This should be the year to to swing for the fence in the draft to get the young player they want or use it for veteran that can fit where we’ve been inconsistent .
I suspect no trade for big salary and getting into the tax is probably right, but the team will make moves. If the team is competitive, it will help the sale, I suspect management knows that
We don't have enough assets to trade for anything that will matter and retain enough depth to be competitive in a series with the likes of OKC.
They don't have to look for a potential superstar with #11. If most of us get our wish and Ant, JG and Ayton are not in the long term plans, this pick has a ton of value for us. The more I think about it, the more I believe those three are on the roster to start the year with the idea to trade at the deadline or just let them walk. So, with the pick, they can get someone that can sit and develop for most of the year until a) the medium 3 get traded or b) they aren't traded, we're not making the playoffs and the 3 get "injured". If the starting unit going forward is Scoot, Sharpe, Tou, Deni and DC then our bench is terrible once again. There has to be a plan in place to improve the second unit and #11 should be a big part of it. IMO, the only guy(s) on the bench to keep are Tisse and maybe Walker and Reath. We may not have picks in the lottery going forward so take advantage and add some quality depth while we can. We all know the FA signing history for Portland. Deni type trades are not guaranteed. So use the pick(s) now. In my world there are 3 or 4 second unit spots that need upgraded which means they can take that vaunted BPA and slot them in wherever they want. That's why I want another early 20's pick for WCJ. I've been begging for a legit backup PG for a couple years. A second unit of WCJ, Tisse and say Noa, Coward, Bryant, Clifford is a good start to a potentially good bench. Last, I think there are athletic bigs to be had late in the draft and can develop in the GLeague for a year to complement DC. The bench has to improve and this would be my plan for it.
If the bolded part of your post is true then the defining characteristic of both the Olshey and Cronin front offices has been to kick the fucking can until the can is worthless. We have had pathetic management over the last 13 years. Every team gets a chance to draft well but what do you do with those pieces and how do you adjust as they develop? The answer here has been you don't adjust and when you do it's the most milk toast adjustment possible. Also, I would put money on the new owner coming in with new presidents both of basketball ops and business... but who knows. If I was Cronin's agent I would tell him he needs to make impact moves right now so he seems like more than a place holder to whoever the new owner(s) may be.
Keep it unless there's a no brainer of a trade ala Trey Murphy. It's so murky without knowing what Scoot/Shae are. They need to see more of that in a full time, starter role before they can think about what they need.
Ok this isn’t going to be popular but IMO Harper will be a superstar 1. Deni and pieces for number 2 Harper (might mean adding draft pick) Deni is one of my favorite players and I was defending him during slow start to last year but Harper will be a superstar while Deni is likely borderline all star. Spurs do it because hes perfect compliment to their team at low cost $ high production. Also young so fits their timeline, yes they could get another superstar with this pick but likely wouldn’t fit their timeline. 2. Scoot to Pelicans for #7 (Pelicans are rumored to like Scoot) then we can decide if we want to do another deal or use 7
