NBA/Kings Draft Lottery Thread

#66
Not sure if this helps keep AD in New Orleans. It’s not like Zion turns them into a contender or even takes them further out of the tweener purgatory the franchise has long been in, definitely not right away, and they still won’t have a lot of flexibility this offseason. AD opting out still looms over their head so they’ll look to deal him unless he specifically suggests he wants to stay.

It might keep them from moving him this summer though. They might give it a month or two first to see how it works. If it doesn't he'll still have the same value likely. I can't see any team beating the Lakers package for him now though unless Barrett is enough to get it done for NY. Boston now can only throw out 14 (big whoop) and future picks (which is a total question mark) with Tatum. I'd take Barrett and the Knicks youth or the Lakers package with the 4th on top of it over that any day.
 
#67
It might keep them from moving him this summer though. They might give it a month or two first to see how it works. If it doesn't he'll still have the same value likely. I can't see any team beating the Lakers package for him now though unless Barrett is enough to get it done for NY. Boston now can only throw out 14 (big whoop) and future picks (which is a total question mark) with Tatum. I'd take Barrett and the Knicks youth or the Lakers package with the 4th on top of it over that any day.
Lost in all this is that the Pelicans still have a grudge against the Lakers after all this.
 

kingsboi

Hall of Famer
#71
It’s all just a little too fishy but what have we come to expect? This is the same NBA that gifted the Cavs with what 3 #1 picks after Bron left? The Lakers moving up still irks me though no matter how you slice it
Lakers are no threat to anyone but themselves. They may likely draft a bust in the lottery or just trade it away to appease Bron aka the GM
 
#74
Today’s draft results bring some interesting possibilities to the table.

Could NO trade AD to the Lakers for the #4 pick and some combination of Lonzo, Kuzma, Ingram and Hart? Zion Williamson, #4, and 3 of those 4 Lakers players would be a nice start on a rebuild.

Assuming Memphis selects Ja Morant — who I believe could prove to be the best player in the draft — what can they net in trade for Earl Conley Jr? Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr, Jonas Valančiūnas, and whatever they can get in trade is a nice core.
 
#75
Looks like AD to Lakers possible with them jumping to 4th.
Exactly what I was thinking.

AD wouldn't want to hang around in his prime waiting for Zion to develop. Sure, Lakers don't look that great either, particularly if they have to gut their team to get him, but with AD, Bron, and some other players they can get with their cap, they can fill out the roster with vets willing to play for cheap, and field a team with a decent shot (particularly if KD moves out of GSW).

The jump to number four suddenly makes the package Lakers can offer for AD a lot more compelling. Pels might not mind it either, as they will have an awesome group of young, talented players, who can all grow into something special together (kind of what we are hoping with our current group). Compare that with a disinterested/unwilling AD, who might leave them for nothing next season.
 
#77
I'm sure that New Orleans would had put at least a top 3 protection on the pick, if they would had included it in the DMC trade.
Well, you’d have thought that the KINGS would have had top 3 or top 1 protection on the pick they just surrendered to Boston via Philly but they didn’t. So anything is possible. :)
 
#79
I forgot that David Griffin is the Pels current VP of basketball ops.

How many #1 picks has that dude been in charge of now? 3 since 2010?

It seems as if the key to landing the top pick is employing David Griffin.
 
#80
New Orleans had a top 3 protection on the pick that conveyed to us in 2017, I'm sure they would had done the same if they included another 1st round pick.
They might have tried, but the KINGS didn’t have to agree to both. That’s likely how Vlade didn’t get protection on this 2019 pick. Philly wouldn’t do it with the protection and he caved.

Perhaps NO wouldn’t have done the trade w/o the protection, but maybe they would have. Nobody knew who would be available at the top of the 2019 draft when the trade was made. I could see the Pels holding out for protection on the 2017 pick, but relenting on the 2019 pick believing they’d be a upper level playoff team.

Who really knows though.
 
#81
They might have tried, but the KINGS didn’t have to agree to both. That’s likely how Vlade didn’t get protection on this 2019 pick. Philly wouldn’t do it with the protection and he caved.

Perhaps NO wouldn’t have done the trade w/o the protection, but maybe they would have. Nobody knew who would be available at the top of the 2019 draft when the trade was made. I could see the Pels holding out for protection on the 2017 pick, but relenting on the 2019 pick believing they’d be a upper level playoff team.

Who really knows though.
It's always possible, but if they took away that 2019 pick all together, because they were nervous about being able to re-sign DMC, I doubt they would had included the 2019 pick without any protections at all.

Of course it is all just guess work at this point, but it would seem logical that if they were savvy enough to put protections on one 2017 1st round pick, that if they were to include a second 1st round pick, they would do the same.
 
#82
Unpopular opinion: I dislike New Orleans as a basketball city. Do people even care about basketball there? It's all Saints in that area and college football. I feel like all of the games broadcasted with the Kings have always been super empty. I know we're a horrible team to watch, but I imagine attendance is probably low in general. They got rewarded with Anthony Davis at #1 overall...a generational talent, yet they've had very little post-season success. I know injuries were a gigantic factor as they never had a true healthy season. But I just feel like if they couldn't surround AD with pieces to make the team successful, then how can they surround Zion Williamson with it?

For the growth/sake of this league, I really think we need a true superstar to rise up and take over the reigns from 33 year old LeBron. In the 80/90s we had MJ. In the 2000s we had Kobe. In the 2010s we had LeBron. If you think about it, no other superstar in this league currently has the marketable of LeBron. Steph is a close 2nd, but even in his MVP year, LeBron was still the face of the league. BUT, Zion has that appeal. Before he's even stepped foot on an NBA court, he already has a huge social media presence. To the average basketball fan, he has more popularity than every Kings player combined. Can he reach the same marketability in New Orleans? LeBron did it in Cleveland, but I don't think Zion can reach LeBron's GOAT potential. LeBron could've been a superstar everywhere. I don't think Zion is on that level. LeBron also had to leave Cleveland before he even got his rings.

Can anyone trust NOP to capture Zion's full potential and surround a good team around him?

I wanted Zion to NY.
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
#84
Unpopular opinion: I dislike New Orleans as a basketball city. Do people even care about basketball there? It's all Saints in that area and college football. I feel like all of the games broadcasted with the Kings have always been super empty. I know we're a horrible team to watch, but I imagine attendance is probably low in general. They got rewarded with Anthony Davis at #1 overall...a generational talent, yet they've had very little post-season success. I know injuries were a gigantic factor as they never had a true healthy season. But I just feel like if they couldn't surround AD with pieces to make the team successful, then how can they surround Zion Williamson with it?

For the growth/sake of this league, I really think we need a true superstar to rise up and take over the reigns from 33 year old LeBron. In the 80/90s we had MJ. In the 2000s we had Kobe. In the 2010s we had LeBron. If you think about it, no other superstar in this league currently has the marketable of LeBron. Steph is a close 2nd, but even in his MVP year, LeBron was still the face of the league. BUT, Zion has that appeal. Before he's even stepped foot on an NBA court, he already has a huge social media presence. To the average basketball fan, he has more popularity than every Kings player combined. Can he reach the same marketability in New Orleans? LeBron did it in Cleveland, but I don't think Zion can reach LeBron's GOAT potential. LeBron could've been a superstar everywhere. I don't think Zion is on that level. LeBron also had to leave Cleveland before he even got his rings.

Can anyone trust NOP to capture Zion's full potential and surround a good team around him?

I wanted Zion to NY.
Being concerned about NO not being able to build around Zion is fine and dandy (he’s still yet to have played a single minute in the league so let’s not get ahead of ourselves here) but wanting Zion to New York is borderline criminal. Dolan is the worst owner in the league and he’d probably ruin Zion by season two
 
#85
This is a horrible result for us.. The two top pics going to the western conference and now it will be even harder for us to make the playoffs next year with the Pels and Grizzlies on the rise. This is also bad for the NBA in general, making the west even more crowded...
If AD is traded to LA you would think that probably puts LA in the playoffs and depending on the haul NO gets they could be rebuilding on the fly and compete for a playoff spot. Any way you slice it the West got tougher
 
#86
If AD is traded to LA you would think that probably puts LA in the playoffs and depending on the haul NO gets they could be rebuilding on the fly and compete for a playoff spot. Any way you slice it the West got tougher
The NBA should change the Playoff seeding to won - loss record only. If more Western Conference teams end up in the Playoffs then so be it.
 
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#87
This is like caring what your


The NBA should change the Playoff seeding to won - loss record only. If more Western Conference teams end up in the Playoffs then so be it.
I understand the logic behind that but it would set up a brutal playoff travel schedule as well as terrible TV times. People catching playoff games at 5:00pm Pacific time or 11:00pm Eastern time isnt really ideal.
 

Kingster

Hall of Famer
#88
The West just became stronger, no doubt about it. With Zion to New Orleans and Morant to the Grizzlies. Even if AD or Zion gets traded, they are still are going to bring in a boat-load of talent in a trade, as the Pels now have a good GM.

I was sooo happy the Lakers didn't get into the top two. After the top two there looks to be a pretty big drop off in talent. Likewise, with the Suns.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#90
They might have tried, but the KINGS didn’t have to agree to both. That’s likely how Vlade didn’t get protection on this 2019 pick. Philly wouldn’t do it with the protection and he caved.

Perhaps NO wouldn’t have done the trade w/o the protection, but maybe they would have. Nobody knew who would be available at the top of the 2019 draft when the trade was made. I could see the Pels holding out for protection on the 2017 pick, but relenting on the 2019 pick believing they’d be a upper level playoff team.

Who really knows though.
Or more importantly, who really cares. This is just beyond absurd at this point. Maybe we should re-examine the Webber trade too?