We are a day removed from the NBA Draft, and what a draft it was. I have never seen the top two picks play live. Only YouTube highlights. Like most NBA fans, I struggled to access the NBL and the LNB Pro A regularly. After a chaotic draft, we fans are heading toward a chaotic free agency. Teams will look to make moves to bolster their teams.
This Is An Exciting Summer League
The first two picks in the draft, Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr, played their pro ball outside of the United States. Unlike international top picks of the past like Luka Doncic, LaMelo Ball, and Victor Wembanyama, this year’s top picks seem unknown. A lot of takes will be fired off based on a few summer league games. This always happens, but for most, it’ll be their first sight of these players outside of their best plays on YouTube.
Bronny James was selected at pick 55 by the Lakers. It wasn’t talked about at all. Just kidding. Like the top two picks, many NBA fans didn’t catch Bronny in college. He only averaged 19 minutes a game, so even if you randomly tuned into a USC basketball game, there was a 50/50 chance he was in. Amazingly, Bronny was able to recover from a cardiac arrest episode to get back on the court and get drafted. However, four points a game in college is still four points a game. Many will tune into the Lakers summer league to see how he does against better competition.
Paul George Is Overrated
A four-year contract for Paul George would take him to age 38. At an expected $40 million+ a year, any team that moves for him is paying a lot for a player heading for a decline. George is now the subject of a bidding war with contenders vying for his services. If the team (Clippers) that gave up so much for him and has had him on their roster is not offering him the max, what does that say about him?
Desperate times call for desperate measures. The Golden State Warriors are in desperate times. They lost to the Kings in the play-in and look nowhere near contenders. Now, with Klay Thompson most likely leaving, the Warriors are likely to mortgage their future to land an aging star. The Clippers are praying on George’s desire to stay on the West Coast and are going to max out all they can get from a desperate team.
DeMar DeRozan Is Underrated
DeMar DeRozan is the same age as Paul George. Over the past three seasons, DeRozan has played 68 more regular-season games than George. DeRozan’s game is not based on athleticism and should age a lot better than George’s. DeRozan will not command anywhere near as much as George. He even admitted he could take the minimum to play with the Lakers.
DeRozan is a great end-of-the-game option for any team. He will give any contender an added option in the last five minutes. Although he isn’t the best defender, any team that moves for him will know this and be able to gameplan for this. My guess is DeRozan will be the Tobias Harris replacement in Philly to create a rare NBA big three.
Donovan Clingan Didn’t Get Screwed, Despite The Evidence
There were mock drafts that had Clingan going number one to the Atlanta Hawks. This most likely would’ve led the Hawks to move off Clint Capela, who will be on an expiring contract. This would’ve set Clingan up in a situation where he could play playoff basketball and have a point guard get him the ball. Instead, Clingan went seventh overall to the Portland Trail Blazers. A team that already has a $35 million center.
Clingan is stuck behind Deandre Ayton, who has two years and $69 million left on his contract. At worst, Clingan will start in his third season in the league. The Trailblazers will find it tough playing Ayton and Clingan together. Ayton shot 10% from downtown last year, while Clingan only took nine threes in his two college seasons. To make matters worse, Clingan also lost out on about $15 million over the next three seasons falling from one to seven in the draft.
The best-case scenario is that Clingan impresses throughout the training camp and beginning part of the season to earn himself more minutes than Ayton, despite not starting. Clingan has elite defensive qualities that will immediately translate. He never takes a play or half off, unlike Ayton. On the surface, Clingan looked like he was headed into an uncertain situation, but his talent and effort will prove hard to leave off the court.
The Toronto Raptors Need Help
The Raptors committed $419 million over the next five years to Immanuel Quickley and Scottie Barnes. That’s a lot of money to commit to two players who’ve never once averaged 20 points in an NBA season. Even though Scottie Barnes was an All-Star in his third season, he only played 60 games last year. In the era of space and three-point shooting, neither has reached 50% from the field or 40% from three.
Three years from now, the Raptors will be paying Quickley, Barnes, and RJ Barrett a combined $105 million.
Despite both Quickley and Barnes being 25 and 22 respectively, there is no scenario where they are a top-eight duo in the East. The Raptors are essentially locking themselves into being a play-in team for the next three seasons at least. They could’ve waited to see what Quickley was going to command as a restricted free agent and then matched whatever offer he got.
The only way this is defensible is if the NBA salary cap spikes over the next five years due to the new TV rights deal. These contracts could then look like bargains. But for now, this looks like the Raptors paid A money for B talent.
The Hawks Chose the Right Guard
As I was writing this, news broke that the Atlanta Hawks traded Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans for Larry Nance Jr, Dyson Daniels, and two first-round picks. This trade marks the end of the Young and Murray backcourt. Now, the Hawks have a path forward.
It would’ve been hard to trade Trea Young, even though many, me included, thought his days were numbered in Atlanta. The franchise is now firmly back in Young’s hands. He is surrounded by new and emerging talent. Although Young has always struggled on defense, the additions of Daniels and Nance Jr give the Hawks more switchable wings to help Young out.
The Hawks don’t own their next three first-round picks, so they can’t tank. But, they can build a team around Trea Young that can compete. Both Murray and Young both seemed unhappy with the situation. In the NBA, it’s difficult to build around two ball-dominant guards. The Hawks learned this lesson the hard way.
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