Keeping our pick? This might be a Lottery year

https://theathletic.com/3172464/202...in-their-own-tier-shaedon-sharpe-enters-fray/

this Sharpe hype is really something. and no one has any idea if it's justified or not.

Shaedon Sharpe: An adjustment to how I’ve been operating previously. I’ve decided to start ranking Sharpe on my big board but will not be placing him on the mock until he decides to declare for the draft. We have just as much information on if Sharpe is going to declare for the draft as we do on someone like TyTy Washington or Jeremy Sochan or Caleb Houstan or other freshmen. Typically, I rank freshmen who are inside of my top 50, and Sharpe certainly slots within there. At the end of the day, it’s right at this stage to rank Sharpe as if he’s a realistic option in the 2022 NBA Draft class. We’ll see what he decides to do.

I’ve slotted him at No. 5, as I’ve said I would throughout this process. It’s just really, ridiculously hard to find guys who are 6-foot-6 with 7-foot wingspans who are monster athletes in terms of balance and explosiveness and are legitimate pull-up shooting threats. There would obviously be much more variance in where he ends up getting taken on draft night, if he were to declare. I’d put his range anywhere from No. 3 to No. 15, depending on how he’d conduct his pre-draft process and how he’d perform in workouts for teams. For more information there, Kyle Tucker and I did a deep dive previously.

 

Sharpe or Ivey if we get the 4th pick and the top 3 goes as expected.

 

With Dame, Ant, Hart, Nas and Keon presumably all being on the roster next season, I'm hoping if we find ourselves in that scenario that we can find a trade that makes us way better at PF if we miss out on Jabari and Paolo... or even Chet if he blows us away in workouts. I like Ivey and what I've seen of Sharpe but I don't want another young 1-3 if we have a pick that high... I just don't see that adding wins during the rest of Dame's window.

 

They're the best talents imo. Take them. I'm not passing up on all star ceiling because we have Hart and Keon.

 

Yeah, you take the BPA if you can't work a trade that includes that pick for an all star level talent that is ready to contribute at a position of need immediately.

 

Sure, but idk who that guy is. Definitely not trading it for Grant.

 

Yeah I never actually know what trades are out there until they actually happen but maybe the Hawks value one of the guys available highly enough to trade Collins for the 4th pick and Bledsoe. Like I said, I have no idea what might be out there.

 

Outside of the top group, all of these players could be available in our pick range. Any 2 of them would improve our team immediately. IMO

Bigs
Keegan Murray
Jalen Duren
Tari Eason

Not bigs
Johnny Davis
Bennedict Mathurin

 

Paolo looked OK. i dunno what to make of anybody who plays against Syracuse's gimmick defenses. I liked his passing and unselfishness, and his defense looked really solid compared to what I have seen from him in the past.

I just feels like his stock is dropping while Chet/Ivey/Smith continue to rise. Would be amazing if Banchero dropped to a pick where we might land him.

 

Has there been any precedence for a guy like Sharpe? Diallo and Simons are sorta comps but both went later in the draft. There's been guys like Kyrie or Porter jr who were injured in college but still played a few games. Sharpe hasn't played at all but still universally projected top 8.

 

Wiseman only played 3 games for Memphis. Its not 0, but close?
Michael porter Jr. Also only 3 college games.

 

Great call

 

Shawn Kemp, also.

 

If we get Ivey I’d trade Dame in a Jaylen Brown package.

Ant/Ivey/Brown would be unstoppable for the next 10 years.

 

Being a UK homer I’m in the belief Sharpe would be the number 1 pick in 2023 if he went back to school, he’s definitely special. I know Cal really wants him back. UK guards don’t often bust in the NBA.

 

Yeah if you're a cold blooded killer as a GM and owner then that does make some sense. You'd get Jaylen Brown, probably Smart and a future first rounder or two. That would make the team a lot better. Then you'd probably also trade that Pelicans pick to Detroit for Grant. Ant, Ivey, Brown, Grant, Nurk (assuming he'd stay even if Dame was traded), Smart, Nas, Hart we'd be pretty weak in the front court off the bench so maybe we move Hart for a versatile backup big.

That being said, this is a business but it's not completely cut throat, also no one on that team is anywhere close to being a big star like Dame is and big stars get better team endorsements and shit like that. Also it would be a bad look unless Dame really liked the idea to and would say that he did in the media. I wouldn't do it because I don't think we've given Dame a fair shot at winning one here and I do think we could still make that happen with the right moves.

 

Ugh I don’t wanna have anything to do with Grant. Dudes reputation is blown out of proportion by a nice year he had playing for a contract while in Denver.

 

if jabari ever learns how to dribble, this guy is an All NBA talent. scary good.

his guards are really annoying though