Moving into the Top Ten or Lottery

[Ignazzz]

Let’s take a shot.
BEn’s contract can be very very helpfull next Year to bring SS via trade.
Perfect filler ( contract year 40.000.000 ) for other team to clear cap space in place Of some SS like Doncic ( trade request ?).
The best part is that spurs can get extra assets from Nets now( picks) or / and get rewarded if BEn’s game be solid or better

[Ignazzz]

There is no other way to bring for example Doncic for picks without fillers. His personality is risk but well recognized now. Any surprise. Go with us BEn or out.

[Frenchfred]

There is no other way to bring for example Doncic for picks without fillers

Dallas will get better offers than Simons with a lot of 1st picks

[Ignazzz]

Dallas will get better offers than Simons with a lot of 1st picks
Without filler it is impossible to make an offer. BEn plus our prospect plus picks
so no offer at all or offer with one extra asset ( from nets). What if spurs bring Back BEn high lvl?

[Frenchfred]

Without filler it is impossible to make an offer. BEn plus our prospect plus picks

I agree about the filler. Who would the prospect be, Vassel?

[RC_Drunkford]

Man are y‘all crazy? Sending out a prospect and a pick for Ben Simmons??? I‘d want 2 picks just to take on his contract. Gtfoh

[Ignazzz]

I agree about the filler. Who would the prospect be, Vassel?
For Doncic everyone except VW and Coyote

[Ignazzz]

Man are y‘all crazy? Sending out a prospect and a pick for Ben Simmons??? I‘d want 2 picks just to take on his contract. Gtfoh

for Doncic next Year. Not for BEn

[Frenchfred]

Man are y‘all crazy? Sending out a prospect and a pick for Ben Simmons??? I‘d want 2 picks just to take on his contract. Gtfoh

not a prospect, McDermott, that's what I read in one article so essentially a pick for Simons.

[Ignazzz]

RC this way

Ben AND 1rd for cap space and Doug
One Year with spurs. 50/50. BEn is healed or toxic and Lost
trade BEn next Year as filler with assets for SS ( better BEn means less extra assets)
Only way from financial point Of view

[Ignazzz]

Nets 21st pick 2023 can help

[Frenchfred]

For Doncic everyone except VW and Coyote

I guess you're right, that's a gamble. Jeopardizing cap space for two years if it doesn't pan out.

[Ignazzz]

New rules in CBA Soon. We have to sign somebody anyway. Do we want anorher Like Doug’s deal?

[Ignazzz]

I guess you're right, that's a gamble. Jeopardizing cap space for two years if it doesn't pan out.

last shot with Ben and 21 st pick in JHS or Coulibaly or Rupert as bonus? No brainer
remember our SC is better in this scenario if Doug 14+14 is added to nets. Maybe someone extra?

Nets offer is ( from SI) Doug and pick swap for nets.
We should push harder or wait and try deal with pick to spurs.

[Mnky]

I’m pretty annoyed with the constant need to throw Keldon under the bus. He’s the exact kinda player who produces consistently that a playoff team like us needs. I don’t mind over paying with picks but I think we’d be stupid to give up Keldon and picks. Unless it’s wildly to our benefit.

The most valuable part of this team, now that you have a centerpiece, is that we already have built in high production players that fit the system. Keldon and Vassell getting approx 18ppg and taking pressure off of Wemby is more valuable than taking a swipe at a prospective pg.

With that said I think Black is a perfect fit and Cason looks real good too. Package up some picks. I don’t mind two first and a swap or two if the FO really likes one if them.

But it’s dumb to give up a pick or two and a 20ppg scorer who can drive and shoot effectively. Who also happens to be a great fit on our team culturally and chemistry wise.

Keldon is extremely inconsistent. He has not been consistent anything but team chemistry and fit, which is also why I value him as well. As a player, he led the team to the bottom of the league. With the green light to do what he wanted, his inconsistencies were great.

Wemby is the priority if he is indeed a franchise player. You do what's best for him, period. You don't waste his time with players that don't contribute to his growth or comfort. That being said, keldon would be good with Wemby if he had a consistent shot. It's just so erratic, I don't see him as a non touchable in the slightest bit.

He's still young. Younger than a few prospects people think the spurs should have drafted last year. He has valuable experience and chemistry. It's good to have him on what will definitely be a value contract.

However, if you can get a cornerstone running mate or upgrade for Wemby, you do it with anyone on the roster and you don't think twice. It's Wembys team. Team only goes as far as he takes them.

[mo7888]

not a prospect, McDermott, that's what I read in one article so essentially a pick for Simons.

You receive picks (plural) for taking on Simmons...the Nets know that...it's just a matter of how many and how high they are likely to be..

[DPG21920]

Toronto not pick could be as high as 7. Should be nothing else needed to get into the top 10

If so great - trade that into the top 10. Works for me.

[Frenchfred]

RC this way

Ben AND 1rd for cap space and Doug
One Year with spurs. 50/50. BEn is healed or toxic and Lost
trade BEn next Year as filler with assets for SS ( better BEn means less extra assets)
Only way from financial point Of view

they mention a pick swap in this article not a pick from the Nets

https://www.si.com/nba/spurs/news/san-antonio-spurs-trade-brooklyn-nets-ben-simmons-victor-wembanyama

[TD 21]

I wouldn't do the following (too clunky for my liking), but it checks a lot of boxes, particularly if you subscribe to the notion that Wembanyama should almost always play next to another C and that they need another established rotational one . . .

Johnson and a future 1st for the 5th pick (Ausar Thompson) and Stewart.

Starters: Wembanyama, Sochan, Collins, Vassell, Jones

Bench: Branham, Stewart, Thompson, McDermott, Graham

Deep bench/G-League: Bassey, Wesley, Mamukelashvili?, Champagnie?, Barlow?, Birch?, 33rd pick?

[Frenchfred]

I wouldn't do the following (too clunky for my liking), but it checks a lot of boxes, particularly if you subscribe to the notion that Wembanyama should almost always play next to another C and that they need another established rotational one . . .

Johnson and a future 1st for the 5th pick (Ausar Thompson) and Stewart.

Starters: Wembanyama, Sochan, Collins, Vassell, Jones

Bench: Branham, Stewart, Thompson, McDermott, Graham

Deep bench/G-League: Bassey, Wesley, Mamukelashvili?, Champagnie?, Barlow?, Birch?, 33rd pick?

That's pretty good. Maybe lacking some vets in there.

[Mr. Body]

As much as I doubt the Spurs would trade Keldon this offseason, I'm pretty close to 100% they wouldn't exile him to the Detroit Pistons. Even if it means getting a good prospect, regardless of who that is. They seem to be very keen on getting their good soldiers to competitive teams with fit -- White to Boston, Murray to Atlanta, Poeltl back to Toronto. After all the shit Keldon's been through, I can't think they'll stick him in an even worse situation.

[Ariel]

As much as I doubt the Spurs would trade Keldon this offseason, I'm pretty close to 100% they wouldn't exile him to the Detroit Pistons. Even if it means getting a good prospect, regardless of who that is. They seem to be very keen on getting their good soldiers to competitive teams with fit -- White to Boston, Murray to Atlanta, Poeltl back to Toronto. After all the shit Keldon's been through, I can't think they'll stick him in an even worse situation.
I don't think the Spurs would do wrong by a player they drafted and just signed a friendly, long term deal, by shipping him out unilaterally. Much like it happened with Dejounte, I think he'd have to be ok with it.

[Ariel]

Johnson and a future 1st for the 5th pick (Ausar Thompson) and Stewart.
Detroit would rather draft Cam Whitmore outright, who's basically a bigger, stronger, and much more explosive Keldon. He's much more of a Troy Weaver kind of guy.

[Mr. Body]

I don't think the Spurs would do wrong by a player they drafted and just signed a friendly, long term deal, by shipping him out unilaterally. Much like it happened with Dejounte, I think he'd have to be ok with it.

Hmm... I thought both White and Murray were surprised by their trades? It just happened to be perfect spots for both of them. White got an excellent playoff team, Dejounte got strip bars.

[Ariel]

Hmm... I thought both White and Murray were surprised by their trades? It just happened to be perfect spots for both of them. White got an excellent playoff team, Dejounte got strip bars.
Dejounte wasn't surprised at all, he even said he was in on the talks all along, had talked to Trae and everything. White was surprised, though. But the big difference here is Keldon JUST SIGNED an extension, he's not 2 years into it. If you trade him unilaterally to somewhere he's not ok with immediately after his extension kicks in, you're sending a horrible message for every rookie extension that follows.

[Ariel]

I just noticed that Brooklyn has no picks at all next year. I'm sure they want to move up with their two this year, but wonder if they'd swap one for the Charlotte. They also don't have any in 2026, putting Chicago's potentially in play.
This is a good idea. Charlotte's pick is capped at 15, and given their upcoming #2 pick and Miles Bridges return, this may be a perfect time to find a partner willing to take the gamble it conveys at a higher number in a year, over in the 20s right now. Throw in 2/3 seconds if necessary (not #33 though).

[TD 21]

I don't view the Pistons as a bad situation for Johnson. Unlike White, Murray and Poeltl, he's still in his early 20s and they need wings/forwards and already have their initiators, so he wouldn't be forced or think he has to have more of an on-ball role than he's capable of.



Detroit would rather draft Cam Whitmore outright, who's basically a bigger, stronger, and much more explosive Keldon. He's much more of a Troy Weaver kind of guy.

That's probably what I'd do if I were them, but they supposedly want to at least compete for the play-in next season, so they might prefer a more actualized version as opposed to waiting and to some degree hoping.

[Ariel]

That's probably what I'd do if I were them, but they supposedly want to at least compete for the play-in next season, so they might prefer a more actualized version as opposed to waiting and to some degree hoping.
I was convinced they'd do the same last year, yet they tanked. I think they'll see what they have and go from there, if Cade is back and their pick's early signs are promising, they might speed up the process. Otherwise we might be talking about the same thing a year from now.

[spurraider21]

I agree, the biggest problem is his contract otherwise it would be worth the risk.
It’s been a while since he was a good player. We shouldn’t be giving anything FOR simmons. Nobody would acquire simmons because they think he will help their team. You acquire him because Brooklyn is willing to attach assets to get him off their books

if simmons were a FA, he’s not even worth MLE money right now

[TD 21]

I was convinced they'd do the same last year, yet they tanked. I think they'll see what they have and go from there, if Cade is back and their pick's early signs are promising, they might speed up the process. Otherwise we might be talking about the same thing a year from now.

No, they didn't. Cunningham played 12 games and instead of trading Bogdanovic and Burks, they extended the former.

Every re-building and/or bad team isn't "tanking".

[scott]

Have only seen one mention of it, but Gradey Dick would be an interesting target around the 10 pick IMO. Doesn't solve our PG need but gives us a different type of wing player around Wemby, and honestly one that might be better suited to support Wemby than a Keldon.

[Ariel]

No, they didn't. Cunningham played 12 games and instead of trading Bogdanovic and Burks, they extended the former.

Every re-building and/or bad team isn't "tanking".
Being bad isn't what defines a tank job, WANTING to stay bad does. Detroit gave the keys to the team to unplayable Kyllian Hayes, sat everyone after the All Star break, didn't make any effort to improve the team in season, and kept their coach although they had about an all time worst franchise record. Of course it was a tank job, one of the most egregious tank jobs of all time. BTW, Bogdanovic's extension was at the beginning of the season because he was an asset, but the only reason they didn't trade him was because their demands weren't met, and they pulled the plug on him later on.

[TD 21]

Being bad isn't what defines a tank job, WANTING to stay bad does. Detroit gave the keys to the team to unplayable Kyllian Hayes, sat everyone after the All Star break, didn't make any effort to improve the team in season, and kept their coach although they had about an all time worst franchise record. Of course it was a tank job, one of the most egregious tank jobs of all time. BTW, Bogdanovic's extension was at the beginning of the season because he was an asset, but the only reason they didn't trade him was because their demands weren't met, and they pulled the plug on him later on.

In addition to Cunningham missing 70 games, Burks missed 31 games (many early) and Joseph missed 20 games, leaving Ivey, a rookie combo guard and Hayes, as the only remaining ball handlers, on a team with terrible spacing.

There wasn't anything practical/realistic that they could have done to make the remaining team competitive and actually easily could have made it even less so, as I alluded to.

[Ariel]

In addition to Cunningham missing 70 games, Burks missed 31 games (many early) and Joseph missed 20 games, leaving Ivey, a rookie combo guard and Hayes, as the only remaining ball handlers, on a team with terrible spacing.

There wasn't anything practical/realistic that they could have done to make the remaining team competitive and actually easily could have made it even less so, as I alluded to.
Burks and Bodganovic's last games were in early march, the former was out with "foot soreness" and the latter referred "precaution" for a tendinopathy (chronic issue). What did you expect? "DNP - tanking"? Not everybody is as stupid as Dallas. Of course they could have played more. Even in game adjustments were obvious, sitting the better players in 4th quarters.

[KobesAchilles]

I know Indiana is gonna max him. But I wonder what it would take to trade for Haliburton…

[rascal]

Have only seen one mention of it, but Gradey Dick would be an interesting target around the 10 pick IMO. Doesn't solve our PG need but gives us a different type of wing player around Wemby, and honestly one that might be better suited to support Wemby than a Keldon.

No his defense is horrible and a liability when he's on the floor. He'll get played off the floor in tight playoff games.

I'd rather have Jordan Hawkins if you want to add a shooter than Gradey Dick.

[mo7888]

No his defense is horrible and a liability when he's on the floor. He'll get played off the floor in tight playoff games.

I'd rather have Jordan Hawkins if you want to add a shooter than Gradey Dick.

Gradey's D is a positive, not a negative...

[rascal]

Gradey's D is a positive, not a negative...

No it's not. He's a weak 1 on 1 defender. Teams attacked him on offense, he's too slow a foot.

[mo7888]

No it's not.

BS... it's been one of the positives in his recruiting evals all season...

And light years ahead of that guy Portland took last year...

[rascal]

BS... it's been one of the positives in his recruiting evals all season...

And light years ahead of that guy Portland took last year...

You don't draft Sharpe for his defense but for his offensive upside.

Sharpe is also not athletically challeneged and can improve much more than slow footed Dick.

[mo7888]

You don't draft Sharpe for his defense but for his offensive upside.

Sharpe is also not athletically challeneged and can improve much more than slow footed Dick.

Gradey isn't slow footed nor is he unathletic... I'll give you that Sharpe is a higher level athlete, but it's not by that much and Sharpe has no D. His much counted on O hasn't materialized. He's a basic high risk high reward guy and there's nothing wring with that where he was drafted. I'm not down on him, but saying Gradey is a poor defender is nonsense and runs counter to most all evaluations on him and make me wonder if you even watched him.

[JPB]

No, they didn't. Cunningham played 12 games and instead of trading Bogdanovic and Burks, they extended the former.

Every re-building and/or bad team isn't "tanking".

Nah, Detroit was badly tanking last year. The end of the last Spurs-Detroit game was totally hilarious, each team trying to out-tank the other, Detroit trying to throw the game in the last minutes (SA too), only for the spurs to win in OT, with Detroit players looking almost embarassed to win... Good for a 20 page game thread on ST for the apex of the season.

[rascal]

Gradey isn't slow footed nor is he unathletic... I'll give you that Sharpe is a higher level athlete, but it's not by that much and Sharpe has no D. His much counted on O hasn't materialized. He's a basic high risk high reward guy and there's nothing wring with that where he was drafted. I'm not down on him, but saying Gradey is a poor defender is nonsense and runs counter to most all evaluations on him and make me wonder if you even watched him.

His offense did materialized down the stretch when he was getting minutes. Portland and their fans are happy with him and they would riot if they traded him.

He wasn't going to explode as a scorer last year being that he's out of high school and missed a year. They brought him along slowly in the beginning of the season until the tank. Then they let him play and he looked great. Give him a couple of more years in the league and you're going to see a 20+ scorer with improved defense. His offensive potential is better than Sochan's, even shot better %'s last year.

But we're talking about Gradey Dick's defense.

[rascal]

Gradey isn't slow footed nor is he unathletic... I'll give you that Sharpe is a higher level athlete, but it's not by that much and Sharpe has no D. His much counted on O hasn't materialized. He's a basic high risk high reward guy and there's nothing wring with that where he was drafted. I'm not down on him, but saying Gradey is a poor defender is nonsense and runs counter to most all evaluations on him and make me wonder if you even watched him.

I've seen draft anaylsis as saying Gradey Dick is a poor 1 on 1 defender and teams often attacked him on offense and he often got beat by his man, was too slow.

I've seen a lot of film of him getting beat.

[Mr. Body]

Gradey Dick really isn't that bad of a defender. His adv. defensive metrics are about the same as Jordan Hawkins. They're really similar. The problem is neither does much other than score. I think each can be at least neutral on D.

[mo7888]

His offense did materialized down the stretch when he was getting minutes. Portland and their fans are happy with him and they would riot if they traded him.

He wasn't going to explode as a scorer last year being that he's out of high school and missed a year. They brought him along slowly in the beginning of the season until the tank. Then they let him play and he looked great. Give him a couple of more years in the league and you're going to see a 20+ scorer with improved defense. His offensive potential is better than Sochan's, even shot better %'s last year.

But we're talking about Gradey Dick's defense.

Sharpe has a real chance...no doubt about that..

[mo7888]

I've seen draft anaylsis as saying Gradey Dick is a poor 1 on 1 defender and teams often attacked him on offense and he often got beat by his man, was too slow.

I've seen a lot of film of him getting beat.

Here's just one analyst comment (I don't have a ton of time to add more at the moment)

"It's hard to find NBA scouts who don't like the tremendous perimeter shooting ability, defensive competitiveness, feel for the game and all-around consistency Dick offers, making him widely viewed as one of the "safer" prospects in this class. He has been just as effective against top-tier competition as against lesser teams, has shown growth as the season has moved on and has rarely looked overwhelmed on either end of the floor. There's an opening for Dick to enter a different tier from high-floor, role-playing prospect to coveted top-10 caliber pick over the next three weeks if he can help guide Kansas to the Final Four and potentially cut the nets down for the second year in a row.-- Jonathan Givony"

Nobody's saying he's prime Kawhi...but it's a net plus for him..

[BackHome]

It's amazing if you have a guy who is lights out on the 3 point shooting opens up everything and makes it so much easier on everyone else getting easy buckets. Going into future drafts I would definitely look at adding someone like him to the team I just don't see us being able to trade up this year to get him. I am really high on our draft picks we have coming from some teams so not wanting to trade them just yet also we got a lot of past draft picks were still figuring out what there ceiling is so we got enough on our plate with them and now Wemby..:)

[Ariel]

I'll take Hawkins at 20 over Gradey Dick at 10 or so.

[TD 21]

Burks and Bodganovic's last games were in early march, the former was out with "foot soreness" and the latter referred "precaution" for a tendinopathy (chronic issue). What did you expect? "DNP - tanking"? Not everybody is as stupid as Dallas. Of course they could have played more. Even in game adjustments were obvious, sitting the better players in 4th quarters.

Well of course down the stretch they were trying to secure the worst record, which they were in prime position to do for most of the season . . . but if we're ranking tankers, they're way down the list.

Anyway, the point remains that they're looking to be relatively competitive next season.

[BackHome]

Being bad isn't what defines a tank job, WANTING to stay bad does. Detroit gave the keys to the team to unplayable Kyllian Hayes, sat everyone after the All Star break, didn't make any effort to improve the team in season, and kept their coach although they had about an all time worst franchise record. Of course it was a tank job, one of the most egregious tank jobs of all time. BTW, Bogdanovic's extension was at the beginning of the season because he was an asset, but the only reason they didn't trade him was because their demands weren't met, and they pulled the plug on him later on.

Actually No one came close to Houston as far as blatantly tanking

[ambchang]

Gradey isn't slow footed nor is he unathletic... I'll give you that Sharpe is a higher level athlete, but it's not by that much and Sharpe has no D. His much counted on O hasn't materialized. He's a basic high risk high reward guy and there's nothing wring with that where he was drafted. I'm not down on him, but saying Gradey is a poor defender is nonsense and runs counter to most all evaluations on him and make me wonder if you even watched him.


He did and he saw that gradey dick is white, so he must be slow footed, unathletic and bad on D.

[rascal]

Actually No one came close to Houston as far as blatantly tanking

Portland did when they decided to tank. They sat their top four players for weeks.

[rascal]

He did and he saw that gradey dick is white, so he must be slow footed, unathletic and bad on D.

I saw the Box and One analysis on Gradey Dick. I like that site and find them to not positive spin all the prospects. They say the positives and negatives on the players.

Gradey Dick may be the best shooter in the draft that's why he might go to Utah at 9.

All NBA players are athletic. When I say unathletic it means as compared to other NBA players.

Yes. he is slow in keeping with his man defensively. That is why teams game planned to go at him on 1 on 1 matchups.

[offset formation]

Just came across this article. No way my man slips to late first or second round as a few have predicted. No way at all. In fact I'm more convinced than ever he's gone in the top ten or higher. And I'm happy to say it, I think he has a better career than Scoot, Miller, Thompson Twins, Walker, Whitmore, Dick, etc. etc. I'd take him #2 if I was the Hornets. He'd fit perfectly over there.

A few quotes that jumped out to me:

From his coach: Bilal is one of the most talented players I have had the chance to coach,” explains De Carvalho. “He is smart, he works, he is humble, he has that drive to become a beautiful player. In my team, he could score 40, 50 points easily

From Wembanyama: “He is our X factor,” notes teammate Victor Wembanyama. “An all-terrain weapon, he can posterize a player and on the very next play block him. Players keep on underestimating him because he is young…They go for a layup thinking they are safe and they get annihilated. Every game he does something crazy. I think he is the player I’m looking for the most on the court.”

From an Eastern Conference scout: “I can’t really talk,” says one scout for an Eastern Conference team. “But if we are all here while some of us have no chance to get the other guy [Wembanyama], it means that he is pretty good, right?”

https://www.slamonline.com/the-magazine/bilal-coulibaly/

[Vince Carter's ankle]

Just came across this article. No way my man slips to late first or second round as a few have predicted. No way at all. In fact I'm more convinced than ever he's gone in the top ten or higher. And I'm happy to say it, I think he has a better career than Scoot, Miller, Thompson Twins, Walker, Whitmore, Dick, etc. etc. I'd take him #2 if I was the Hornets. He'd fit perfectly over there.

A few quotes that jumped out to me:

From his coach: Bilal is one of the most talented players I have had the chance to coach,” explains De Carvalho. “He is smart, he works, he is humble, he has that drive to become a beautiful player. In my team, he could score 40, 50 points easily

From Wembanyama: “He is our X factor,” notes teammate Victor Wembanyama. “An all-terrain weapon, he can posterize a player and on the very next play block him. Players keep on underestimating him because he is young…They go for a layup thinking they are safe and they get annihilated. Every game he does something crazy. I think he is the player I’m looking for the most on the court.”

From an Eastern Conference scout: “I can’t really talk,” says one scout for an Eastern Conference team. “But if we are all here while some of us have no chance to get the other guy [Wembanyama], it means that he is pretty good, right?”

https://www.slamonline.com/the-magazine/bilal-coulibaly/
Hurry up to see the coach and teammate praise the player.
This isn't representative.

[offset formation]

Hurry up to see the coach and teammate praise the player.
This isn't representative.

Coach. Player. Scouts (that had zero shot at drafting Wembanyama).

Underestimate him. But the more I read, the more I see my views on Bilal are evidently aligned with NBA personnel. Pop is there as we speak. I guarantee you he's got an eye or two on my man while meeting with Victor and his family. I wouldn't be shocked if the Spurs move back into the first round, it's to get this guy.

[Vince Carter's ankle]

Coach. Player. Scouts (that had zero shot at drafting Wembanyama).

Underestimate him. But the more I read, the more I see my views on Bilal are evidently aligned with NBA personnel. Pop is there as we speak. I guarantee you he's got an eye or two on my man while meeting with Victor and his family. I wouldn't be shocked if the Spurs move back into the first round, it's to get this guy.
I have nothing against him. If Pop, Wright and our scouts like him, I don't mind.

[RC_Drunkford]

I‘m all in on Bilal Coulibaly. I get that people want a PG, but this guy has real potential to be a superstar

[Dejounte]

No, Bilal is not going to become a superstar and he isn’t going top 10. Holy shit. This is the only place with these ridiculous claims. He’s barely had any impact in today’s game. Dude plays like another Keldon Johnson.

[Chinook]

Bilal is smaller than people seem to think. It's a shame he didn't get to go to the combine, though for him it's likely a good thing he doesn't have to measure up. I think people see him and think OG or Hunter. I haven't watched a ton of him, but I think his physical profile is more likely to be a question area than a selling point, and without that, he's nowhere near as exciting. If the Spurs think he's going to be great, then they should look at finding a way to go get him. But I wouldn't be surprised if he's there at 33 and either passed on or taken and then shunting into the d-league.

[RC_Drunkford]

No, Bilal is not going to become a superstar and he isn’t going top 10. Holy shit. This is the only place with these ridiculous claims. He’s barely had any impact in today’s game. Dude plays like another Keldon Johnson.

I said he has the potential. The kid is 18 with an elite wingspan. Ain't no telling how good he will be. You just take a swing at him and hope for the best. I like him better than any of the later PG prospects

[Ignazzz]

Bilal is smaller than people seem to think. It's a shame he didn't get to go to the combine, though for him it's likely a good thing he doesn't have to measure up. I think people see him and think OG or Hunter. I haven't watched a ton of him, but I think his physical profile is more likely to be a question area than a selling point, and without that, he's nowhere near as exciting. If the Spurs think he's going to be great, then they should look at finding a way to go get him. But I wouldn't be surprised if he's there at 33 and either passed on or taken and then shunting into the d-league.
combine during his team fights in the playoffs?
bad game today be honest

[PhantomDashCam]

Reminds me of Tony Parker's set shot when he first entered the league...

1659626174463524877

[JPB]

Shot is too slow and too low. Really needs to be open.

[spursince#99]

Bilal or Bufkin are the only 2 players we should even consider trading up for. If these 2 are unattainable, you stay put. Trade both 2nds and Charlotte future 1st, which I don’t think will convey, by the way.

[exstatic]

Bilal or Bufkin are the only 2 players we should even consider trading up for. If these 2 are unattainable, you stay put. Trade both 2nds and Charlotte future 1st, which I don’t think will convey, by the way.

They have the remaining framework of a 43 win team, and the #2 pick in the draft. They’re making the playoffs in the next 2 years, and we’ll get the pick.

[Mr. Body]

There's going to be some churn in the eastern conference, although maybe not as much as in the western conference in terms of actual playoff teams. Bulls may be pulling the plug, Toronto may decline, if Philadelphia loses Harden they're dead in the water. Nets are already not going to be a playoff team.

The way the Hornets were looking with Mark Williams and people healthy, they look pretty good.

[Mr. Body]

Judging by their fans, Utah and OKC may be aggressive in moving up. Utah is already in the mid-lottery and has other picks. OKC has future picks they need to use somehow. Indiana may also try to move some of their picks up.

We hear it every year: This is the draft where there's tons of movement. It usually doesn't happen. This one, however, has some pressure at work:

1) The league is at an inflection point. Old teams are declining, recent competitors are crapping out - Mil, Bos, Phi.
2) High upside players are sitting there at the top of the draft - Scoot, Miller, Amen, Ausar, Whitmore.
3) A handful of teams have stashes of picks they somehow need to use.

So, we have marginal teams that can boost themselves going hard after a top guy, we have advancing teams that need to spend their kitties somehow.

Trying to get some of these slots could get pretty expensive because the demand will be high.

[Mr. Body]

Adding: there are teams that may have to defend their pick swaps by not really fully tanking. Houston, for example.

[scott]

There's going to be some churn in the eastern conference, although maybe not as much as in the western conference in terms of actual playoff teams. Bulls may be pulling the plug, Toronto may decline, if Philadelphia loses Harden they're dead in the water. Nets are already not going to be a playoff team.

The way the Hornets were looking with Mark Williams and people healthy, they look pretty good.

Might be slightly more concerned at the Bulls pick not conveying than the Hornets pick at this point, tbh

[scott]

Dallas at 10 increasingly seems like the right target. If they need to dump Hardaway, he might be exactly the kind of low-key vet contributor to add to the team (I actually think Josh Richardson would have been perfect for this). I don't know much about his personality though and he probably still views himself as a key piece on a contender.

#10 + Hardaway for the CHA Pick and #44? What's the right deal here? I'm sure people want #10 to just come free attached to Hardaway but I don't see that as realistic.

[Degoat]

I just dont think Dallas wants to take steps back and I think trading 10+hardaway without getting players back would be bad for them and Luka wouldn’t be thrilled

[scott]

You're probably right, unfortunately I don't think we have any of the kind of players Dallas would want.

[Mr. Body]

Might be slightly more concerned at the Bulls pick not conveying than the Hornets pick at this point, tbh

True concern. I think we might be okay. It doesn't start until 2025 and drops from 1-10 protection to 1-8 protection for the 2026 and 2027. They lost their pick this year but get one next year from Portland that conveys if the Blazers make the playoffs by 2028 (admittedly an uncertain thing). They don't owe much other than SRPs and may get something for trading Lavine, etc.


Dallas at 10 increasingly seems like the right target. If they need to dump Hardaway, he might be exactly the kind of low-key vet contributor to add to the team (I actually think Josh Richardson would have been perfect for this). I don't know much about his personality though and he probably still views himself as a key piece on a contender.

#10 + Hardaway for the CHA Pick and #44? What's the right deal here? I'm sure people want #10 to just come free attached to Hardaway but I don't see that as realistic.

Right, I really think Dallas needs to come away with a player or two for that pick this season, whether they use it themselves. They might be willing to trade back in the first round while gaining some advantage somewhere else, but not all the way back to #33.

[offset formation]

No, Bilal is not going to become a superstar and he isn’t going top 10. Holy shit. This is the only place with these ridiculous claims. He’s barely had any impact in today’s game. Dude plays like another Keldon Johnson.

Y bet remainson the table Dejounte.

His offense will surprise people. His coach said it was easy for him to score 40. And of course his defensive IQ and abilities are unique.

[Mr. Body]

There are some teams that don't have FRPs next year or are likely to have to convey theirs. Might be some interest in trading for either the Charlotte or Toronto pick next year.

- Brooklyn has 21 and 22, might value getting a pick next year for one of them.
- Los Angeles owes next year's to Pelicans outright, although Pels can opt to wait a year. I think they'll want to use their #17 this year, though.
- Golden State has big cap and player decisions to make. They owe their pick to Memphis next year, top 4 protected. They may trade their #19.
- Toronto has big questions this offseason. They owe the Spurs their pick next year, top 6 protected. They may be willing to reacquire it for the #13, if they get something else.
- Utah owes their pick next year to OKC, top 10 protected. Also don't have their 2024 SRP. But word is they may want to use the #16 with their lottery pick to move up.

The Toronto pick appears more valuable since it's more likely to convey.

If the Spurs want to move up, trying something like this might be one approach. Dallas might be more willing to give up their #10 if they're trading for the #17, for example, and still getting something out of this draft.

[Ariel]

Y bet remainson the table Dejounte.

His offense will surprise people. His coach said it was easy for him to score 40. And of course his defensive IQ and abilities are unique.
That's obviously inaccurate. No player finds scoring 40 or 50 a game easy in any competitive league anywhere. Which leads me to question anything his coach may say about him.

[offset formation]

That's obviously inaccurate. No player finds scoring 40 or 50 a game easy in any competitive league anywhere. Which leads me to question anything his coach may say about him.

I just took it to mean the coach thinks hes offensively gifted, a natural scorer. Which if true, underscores that he's not just special on defense. And all you gotta do is look at his stats this year to back that up. He scored in the 30s on several occasions, topping out at 37. And had he not been the clear #2 behind Wembanyama, i suspect he could have scored in the 40s or 50s.

All that article is saying is he's a 3 level scorer, and an elite defender. Forget about the coach blowing smoke up our ass. He's legit.

[Mr. Body]

Every article says players are three-level scorers. It's become a meaningless phrase.

[offset formation]

Every article says players are three-level scorers. It's become a meaningless phrase.

I agree...but the stats bear it out. He's obviously very athletic and plays above the rim. His 3pt% was over 40% over his like last 20 games. And his TS% and some highlights shows he's good FT extended.

I should get paid royalties for pimping my man on this board.

[Ariel]

I just took it to mean the coach thinks hes offensively gifted, a natural scorer. Which if true, underscores that he's not just special on defense. And all you gotta do is look at his stats this year to back that up. He scored in the 30s on several occasions, topping out at 37. And had he not been the clear #2 behind Wembanyama, i suspect he could have scored in the 40s or 50s.

All that article is saying is he's a 3 level scorer, and an elite defender. Forget about the coach blowing smoke up our ass. He's legit.

I agree...but the stats bear it out. He's obviously very athletic and plays above the rim. His 3pt% was over 40% over his like last 20 games. And his TS% and some highlights shows he's good FT extended.

I should get paid royalties for pimping my man on this board.
Aren't these his stats?
https://basketball.eurobasket.com/player/Bilal-Coulibaly/622815
https://i.ibb.co/9NK4NhZ/coulibaly.png (https://basketball.eurobasket.com/player/Bilal-Coulibaly/622815)
https://i.ibb.co/s2yjQj9/coulibaly.png
Am I missing something?

[Ariel]

For reference, these are Hugo Besson's (58th pick in 2022) stats: https://basketball.eurobasket.com/player/Hugo-Besson/441430
https://i.ibb.co/K05yJpQ/besson.png
Besson is averaging 12.6 points in 24 minutes, on 63% from 2, 35.6% from 3, and 85.5% from the line
Coulibaly is averaging 4.9 points in 18 minutes, on 57.1% from 2, 45.2% from 3, and 59.5% from the line
(notice the inconsistency between 3P% and FT%, and the small sample from 3 of just 31 attempts)

[exstatic]

Every article says players are three-level scorers. It's become a meaningless phrase.

It has a meaning, it’s probably just being misused.

[Bruno]

Am I missing something?

The coach who said he was able to score 40 or 50 points on his team was his coach when he was 10 to 13 years old.
He is just saying that he was able to do it as a 10 to 13 years old kid against kids of the same age of his area.

He is for sure a long term project and I have no idea if he's worth a first round pick. French players drafted in the first round this past decade have been disappointments after disappointments.

[duncan2150]

The coach who said he was able to score 40 or 50 points on his team was his coach when he was 10 to 13 years old.
He is just saying that he was able to do it as a 10 to 13 years old kid against kids of the same age of his area.

He is for sure a long term project and I have no idea if he's worth a first round pick. French players drafted in the first round this past decade have been disappointments after disappointments.

Agreed

watching coulibaly in person, you see the potential but more the athletic one, defensively, he doesn't appear to be a futur big scorer.
He's still young but i wouldn' draft him with a lottery pick at the moment.

[mo7888]

I 'almost' hope we don't take Bilal Coulibaly. We set an unreasonably high bar for the kid here that he's not likely to reach. Unless we temper our expectations it might be better that he goes to a team in the late 20's without such lofty expectations.

[Spursfanfromafar]

The coach who said he was able to score 40 or 50 points on his team was his coach when he was 10 to 13 years old.
He is just saying that he was able to do it as a 10 to 13 years old kid against kids of the same age of his area.

He is for sure a long term project and I have no idea if he's worth a first round pick. French players drafted in the first round this past decade have been disappointments after disappointments.

Indeed .. Livio Jean-Charles is the latest example for the Spurs. Very small sample size but the Cholet game didn't feature him much. Wemby was literally high above his teammates in talent and performance.

[Ariel]

The coach who said he was able to score 40 or 50 points on his team was his coach when he was 10 to 13 years old.
He is just saying that he was able to do it as a 10 to 13 years old kid against kids of the same age of his area.

He is for sure a long term project and I have no idea if he's worth a first round pick. French players drafted in the first round this past decade have been disappointments after disappointments.
Thanks. So we're getting worked up because he'd score a lot among 10 year olds? :rollin
Anyway, France for sure is one of the better sources of basketball talent outside the US, but also it seems every project even somewhat interesting from France gets 10x the hype than other international players get. In this case I think both Rupert and Coulibaly have size, athletic traits and defensive tools that really catch your eye, but also there's plenty of question marks for both and that makes the lottery talk way too optimistic. If they can be had with our 2nd rounder (#33) or a pick in the mid to late 20s, they could be a reasonable gamble, but more than that seems too pricey for my liking. Not my lottery targets.

[Ariel]

Dallas at 10 increasingly seems like the right target. If they need to dump Hardaway, he might be exactly the kind of low-key vet contributor to add to the team (I actually think Josh Richardson would have been perfect for this). I don't know much about his personality though and he probably still views himself as a key piece on a contender.

#10 + Hardaway for the CHA Pick and #44? What's the right deal here? I'm sure people want #10 to just come free attached to Hardaway but I don't see that as realistic.
I think if we were to take away a few contracts from them, it'd have to be JaVale McGee (2 years, 12M) and Bertans (2 years, 33M). But Dallas probably can get more value out of #10 than that. Maybe if we added Zach Collins or Tre Jones, or give back a pick (Charlotte, multiple seconds, etc) but I don't think the path to a 2 way deal with Dallas is too easy, neither would I overpay for #10 unless I was sure we could land someone I really liked there (Taylor Hendricks, Anthony Black, etc.). More likely we get involved in a multiple team deal that lands us some smaller assets.

[mo7888]

I think if we were to take away a few contracts from them, it'd have to be JaVale McGee (2 years, 12M) and Bertans (2 years, 33M). But Dallas probably can get more value out of #10 than that. Maybe if we added Zach Collins or Tre Jones, or give back a pick (Charlotte, multiple seconds, etc) but I don't think the path to a 2 way deal with Dallas is too easy, neither would I overpay for #10 unless I was sure we could land someone I really liked there (Taylor Hendricks, Anthony Black, etc.). More likely we get involved in a multiple team deal that lands us some smaller assets.

Unless we are trading with Charlotte, I think any deal we might make would be on draft night when we know our target has fallen to the specific pick we're targeting.

[JPB]

The coach who said he was able to score 40 or 50 points on his team was his coach when he was 10 to 13 years old.
He is just saying that he was able to do it as a 10 to 13 years old kid against kids of the same age of his area.

He is for sure a long term project and I have no idea if he's worth a first round pick. French players drafted in the first round this past decade have been disappointments after disappointments.

Every player is different and his own thing. We can't use former french draftees to evaluate the following ones. They're just players, indifferently of here they come from. I mean, that Wemby guy ain''t that bad and he's from Bilal generation if you want to compare, just like Rupert who will be drafted in the first round too (like Bilal probably). Its all about potential, which I def see in Bilal, although I agree he's at least a 3-4 year project before producing, with SA as a nice place for him to develop without pressure. Pretty sure he was in NCAA, he would be projected 15-20 or higher... But like any prospect there's risks he doesn't pan out.

[The Truth #6]

The Ringer had Coulibaly at #15 but KOC is often very bad at his job. I’m still intrigued for a SRP.

[Mr. Body]

The Ringer had Coulibaly at #15 but KOC is often very bad at his job. I’m still intrigued for a SRP.

Doesn't he have that Klintman guy pretty high? Bobi Klintman?

[The Truth #6]

Doesn't he have that Klintman guy pretty high? Bobi Klintman?

Yes. So latest update is Klintman at 15 and Bilal at 17. He has Buffkin at 10, ahead of Cason Wallace.

[Mr. Body]

Yes. So latest update is Klintman at 15 and Bilal at 17. He has Buffkin at 10, ahead of Cason Wallace.

I don't mind Bufkin above Wallace. I think they're both very capable and which is a better prospect isn't clear. Having Klintman so high is a bit baffling.

[Ariel]

The Ringer had Coulibaly at #15 but KOC is often very bad at his job. I’m still intrigued for a SRP.
rascal > Kevin O'Connor

[offset formation]

For reference, these are Hugo Besson's (58th pick in 2022) stats: https://basketball.eurobasket.com/player/Hugo-Besson/441430
https://i.ibb.co/K05yJpQ/besson.png
Besson is averaging 12.6 points in 24 minutes, on 63% from 2, 35.6% from 3, and 85.5% from the line
Coulibaly is averaging 4.9 points in 18 minutes, on 57.1% from 2, 45.2% from 3, and 59.5% from the line
(notice the inconsistency between 3P% and FT%, and the small sample from 3 of just 31 attempts)

https://www.proballers.com/basketball/player/244764/bilal-coulibaly/games

Hmmm, I've been going off the stats from the linked website this entire time, Ariel. Not sure whats up quite frankly. If your numbers are correct then yeah, I'm less impressed than I've been.

Quite busy right now to do a deeper dive to see whats up...

[Ariel]

https://www.proballers.com/basketball/player/244764/bilal-coulibaly/games

Hmmm, I've been going off the stats from the linked website this entire time, Ariel. Not sure whats up quite frankly. If your numbers are correct then yeah, I'm less impressed than I've been.

Quite busy right now to do a deeper dive to see whats up...
I think you probably read the stats under the label "France-ProA U21", but that's an UNDER 21 team, not a professional basketball league... those aren't comparable to College or G-League, no one there is an NBA prospect.

[The Truth #6]

I don't mind Bufkin above Wallace. I think they're both very capable and which is a better prospect isn't clear. Having Klintman so high is a bit baffling.

Agreed. I like what I’ve seen of Buffkin.

[Bruno]

Every player is different and his own thing. We can't use former french draftees to evaluate the following ones. They're just players, indifferently of here they come from.

I agree with you, it would be incredibly stupid to say Coulibaly would be bad because he is french and latest french pick sucked.

My point was:
Yabusele (#16 in 2016), Luwawu-Cabarrot (#24 in 2016), Ntilikina (#8 in 2017), Doumbouya (#15 in 2019) and Kilian Hayes (#7 in 2020) all have been bad despite being draft with relatively early picks. Is it just bad luck or is there something else?

I don't have the answer to that but I tend to think NBA teams overestimate the margin of progression of french players. At 18 years old, they have most of the time played a lot of good level structured basketball and being coached by quality people linked with professional team. It's great for their development but it also means they aren't as raw as some people think. What is seen as being raw is in fact flaws in their game.

Coulibaly is likely rising in the draft boards because NBA people think he has tons of untapped potential and I just wonder if it's there.

[Extra Stout]

Coulibaly is likely rising in the draft boards because NBA people think he has tons of untapped potential and I just wonder if it's there.
I’m really starting to wonder whether the bad organizations are so lazy that they buy into the internet sites and YouTube videos over doing in-person international scouting.

[Ariel]

I’m really starting to wonder whether the bad organizations are so lazy that they buy into the internet sites and YouTube videos over doing in-person international scouting.
If we could figure this one out, a multi billion dollar corporation probably has this covered... or not :lol

[Extra Stout]

If we could figure this one out, a multi billion dollar corporation probably has this covered... or not :lol
You’d be surprised. In my line of work, I dealt with large corporations that had absolutely no idea what they were doing. Idiots can and do stumble into wealth and power by 1) being born into the right family, 2) knowing the right people, or 3) committing the right crimes.

[tapiefan]

I agree with you, it would be incredibly stupid to say Coulibaly would be bad because he is french and latest french pick sucked.

My point was:
Yabusele (#16 in 2016), Luwawu-Cabarrot (#24 in 2016), Ntilikina (#8 in 2017), Doumbouya (#15 in 2019) and Kilian Hayes (#7 in 2020) all have been bad despite being draft with relatively early picks. Is it just bad luck or is there something else?

I don't have the answer to that but I tend to think NBA teams overestimate the margin of progression of french players. At 18 years old, they have most of the time played a lot of good level structured basketball and being coached by quality people linked with professional team. It's great for their development but it also means they aren't as raw as some people think. What is seen as being raw is in fact flaws in their game.

Coulibaly is likely rising in the draft boards because NBA people think he has tons of untapped potential and I just wonder if it's there.

Most of those french draftees come way too much sooner into the draft, compares to TP, Boris or Batum who spent several years playing as pro players in french league. They were not ready and bust.

[montgod]

Dallas at 10 increasingly seems like the right target. If they need to dump Hardaway, he might be exactly the kind of low-key vet contributor to add to the team (I actually think Josh Richardson would have been perfect for this). I don't know much about his personality though and he probably still views himself as a key piece on a contender.

#10 + Hardaway for the CHA Pick and #44? What's the right deal here? I'm sure people want #10 to just come free attached to Hardaway but I don't see that as realistic.

I think the only way the Spurs are going to be involved for that DAL pick is if they act as a 3rd team for a Suns/Ayton trade to Dallas and help w/some of the excess contracts neither team wants along w/that pick that won't help either team in the playoffs.

Other option is an old trade idea of targeting 18 from Mia this year and a bad contract like Robinson for McDermott and filler. That might give them some flexibility to add another player as well to help them next year along with re-signing Love, Strus, and Vincent.

[TekXX]

You’d be surprised. In my line of work, I dealt with large corporations that had absolutely no idea what they were doing. Idiots can and do stumble into wealth and power by 1) being born into the right family, 2) knowing the right people, or 3) committing the right crimes.

So Musk?

[duncan2150]

https://twitter.com/TheAthleticNBA/status/1660729994635784192

if someone can share the article

[Mr. Body]

https://twitter.com/TheAthleticNBA/status/1660729994635784192

if someone can share the article

Well, no one else can trade the #10 pick. It has to be them.

[JuneJive]

https://twitter.com/TheAthleticNBA/status/1660729994635784192

if someone can share the article



How the Mavericks are preparing for the No. 10 pick: Trade or keep it?

By Tim Cato

May 22, 2023

It’s unquestioned that the Dallas Mavericks’ blatant end-of-the-season tank wasn’t noble. It offended sensibilities. It put a face to target on a punching bag of mockery that was this team’s miserable season. It earned Dallas a $750,000 league fine for the team’s artless execution of its pragmatic decision.

It also worked.

Dallas begins this week with certainty: The team now knows that the two thrown games to end this dreadful past season achieved its stated objective and retained the No. 10 selection in the 2023 NBA Draft. If they had won the final two games, they wouldn’t have. They wouldn’t have made the postseason, either, nor would they have been likely to make some statistical-defying Western Conference finals repeat run. In fact, they would not have made it — anyone who watched them knew this.

What Dallas did to prioritize the retention of this season’s pick was right, even if blind competitiveness might still be seen as noble. But headfirst infantry charges into artillery lines were once seen the same.

That said, the Mavericks still enter an offseason which pits them against a superior side known as “conventional basketball team building,” something the team hasn’t done successfully in the five years since drafting Luka Dončić. The No. 10 pick adds ammunition to what seems likely to be a summer focused on a roster overhaul. Maverick fans — it was shown in The Athletic’s fan survey earlier this month — aren’t wholly confident that it will be anything other than a refurbishing.

Which means that there is more focus than ever on that No. 10 pick: what it means, who could be add to this roster with it, and how that might happen. And the answer — draft someone, trade it for salary relief, package it with young players — is an exceptionally difficult one to answer.

How Dallas prepares to potentially trade its pick

Last week in Chicago, members of the Dallas front office expressed relief at the lottery’s results. It’s not only that Dallas’ late-season strategy worked but that the hypothetical scenarios the team has been working on can become more rooted in reality.

That’s the most thankless responsibility of a front-office member: Those working within the braintrust of an NBA team, especially those below the decision-making level, spend countless hours and meetings imagining what might happen so that the team can be ready for what does. The team planned for the hypothetical scenarios were Dallas moved up in the lottery, and also if they fell one spot to lose the pick.

They also imagined how other teams around the league might react if they moved up or down, hypothetical scenarios that have been buried now that the league’s official draft order has been set. On Tuesday, if the Dallas front office was only now reacting to the No. 1 to No. 14 ordering of this year’s draft, the team would be behind.

The Mavericks already had imagined what might happen if the Portland Trail Blazers moved up and sought to trade this year’s pick. Now that Portland has secured the No. 3 selection, Dallas is launching into further conditional plans where it gathers intel and imagines what the Blazers might choose to do — and how those actions would reflect upon the Mavericks’ own objectives for this season. The work of a front office is preparation as much as it’s action. The stressful windows where action can take place are too brief for the proper consideration front offices strive to have when they make moves.

Portland is the team that will set this offseason’s course for teams like the Mavericks. Dallas’ No. 10 selection is a valuable asset, but it doesn’t hold nearly the same value as Portland’s top-three pick in a draft where the non-generational tier of prospects — the ones who would be considered first overall if not for Victor Wembanyama making that choice obvious — is viewed as being two players deep. (Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller almost certainly will be this draft’s second- and third draft picks.) Portland, not Dallas, is the league’s first call when teams begin to hold conversations about moving up.

Dallas isn’t the second call, either. Several teams between the Blazers and the Mavericks are reportedly willing to consider trading their top-10 selection, and in reality, every team beyond the San Antonio Spurs (and possibly the Charlotte Hornets) is at least willing to entertain it. Thus begins the exhausting mission that is the life of an NBA front office over the coming weeks: constant assessment and reassessment of what other teams might do, and how that would affect Dallas’ own decisions for this significant summer of change.

Why Dallas would want to trade it

The Mavericks are likeliest to trade next month’s pick. There, let’s say that definitively.

Dallas enters this summer needing win-now talent on a roster that conclusively proved it didn’t have enough of it. Using this summer’s choice to add another such player could help them sooner than developing a rookie who might be a year or two away.

But Dallas also understands that its No. 10 selection isn’t so valuable that it would be the centerpiece for one of the league’s many talented players nearing their migratory seasons. For example, the Toronto Raptors aren’t trading O.G. Anunoby for the No. 10 pick alone, not when they have their own selection three spots later. Dallas’ valuations of its internal draft pieces — what if, say, Jaden Hardy or Josh Green was included along with the No. 10 selection and Dāvis Bertāns in one such deal — are already being debated within the team’s front office. It’s a multiphase process, one which determines whether Dallas would even listen or mention such a deal to the Raptors in conversations, which happens long before Dallas even determines whether it’s a scenario that actually interests them and their broadest objectives. If that deal is mentioned to Toronto and the team scoffs at it, then it likely never even gets to that point.

To broadly describe the league’s various interests this summer, it does seem like there are teams interested in moving up for specific prospects — so far, many of them in the No. 3 to No. 9 range — and there are teams looking to deal down for multiple first-round picks. Dallas could engage with teams in the former category and could end up included in the second. Up until this point, some general managers prefer their front offices rank prospects only in tiered lists. Many are only just now ranking prospects in proper numerical order based on the intel and measurements gathered at this past week’s NBA combine, which is when teams seeking specific prospects who might be available at the 10th pick might begin talking to Dallas.

It doesn’t help that Dallas’ selection is broadly seen around the league as the start of this year’s third tier of prospects. After the seventh or ninth pick, available players either have wide (and thus risky) floor-to-ceiling ranges or far less potential to go along with their proven skills. It might mean that few available prospects at No. 10 will be viewed as ones who have “slipped,” meaning teams won’t be as incentivized to match Dallas’ own needs in any potential upward trades.

Still, at D Magazine, Iztok Franko argued for the Mavericks trading this year’s pick thanks to his statistical analysis of past No. 10 selections, in which he determined that only “around 40 percent of previous No. 10 picks hit” in any meaningful manner. Past draft results can’t predict draft results of any given year, of course, but there’s no certainty the Mavericks can find a ready-now winning player who fits their needs with the 10th spot. It’s just tough in late May to know with certainty who and what that might be for until the league’s other dominos begin to fall. In the meantime, what the Dallas front office can do is begin anew another set of hypothetical contingencies — most of which will be set off on their own Viking funeral, but ones which will have them prepared to react whenever the time comes.

Why Dallas would consider keeping its pick

For as many years as the Mavericks eschewed drafting as a team-building strategy, the team actually has a startlingly successful record of late: Dončić and Jalen Brunson needed no explanation, while Green and Hardy both showed on-court value along with even further upside this past season. If Dončić hadn’t been so good so soon, and if Dallas hadn’t had to trade its 2019 first-rounder to move up for him after falling in the lottery, the team might have built slower and more traditionally.

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Instead, the team’s relative lack of first-round picks and prospects has collided with its collective, years-long talent drain that has left this roster desperately needing reinforcements. Is it too late? That’s the question that hangs over this year’s selection, an unexpected late lottery prize that could bolster this team’s long-term core if used correctly.

The same tiers that may diminish the No. 10 pick’s leaguewide value also affect Dallas if the team actually uses this pick. It’s unlikely that players who fit the team’s immediate and long-term needs — Cam Whitmore, Taylor Hendricks, Jarace Walker, Anthony Black — will be available when Dallas comes up on the clock. The options that Dallas could have is a gaggle of combo guards like Cason Wallace and Keyonte George or a field of developmental forwards like Bilal Coulibaly and GG Jackson. Dereck Lively II, a low-ceiling, high-potential, rim-protecting center, is an interesting idea at No. 10 — something we’ll explore in a prospect-specific article later this week. But drafting him at No. 10 would be on the highest end of his projected range, which might incentivize the team joining other teams trying to trade down but not out entirely.

But really, the question remains the same: Is it too late for Dallas to build slowly? Does this team have enough time to add another young player to next season’s roster without repeating last year’s calamitous results and before Dončić begins growing antsy? There are countless scenarios for the Dallas front office to sort through, and in late May, it seems irresponsible to settle on any specific one or any definitive outcome before the league’s offseason outlook begins to become more clear.

Of all the many online arguments and written dissertations made last week about the Mavericks’ No. 10 pick, it was Mavs Moneyball’s Josh Bowe who made the most convincing one: It doesn’t matter what they do, but they have to get it right.

[TD 21]

I agree with you, it would be incredibly stupid to say Coulibaly would be bad because he is french and latest french pick sucked.

My point was:
Yabusele (#16 in 2016), Luwawu-Cabarrot (#24 in 2016), Ntilikina (#8 in 2017), Doumbouya (#15 in 2019) and Kilian Hayes (#7 in 2020) all have been bad despite being draft with relatively early picks. Is it just bad luck or is there something else?

I don't have the answer to that but I tend to think NBA teams overestimate the margin of progression of french players. At 18 years old, they have most of the time played a lot of good level structured basketball and being coached by quality people linked with professional team. It's great for their development but it also means they aren't as raw as some people think. What is seen as being raw is in fact flaws in their game.

Coulibaly is likely rising in the draft boards because NBA people think he has tons of untapped potential and I just wonder if it's there.

My theory is it's the combination of physical tools, being foreign and in many cases, bi-racial and the stereotypes associated with the latter two, that likely draws so many in as they probably think they can have "the best of both worlds".

[Mr. Body]

How the Mavericks are preparing for the No. 10 pick: Trade or keep it?

By Tim Cato

May 22, 2023

...

What a long-winded, poorly written article. Also, I don't get why we beat up on Dallas for tanking a few games at the end of the year when other teams are far more blatant longer.

Anyway, trying to be objective, I see Dallas' best move is to trade the pick. I don't know what the best move is, but I am firm in thinking they need a player out of this draft somehow. That said, they have no picks whatsoever next year (likely conveying their first to NY) and, while they have their FRPs after that until 2029, other than 2024 do not have a single SRP until 2029. Ostensibly one of our extra firsts next year may appeal and we can sprinkle a few SRPs. They had luck with Jaden Hardy this last year as a second rounder.

[lefty20]

What a long-winded, poorly written article. Also, I don't get why we beat up on Dallas for tanking a few games at the end of the year when other teams are far more blatant longer.

Anyway, trying to be objective, I see Dallas' best move is to trade the pick. I don't know what the best move is, but I am firm in thinking they need a player out of this draft somehow. That said, they have no picks whatsoever next year (likely conveying their first to NY) and, while they have their FRPs after that until 2029, other than 2024 do not have a single SRP until 2029. Ostensibly one of our extra firsts next year may appeal and we can sprinkle a few SRPs. They had luck with Jaden Hardy this last year as a second rounder.

It's not about them tanking. That was the logical thing to do given their situation.

It's more about the fact that they found themselves in the position of needing to tank during Luka's 5th year, which happened to be his best season to date.

We will also do the same to our Spurs if they happen to mismanage shit so catastrophically that we have to pray to the lotto gods after Wemby's 5th season. Assuming his health and trajectory pan out, of course.