re: One week till the draft with picks 7 & 23. Who do you like?

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trade back with OKC. I’d give up 7 & 23 for 15, 24 & 44. I’d take Coward at 15. Rasheer Fleming at 24. Tyrese Proctor at 44.

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That trade makes no sense. You give up 2 higher picks just to get back 44?

This isn’t the nfl, 44 is basically worthless.

7 alone is probably worth 15 and 24, hell maybe more

I’ll take Kon at 7. I think he’s underrated. Even if we don’t build around Zion in the foreseeable future, it would be nice to have Trey Murphy and Kon as great shooters (that aren’t just shooters) on the roster

I have to do research for pick 23. Walter Clayton Jr could be a fun pick off of the top of my head. At the least, we would be adding another shooter and solid ballhandler. He’s clutch as well.

If we got out of this draft with Kon and Walt Clayton Jr, we finally have a decent roster of guys that can make 3’s and free throws. These 2 also technically fit very well with Z, Missi and Herb (all zero gravity and/or non shooters)

I need to do a bit more research on the boom/bust picks that could potentially turn into the next Kawhi, Butler, Giannis, Gobert, Siakam, or Bane with that 23rd pick.

This is a multi year rebuild job though. I don’t think there is 1-2 picks that is going to turn us into a legitimate squad overnight. Realistically, we are going to be a bottom 10 team no matter who we pick and a bottom 5 team if we have our usual injury luck.

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Now the next 3 have been shuffled:
Johnson
Fears
Knueppel

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I'd put Maluach in this group. I think it may come down to Fears/ Maluach which is tough because both would get starting opportunities with this squad. If we don't have a trade ready for C then I think Maluach is the pick.

At #23 you should have Clayton Jr/ Clifford but if KJ/ Traore are available then you should probably take them.

If we do have a trade for C then something like Kon/ and any of the (4) guys above at #23 would be best case scenario.

I don't hate Tre Johnson and Fears but if those are our options at #7 then that might be the only scenario where its probably better value to trade back from #7. If you realistically have guys like KJ/ Traore that slip to mid teens/ early 20's then the value is higher to add (2) of those type guys > 1 of Fears/ Johnson.

We could also trade with Nets from #7 to #8 and pickup #26 or #27 if we aren't set on anyone. Could be a great realistic move.

I wouldn't hate something like #15 + #24 + bench player for #7 if Kon and Maluach are gone.

Kon/ Maluach are the only 2 worth it at #7 if the top 4 are gone IMO. Otherwise the value is better to trade back and get another player.

KJ + Clifford + Clayton JR is a better draft than Tre/ Fears + (1) of those guys.

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I don’t see the appeal with Maluach outside of his upside as a defender.

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The honest appeal is not having to trade several future 1st or Herb for a guy like Claxton/ Jarrett Allen/ Sengun. It is risky and may not work but it would fix several holes and allow us to look at upgrade options in different positions.

I think fans are really underestimating the chances that we draft (2) of PG/ SG/ SF and trade Herb for a center. I get that people don't like it and will deny because they love Herb but its a real possibility.

If we can get Kon + Clifford/ Clayton Jr and have a deal lined up to swap Herb for a top 10-15 center then with all respect bye bye.

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this is actually the case then I really hope Maluach is off the board by the time we pick. I don’t see the appeal with Maluach outside of his upside as a defender. He’s not a good rebounder, can’t create his own shot, and I don’t believe he has shooting upside like some people seem to think he does. Maluach basically lost the semifinal game for Duke as well, he is 7’1 and had 0 rebounds. Hard pass

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I’ll play devils advocate as he wouldn’t be my pick at 7 but I also wouldn’t absolutely hate it. Maluach is enormous, young and hasn’t been playing basketball for very long. Scouts didn’t think he was an NBA prospect 2 years ago and now he’s a consensus top ten pick. His development has been rapid and teams are gushing about his workouts and interviews. Seems like a great kid. Defensively he has Rudy Gobert potential. His blocks per game don’t jump out but the analytics show that’s because teams didn’t even attempt shots at the rim when he was on the court, and opponent FG% dropped drastically anytime he was on the court. Offensively he’s an elite finisher with great hands, which is something Gobert struggles with. He’s was an elite offensive rebounder in college. He’s got good form on his shot and hit 77% of his FTs which is an outlier % for someone his size. Did I mention he’s young? He doesn’t turn 19 until the middle of September.

I would take the risk on Ace Bailey. If I have to move up to get him I'm not giving up a ton of assets, but I would take the risk. Other than him my top guy is probably Kon, I feel like he's the safest pick. Queen, Maluach, and Murray Boyles are other guys I like. I just can't get there with Johnson and Fears.

I also love Coward but no chance he’s there at 23, I’d also trade up for him but I’m not sure what we have to give up.

7 - Tre, Ace, Kon, Malauch (no Fears, aka Kira Lewis 2.0)

23 - If not a big then I want Raynaud. I’ve been high on him since mid season. Modern stretch big with passing and some rim protection. If Malauch or Essengue is the pick at 7, then Demin, Traore, Powell, Saraf, Hugo … versatility on perimeter.

Not sure if this means anything but Fears has a second workout with Utah.