Merged: The Draft Thread For Stuff About The Draft Including Thoughts About The Draft

Ezeli has no value to anyone. He's not going to get traded.
It's already too late for him to effect the salary floor/tax calculations on the 2016-17 season.

At this point, he represents $1M of dead money for the 17-18 season. The only teams that would give up any asset are looking to dump WORSE contracts. Portland already has 3 bad contracts that we need to dump. We aren't going to take on more just to get an "asset" out of Ezeli.

 

I liked this post for two reasons: Kyle O'Quinn and Caleb Swanigan. I think O'Quinn is the perfect rim protecting, elite rebounding back up big man this team needs. He would be perfect backing up both the center and PF positions. He can both play beside Nurk and back him up.

Not sure is SAC would do the trade you suggested. In which case we just keep Lee as a cheaper Crabbe replacement. Lee is older and maybe slightly overpaid, but overall he's a better player than Crabbe and O'Quinn is underpaid. We'd be getting a Crabbe replacement and a solid back up 5/4 for $2.5 million a year less than we are paying Crabbe.

And, if we keep the CLE pick and pass on Swanigan at 26 I'll be pissed. He reminds me so much of Paul Millsap, who we passed on three times at 30th (Freeland), 31st (James White) and 45th (Alexander Johnson who we traded to IND) before UTA picked Millsap with the 47th pick. None of those guys lasted more than 3 seasons in the NBA and Millsap is still an all star.

I think GMs fall too much in love with the predraft combine measurements. It causes them to bypass Millsap who is considered undersized for his position and unathletic because he can't jump out of the gym. Same thing with Swanigan. His measurements and vertical leap won't turn any heads (well, maybe turn them away), but like Millsap, the guy is a flat out baller. Thomas Robinson can run circles around and jump over Paul Millsap abd Caleb Swanigan, but at all the athleticism in the world is useless if you can't actually play the game.

BNM

 

I've asked him repeatedly. He got tired of clowns telling him he didn't know what he was talking about so just does it on his own now. He RAVED about Gobert and Giannis when no one even knew who they were. He took a lot of flak for it at the time and just said "screw it". Don't blame him.

 

I think this is generally correct. The only way I could see his contract being of use would be if the Blazers included it for salary matching purposes for a player with a huge contract. Something like Crabbe plus Ezeli plus pick for Carmelo, as an example (not that I'm advocating for that trade).

 

I can see that. The trade would have to be done before the June 30 deadline so the next team could just waive him and drop the salary. The problem with Crabbe being the one attached to that is he has provisions that don't end till after June 30 that make him tougher to move.

 

You could very well be right there, I didn't have time to look into the details. As others have mentioned, his contract could also be used in a package deal...

I guess my overarching thought there was: Neil had a reason to mention Ezeli not being back. That wasn't just him being an open and honest, "good guy" with the media. There are ulterior motives there...

 

Ezeli has the most value to us.... The only value in a trade is to another team looking to shave salary and unload a larger longer contract. He could be used as filler in a deal sending out Aminu perhaps, but it wouldn't save us money. With that said we still have 3 years after this season to fix the Luxury tax issue before repeat offender issues kick in.

 

Yeah, I wouldn't say FEAEC (Festus Ezeli Almost Expiring Contraact) has zero value, but I would say the odds of it having any value are nearly zero.

Even if we decline all our current non-guaranteed contracts (Ezili, Connaughton, and Quarterman), we're still $20 million over the luxury tax threshold. Letting Ezili go doesn't come close to getting us where we need to be. We still need to move at least one huge contract to get under the apron and at least two big contracts to get under the tax threshold.

But, they wouldn't have to be the same trade, or even at the same time. 6/30 is the deadline for picking up Ezeli's contract, but we have until the last game of the 2017-18 to get under the tax threshold. So, we could do something like use FEAEC for salary matching in a trade for an actual useful player (say Kyle O'Quinn) prior to June 30, then move Crabbe to a team under the cap (like PHI) after 7/1 and then maybe unload another contract at the trade deadline.

Yeah, it requires a series of moves, and therefore the chance something like this happening is very low, but FEAEC could potentially have some value for salary matching purposes in a trade that nets us something of positive value.

BNM

 

It's cliché but... in all honesty our draft board should look like this (if we decide to draft and not trade):

15: BPA

20: BPA

26: BPA

We need talent

 

If it could get us a usable asset (like a Kyle O'Quinn, or whoever), I'd be all for trading FEAEC. Ezeli's non-guaranteed contract only saves us $6.7 million. We'd still need to move at least two other contracts to get under the tax threshold. So, use it if it gets us something of value in return and figure out how to shed the bad contracts we need to shed later, or if we can't get anything of value in return, just don't pick up his contract. This really is a no lose situation - either get something of value or shave $6.7 in payroll.

BNM

 

Shouldn't that be every pick in every draft?

BNM

 

I don't always agree with that logic. The best player available at college level will not necessarily carey over that skill into NBA but that of course is obvious. More importantly though, often you need to look at what your team needs and whether you will be able to give that player minutes to develop. If we draft a PG now and give him 10 minutes a game, even if he is a good talent and impresses a lot he won't displace Lillard, it's better to have a power forward or a small forward who can jump into the team if he is impressing.

 

Why can't you see that?

PHI needs Guards, the Lakers and Celtics would be picking to high to not take a guard.

ORL could use a guard/wing, SAC needs a PG and SF, NYK need a PG, SG, and SF. DAL needs a PG too.

MIN is the only team that needs a PF first and foremost.

 

15: OG or 2K
20: Giles, Patton, Anigbogu
26 or later: D.J. Wilson, D. Robinson, Swanigan, Motley, Dozier, Ojeleye, Kennard.

 

Actually even Minnesota probably need a top point guard prospect ahead of power forward, they do not seem too happy with Rubio and Dunn has been a little disappointing from what I gather (I don't really watch Wolves much).

It's hard to see more than two big men going in top 10 of the draft. Fultz, Ball, Tatum and Jackson are absolutely certain to be in top 10 and probably even top 5, then you have players like Isaac, Monk, Fox and Smith Jr who I also find difficult to see winding up lower than top 10. That leaves two spots and you still got Ntilikina with a great chance of jumping in and stealing one of them, especially if the pool of top PG prospects from within US is exhausted before Sacramento pick at 8th.

And all those teams need them too. Even if Celtics do not need Fultz, they will take him if they can. Phoenix can get by with Bledsoe, he is good, but they may as well trade him and start over with someone who will peak at the same time as Booker and Chriss. Orlando, Dallas and New York all badly need playmakers and Philadelphia need Fultz, Ball or Monk.

 

As a project I have done the draft in 2K. I managed to trade Turner and 2018 pick for another one in 2017 draft and actually it was a good one. I selected Markkanen, Anunoby, Ferguson, Giles and Adebayo so five players who will without doubt be on our radar. Accelerated progression rate and skipped the first season as I did not want to spend ages before they become playable.

In 2018 Nurkic adds a three pointer, improves his mid range shot and becomes an absolute rebounding machine. He plays very well with Markkanen and they are impossible to guard. Anunoby is a starter, he is clumsy on offense, shoots well when open and is amazing defender. Ferguson is a great back up SG/SF and probably makes a case to become a starter at SF. Also defends well. Adebayo and Giles play great together, zero outside shooting but they rebound EVERYTHING. Adebayo is a center, Giles a power forward. Markkanen becomes Porzingis, scored competently from mid range and three point and is perfect for this team.

Draft them.

In the meantime in another save of mine Fultz, Monk and Fox become impossible to handle for whoever plays against my 76ers, not to mention what becomes of Simmons and Embiid plus trade acquisition, Porzingis. Current Warriors are crap compared to this juggernaut.

 

God I hope 2K fixes MyLeague/MyGM next year. They could make the mode realistic and a true SIM if they really cared. Too bad they care more about the fucking card trading MyTeam crap, and developing a cringy storyline for MyCareer.

 

He's a project but he can be every bit as good as a healthy Ezeli.

With his size (6'10" 255 lbs) at only 18 years old combined with his athleticism he may not be there with the Memphis pick.

Pick Mushidi at #26.

 

I think when people say "best player available," they mean the best projected talent, not the best player at the college level.

As far as balancing need with talent, I agree that that's an issue, but I don't think that should ever lead you to take a less talented player at a given slot. If Portland somehow had ended up with the #1 draft pick, they shouldn't have avoided Fultz or Ball just because they have Lillard. They should either have traded back in the draft (to a team that does need a point guard) or traded Lillard. Now, trading Lillard almost certainly wouldn't happen but that's due to specific circumstances involving Lillard's meaning to the franchise. Speaking more generally, you use trades (either of the pick or players on your roster) to alleviate logjams, not selecting lesser talents to avoid the logjam.

I'm fine with using team needs to break ties, though. If Portland has a point guard and small forward equally rated on their board, they should of course take the small forward.

 

Those created draft classes are crazy unrealistic though, the top 20 picks all come in rated 80+.

I did a similar thing with like 8 draft picks in this draft, team went like 76-6 the next year.