They wanted Paul George coming off a borderline mvp season, who were we to stop them

The Thunder should be most annoyed at the apron rules. Even five years ago this position would have gotten them a Celtics in the 80s-level roster if they could keep all their guys and work these picks in. They’ll have to dump the rotation and hope the rookies come along quickly or pay 150 cents on the dollar for cost-controlled all-stars. Not a bad outcome either way but the apron is the only reason they aren’t a looming dynasty.

While not as chaotic, but we had something close this year.

If Dallas didn’t dumb-luck their way to the number 1 pick, there is a timeline where the Spurs could’ve paired Wemby with Cooper Flagg.

oh don’t worry, I’d want them to get a top pick. It’d be funny

Making a trade to help convince the reigning Finals MVP to join your team, and it turning into back-to-back titles and a simultaneous #1 pick for the other franchise involved in the trade would be some peak Clippers if I’ve ever heard of it.

yeah… what this guy said…

Interesting, there won’t be any punishment before the lottery but I think you’d need to give the Clippers the Pacers pick if it happens and then void it. Pacers made the trade, they shouldn’t get pick #5 or whatever because the Clippers messed up. It should still transfer. Unless punishment is written that they lose their own picks and traded for ones don’t count.

I’m in the extreme minority here that the Clippers investigation is going to be a nothing burger. There just hasn’t been anything that’s proven cap circumvention so it’s hard to imagine there being a significant punishment. The more I listened to Pablo’s episodes the more I spotted the contradictions and the reaches.

Why would we be banned from using a pick we got from another team via trade?

Unless we somehow think the penalty would involve barring any and all Clippers trades retroactively (at that point, Harden’s coming back? and Garland goes back to CLE), then I’m not sure how a blanket no-drafting is realistically enforceable?

The player we also traded for that pick was Zubac - if it was at all related to Kawhi, I’d understand - and probably why Kawhi didn’t get traded at the deadline.

It would actually be extremely shitty if the organization wasn’t an absolute masterclass in talent development. They have missed out on close to a half a dozen lottery picks just because of the way the dice rolls

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Their poor results were especially egregious after the JJJ trade.

That game where they benched their best players the entire 4th quarter after leading by double digits to ensure they lost sparked the outrage over tanking this season.

Fair point, and I agree with your view.

At least Ace will be a major part of your long term future. He was great this season and he improved quite considerably later in the season didn’t he? He should continue to significantly develop over time at least, which is very promising for you guys.

Imagine you get AJ, Boozer or Peterson this year though. Then the tank was definitely worthwhile.

Yeah its pretty brutal when you frame it that way. Have to hope that young players didnt learn losing ways and get scarred from the past few years. Will be interesting to see George and Lauri and how they fare with pressure and defenses ramping up, will definitely be an adjustment when basketball gets meaningful later next season

Lol what? He signed an extension then got traded. TF did he do? Not resign with the pacers as a free agent?

Fake pick? What like it wasn’t real when they traded Derrick favors for it or something?

You know that’s not your pick right

Only the first four picks are selected via the lottery. After that it’s just record order

Not every pick in the lottery is up for grabs. Only the top 4 spots are (and it used to be only the top 3). After that, it goes in order of the standings. 

So a team like Golden State can jump up to anywhere from 1-4. But if they don’t, they’ll draft 11th, or lower if Miami, Charlotte, or OKC jumps up to the 1-4 range. 

Only the top 4 picks are randomly chosen in the lottery.

The other picks just follow the established order. So at most, you can get jumped by 4 teams (the ones that get the picks 1 through 4 in the lottery)

This is why I think removing pick protections would be the best first step to avoid tanking. It only ends up encouraging teams to tank and it’s so frustrating to try and follow the picks as a fan (not even a fan of a team involved, just in general). I don’t know of any other leagues that allow this convoluted nonsense. Either trade the pick or don’t.

I’m not saying this because I’m salty about another extra pick not conveying, we’ve got an overabundance as it is already. I just want to be able to follow trades without needing a complicated graphic for every one of them.

Because the only way you can move up in the NBA draft is into the top 4. Like if your pick is slotted at 11th, for example, and you don’t hear your team called at the 11th slot, it means you have moved up and are guaranteed picking in the top 4 somewhere. You can’t move up to like 7th, for instance, through the lottery. So, with that in mind, there are only 4 teams that can possibly move ahead of Utah and that just makes it a matter of 4+4=8, which is why that’s their floor.

You aren’t wrong, but flip side most of the top end talent is in the West including the top 4 MVP guys. And especially with Giannis’s injury issues the star power in the East playoffs has been brutal. And it is made even worse by Flagg going West as well.

Hopefully VJ and Kon end up being great and hopefully at least 2 of the top 3 in this class go East and are great to start getting more of that top end talent in the Eastern Conference.

r/nba: “My solution to fixing the tanking problem (unless it fucks OKC)”

Considering the years before he got to the Jazz I’m pretty sure he’s stocked he got a max contract for his performance with the Jazz when he wasn’t ever a max player with Chicago and Cleveland.

Probably why he signed a no trade clause with us when he extended.