I’m bullish on the 2026 draft and I don’t believe in forgoing two drafts in a row. We’re not going back to the Morey era. But the reality is that it’s gonna be very hard to acquire a 2026 1st. Does the least favorable of the Brooklyn or Phoenix 2027 picks, or the least favorable of the Dallas or Phoenix 2029 picks get us a good 2026 1st rounder? What other ideas do folks have that are realistic?
Salary cap is currently estimated only to be going up 7% next year. I suspect the Rockets thought it was going up 10%. This likely killed the chances of moving back into the 2026 draft to get a good pick. I could see Rockets trying to get a cheap pick or 2 (i.e., late, late 1st or SRPS), but that is not what you are talking about. I think the Rockets are prioritizing winning next season, and will choose to double up in 2027 on prospects when Amen's extension kicks in, rather than move a pick up to 2026 and have to trade a vet away to open salary for a good draft pick.
I hear that and I’m sure u are right, but that 2027 draft is projected to be potentially weaker than the 2024 draft. And the 2026 draft is predicted to be one of the best in the last decade. As you know, drafts are not created equal. That’s why I’d love to see if we could move the least favorable of our high draft picks in 2027 (and potentially more) to get a good pick in 2026. I get that the salary cap is a factor, but if it comes to that I’m not sure anyone would lose sleep over moving a guy like Capela to create space. But I have a hard time believing that any teams that figure to finish in the lotto would trade their pick in February. So I suppose the whole thing is pretty unrealistic. Just don’t want to blow off back to back drafts, especially not a historic draft like 2026.
I expect teams know the 2026 draft is likely better than the 2027 at least at the top such that it will cost a premium to get in the 2026 draft. Bad trades happen. I typically assume fair trades as bad trades aren't worth speculating in my opinion. On fair trades, I tend to think draft class strength will be taken into account such that paying the premium to move from one draft to the other has to be worth it (e.g., you aren't getting an expected 2026 No. 9 pick for an expected 2027 No. 9 pick). For the Rockets case, it would take the other team messing up or a draft day trade when the Rockets know there is a player worth trading into the draft for available. I think the Rockets have been well compensated for the 2025 pick and the 2026 pick.
You just want any first rounder? When I first read this, I was thinking lottery'ish or potentially lottery'ish pick. No team that's going to attempt a tank in this season will trade that pick - at least I don't think so. Not with the top-3 in this draft, anyway. What's insane is that Cooper Flagg was scheduled to be in this draft. My God. This would've been, by far, the "best potential draft" in years. Maybe you could get a late 1st-rounder just to say you participated. Draft Magoon Gwath and say you have a real "Goon Squad" with Magoon and Sengun.
