[ad_1]
It might be a different type of draft than we’re used to. Let’s start at the top: The two most important layers in this project aren’t Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green. Instead, the real focal points of Thursday’s debates are two guys who aren’t eligible for selection: Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard.
The point is, after the top six picks (and even the top six picks), a lot of teams are looking for star trades rather than teenage phenomena. Teams with multiple picks (Golden State at No.7 and No.14, New York at No.19 and No.21), extended playoff droughts (Hello, Sacramento!), New Orleans) only focus tangentially on what this project can bring them. If they’re going to use the choice Thursday night, great, but they’re sort of hoping to do something completely different.
Deeper into the draft, you can add the Lakers (22nd pick), Nets (27th), Sixers (28th), Suns (29th) and Jazz (30th) to that list; you could probably also argue for the Wizards (15th) and Hawks (20th).
Of course, that in itself is a problem. You can’t have sellers unless you have buyers as well; if everyone tries to trade their choice and no one wants to acquire it, no trade can take place. Unfortunately, the teams that would otherwise be most likely to acquire picks – including Oklahoma City, Houston, Orlando – already have several firsts in this draft, and usually already have more than enough future draft capital.
This brings us back to Beal and Lillard.
[ad_2]
Source link