international player and stash him, which sounds like a smart idea in the same vein as a trade exception, but, like the trade exception, seems to rarely materialize into an asset. So GMs are trading very good-to-great players for what turns out to be a litany of late first-round selections that they’ll have to trade or waive because of roster space, and will be available for next to nothing to the same teams they willingly gave their very good-to-great players? https://deadspin.com/nba-draft-picks-okc-thunder-houston-rockets-ohtani-mlb-1850754628
I mean, they're not technically wrong. Still, the game plan was to have as many chances to get quality players in order to create a foundation. The Rockets knew ahead of time some of them would not be around when the time came. Still, I believe Tyty will catch on somewhere and go on to have a solid NBA career.
Yep, no room at the inn.....TyTy hasn't had a proper shot yet....he would be a great pickup for someone like the Lakers. DD
Keep churning the bottom of the roster. Keep the “good” ones, move on & replace the others Also, they don’t have a “glut” of (future) draft picks. Two picks from the Nets Two pick swaps (that may or may not materialize; I think only one has thus far) While they don’t have their own Jazz probably have more Spurs probably have more Nets probably have more Pelicans probably have more Knicks might have more Blazers might have more (when/if Lillard is traded) Thunder do have more Wizards do have more
31 total between both teams? The Rockets have at the most i think 3 1st round picks I dont know how many 2nds. The Thunder are in a weird situation.
I would upgrade part of the G-league to a better league with better focused coaching........they would need players. That should be better than doling out infinite numbers of 2 way contracts.......
Yeah, 31 picks over 3 years doesn't sound right. That would mean each team averaged 5 picks per year. I know the Rockets don't have 15 picks in the next 3 years.
The Thunder still have a lot of picks. Though the might as well have way less than 2 years ago. Consolidated a few times getting. Players like Williams. Within 2 years or less I think they likely trade for someone like Brown/Luka etc As for the Rockets they could still end up with a top 4 pick this season. It is top 4 protected along with having the nets pick. Which would be fantastic because you could trade that and a few other assets to get a nice player that would be added to Jalen/Sengun’s 4th seasons and ready to compete.
We actually don’t have a ton of FRPs going forward. We just set it up well so that we have one every year, lessening the impact of the Westbrook trade. In the second apron age, I think having a consistent flow of FRPs will be very important.
Again why do you keep harping on this? The Lakers have: Austin Reaves (25) - just re-signed for 4 years Gabe Vincent (27) - just signed for 3 years D'Angelo Russell (27) - just re-signed for 2 years Jalen Hood-Schifino (20) - 2023 17th overall pick Hood-Schifino is not even going to play - why do they need TyTy Washington - who would also not play? He'd be competing for 5th string PG with Scotty Pippen Jr and Max Christie. I don't think you've realized that the " first round pick " label depreciates faster than a new car when you drive it off the lot. He's a 2022 Jetta. Sure, fine to drive, but who cares? Lots of guys like that.
Listening to their podcast Ty did not suck but they wanted a look at different players. Overlap in players. Jared Butler was pretty impressive in SL and they practically gave him away to Washington. Butler was the guy on 2 way contract last year for them. Cason Wallace is the guy for them the coming years.
No, the bbs is seriously interested. Who are the many players the Rockets have released who went on to be really good?
Why is this person focusing on OKC and Houston when the Knicks and the Pacers just traded lottery picks for 2nd rounders? If anything that is much more of a sign that teams don't value draft picks than ditching some low 1st rounders
I have to assume this was a set-up / punch-line “slow play”. It’s too good not to be on purpose - listing four players the board salivated over who did absolutely nothing afterwards as “missed opportunities.” Even if TyTy has the Chinese career of DMo, somehow I think we will manage without him.
The answer is expansion, starting with Seattle. There are too many good players getting cut so clearly the talent level can support expansion especially when you factor in the international talent pool.
