Feelings? This could backfire completely, and we'll be the laughingstock of the entire league if it does.
Ainge doesn't like Fultz? Well then he's pretty alone, maybe some of you guys have that much faith in his scouting abilities but I certainly don't. We had the guy everyone wanted within our grasp and we gave him away for another lottery ticket and a lesser prospect at #3.
Now we're stuck deciding whether we want to
A) Use the picks and build for the future. No one at #3 is even comparable to Fultz (IMO), and the '18 Lakers pick probably just turns into the '19 Kings pick which is too far off to even interest me at this point.
B) We go all-out and trade for a current second tier star like Jimmy Butler or PG13 while pursuing Hayward or Griffin. Even if healthy this team is unlikely to challenge the team that that took care of LeBron and Co. in 5 games. Griffin is a big injury risk. George may not commit to an extension, and Butler carries a bit of an injury history of his own, and will likely cost much more than George while being an arguably inferior player (playoffs). Hayward is a very good player but similar to George and Butler in that he doesn't push us into contention with GSW.
Finally, not taking Fultz seems to imply that we are committed to signing IT long term which I wouldn't agree with at all right now. He's coming off of a truly great season, but also a pretty significant injury and potential surgery which may impact him going forward. He'll be entering his 30s near the start of the deal and I'm highly skeptical he can play anywhere near this level when he begins to slow down. On top of that, he's a physical player who takes a beating night in and night out. With such a small frame I'd also have some concern with injuries.
Best case scenario at this point, we end up picking twice in the top 5 of next years draft, or picking early in the '19 draft which has some interesting talent as well. This could pay off if we manage to get an Anthony Davis or KAT caliber of big in next years stacked big man draft.
We are already the laughingstock of the nba, here's hoping that the Lakers pick becomes gold and we either get Ball with the 3rd pick or swing it and lesser assets for Porzingis. Also we need to rely on the nets giving us another top 3 pick next year. Huge risk but the return is fine imo if we get lucky. Let's hope for the best now that the deal is practically done.
Laughingstock? Not quite. And what exactly are we missing out on with Fultz? He's a 6'4" TMac is the best description I've heard? Ok? So he's an undersized wing who can hit jumpers when he's open, and MAY be able to play defense, one day, possibly. Huh? That's a #1 pick?
Not to mention this idea that there's such a drop off in talent from #1 - #3 is completely overblown. Whether it's Jackson or Tatum I'd argue there's far more potential for either guy than there is for Fultz. I can name a few things that either wing is great at already. All I see and read on Fultz is how he doesn't have a glaring flaw (except maybe defense) and he's good all around. K... Shouldn't the #1 undisputed pick, especially one that everyone already has pencilled in as a multiple time all star, have at least something he's universally praised for being great at? Idk.
Danny clearly knows what he wants and is going to maximize value in getting it. I don't see how that's a bad thing. The protections on the LA pick is straight up genius. And really all we need to ensure ourselves of landing another top 5 pick is to hope that the Kings stay the Kings. That's not an awful gamble.
All in all I thought I'd hate this deal but I like it the more I think about it. I wouldn't even be upset to see us trade down again w/ Sacto to get #5 and a pick swap from them next year. I think it's entirely possible Danny sees the plethora of big men available in next year's class and sees one of them or Porter as having intangibles necessary for a franchise cornerstone that he just doesn't see in Fultz. Is it smart to trade the #1 pick in exchange for better odds at possibly picking guys that are currently 17? Who knows, time will tell. But Philly just proved that the more top 5 picks you have, the better you make your core in the long run. I think (hope) that's the case here.
Now if all of this is just to unload more assets to get Butler or George, THEN ignore everything I just said. That would be the real travesty/mistake.
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Topic: Feelings about the trade (Read 23862 times)