Most of these guys will be going to terrible teams, so we shall see. Kuzma is not my favorite player, but I value asset management as much as throwing more teenagers into the mix to sink or swim. Allowing salaries like Tate and Uncle Jeff to simply expire only to have that cap space swallowed by Jalen and Sengun’s extensions would be a crime. If you can consolidate those contracts into a single, better player that would still have trade value down the road, I do it 10/10 times. Even if it costs me the opportunity of drafting the next Otto Porter Jr.
You can find other ways to hold on to salary. Also, Otto Porter was a pretty good player before the injuries. If you told me were getting an Otto Porter Jr. level player without the injury problems there is no way I would trade him just to hold on to salary.
Just thinking about Devin Booker trades a little bit. He's the only star player that might be on the market who I would at least be on the fence about trading substantial assets for, because he's made a Finals before as the best player on his team and is at least a borderline top 10 player in the league. Phoenix is going to be under intense pressure to do something this offseason to balance their roster, and have very limited flexibility to do it. Obviously Booker is the guy they'd least like to trade, but he's also the only player they have where they could actually get multiple pieces back to flesh out their roster and get things under control a little bit. They badly need a point guard, a rim protector, and a perimeter stopper. So thinking about their needs, I think about DJ Murray, Clint Capela, and Tari Eason. For a player of Booker's caliber, it might also take a future draft pick or two, but I haven't included that because I'm not sure exactly what that would look like. Consider it as a possibility, but I personally wouldn't give up more than one. Atlanta needs to get away from this two point guards thing, so Jalen for Murray makes a lot of sense and gives them more upside to grow around Trae. They also have to get Capela off the books if they're going to pick Sarr. Lastly, they need somebody to set a defensive culture for them--so, Dillon in exchange for sending Clint to Phoenix. From our perspective, the big questions are: One, is Booker a good enough player who fits our timeline well enough to be worth offloading two of the core 6 plus 1-2 Brooklyn picks? And two, our we going to now be too thin on the wings? I'll leave that up to y'all, but this is the best scenario I could come up with for Booker. (Keep in mind, Phoenix does not believe in building through the draft, so I'm not sure there's a straight-up trade that makes sense--it pretty much has to be a three-team deal of some kind.)
I read somewhere the suggestion that Rockets could trade back with OKC (3 for 12) and get back their 2026 FRP. Is that possible? The language surrounding that pick is confusing ("OKC will receive the two most / more favorable of its 2026 1st round pick, HOU's 2026 1st round pick protected for selections 1-4 and the LAC' 2026 1st round pick and PHI will receive the least / less favorable of these.")
Not a fan of the proposal. The Rockets have turned the corner with a new coach and have locked up some vets til 26. Essentially, we'd be trading the 3rd pick for the 12th and the 15th? For perspective, the Hawks traded the 3rd pick for the 5th pick(Luka and Trae), and they got the 10th pick the following season(Reddish). SO fair value for the 3rd was 5th and 10th, not 12th and 15th.
2 trades: 1) #3 to Detroit for #5 and Quentin Grimes Pick Reed Sheppard at 5 FVV/Amen Green/Grimes/Sheppard Brooks/Eason/Whitmore/Amen Smith/Eason Sengun/Adams/Bona ('24 SRP) 2) #3 to Utah for Keyonte George and #10 Pick Dalton Knecht at 10 FVV/Amen Green/George/Knecht Brooks/Eason/Whitmore/Amen Smith/Eason Sengun/Adams/Bona ('24 SRP)
I agree in general that Portland wouldn't want that BUT It all depends on individual teams scouting staffs. Most are saying this draft is weak, but if Portland has that ONE guy they really think will be a star and he is there at 3, they could definitely entertain a deal like that
or not caring who gets picked between the No.3 pick and whatever pick they trade back enough to not warrant picking up the additional value.
I have since proposed the #3 for #7 and a future 1st idea to my Portland friends and they say I must have eaten one of Bobby Kennedy’s brain worms.
Truth testing this idea. If we are trying to entice a team to trade up to #3, I think the most likely target will be Clingan. This assumes Sarr and the other Frenchman go top 2. Given Topic’s injury to the same knee it’s hard to see him going top 2 now. Given his unique skillset, rare size, high likelihood of killing it in individual workouts, I think someone will fall in love with Clingan. so which teams need centers? To me those teams make the most sense as trade-up candidates.
On the relative trade value of the picks in this draft: Russillo called a few teams and asked for their thoughts on the draft. Someone said "it would be like you took a normal draft and started at 10." When he asked what you could potential trade the #1 pick for they said "Maybe the 4th or 5th starter on a decent team." To which Simmons said "Like Lu Dort?" and they both agreed that was around the value. Yikes.
It's a bad draft but I don't think it's quite that bad. I feel like it's closer to if you started a normal draft at 5. Or like last year, which was a good draft, if you started it at pick 7 when Coulibaly came off the board.
I agree. They did say that 10 was the most extreme opinion they heard. It's funny though, Alexander Sarr is almost an identical prospect to Derrick Lively who was exactly the 11th pick last year so they might not be too far off.
I could definitely see the first trade structure happening (not as much the 2nd). I think if we are trading back to #5 for Quentin Grimes, then that means either A) #5 pick is out of the rotation OR B) Dillon Brooks is likely traded this offseason (Ironically, Detroit might be a great spot for him) Would you do #3/Brooks for #5/Grimes/Future 1st Round Pick? That seems like a deal I could see both teams being interested in. Rockets rotation would look like the following (Assuming Reed is the pick) FVV/Reed Jalen/Grimes Amen/Cam Jabari/Tari Sengun/Adams You still have Landale, Jeff Green and Tate on the roster as well, who you can keep 2/3 of them or explore what each of their trade markets would look like.
Well, I remember saying all last year during the run up to the draft, damn, this is a great, deep class. Early returns are looking good on that count. So many real dudes, even though Scoot has kinda sucked.
My guess is that it is because they wouldn't give those guys up to move up two spots in a draft in which either of those guys would go #1 overall. But that's just a guess.
