To Keep the Pick or Not to Keep the Pick....

I mentioned trading down with the Hawks as they have the #8 and #23 in this draft as a possibility but it doesn't have to be with Atlanta. Is there any other trade possibility that entices or would you prefer to just keep the pick?

The drop off might be too big there. I'd rather keep the 5th pick, as Acuff or Wagler look more like a sure fire bet than anyone at #8 and #23. However, if we decide on Acuff, I'd love to trade Garland for another pick. Can you imagine Acuff, Neiderhauser, Miller, Sanders, and another pick to kick off the new era?

That's a good young nucleus, especially important when you consider that the league might take away picks aka other future young players

You could be right regarding dropping too much but a lot depends on what their philosophy is for this draft. If lead guard and multiple picks to make up for what they may lose in the future is what they want then maybe #8 and #23 isn't so bad after all. You could still get someone like Burries or Brown at 8 then go big at 23. All the Michigan guys could be off the board by then but if someone like Johnson or Mara drops then you have a justifiable trade

Or you reverse it and go big with someone like Yaxel at 8 then get a guard, lead guard or off guard, with the later pick. Someone like Stirtz or Evans could work at 23

Is there a young 1st or 2nd year player that could be traded?

It might seem like a silly question to ask, but teams move on from some players all the time, and sometimes move on from them too early. Or move on for salary reasons, only to regret it later.

Is there someone that's been buried on a team, that could be good given his increased role on the Clippers?

Is there a team with too many young guys, and not enough time available for them all?

Those are the scenarios where I could see moving down a few spots, if you're getting someone good back and have the opportunity to actually play them.

Here's an interesting rumor that's made it's way through the pipeline and sort of ties in with what you are saying. There are some that think that Jazz are so enamored with A.J. Dybantsa due to being from BYU that they would swap picks with the Wizards AND throw in Ace Bailey to make it happen, thus sort of defeating the purpose of the tank from a year before last that netted Bailey in the first place. It would be great for the Wiz in that they could go big with Wilson or Boozer to eventually replace AD then have Bailey take the 3 spot that would've gone to Dybantsa. Given that Bailey wanted to be on the east coast all along, you'd be creating happy campers for an east coast guy and another east coast guy who chose to go to college in Utah

If I'm the Jazz, I try and demand Tre Johnson. Sort of evens out. You flip this year's picks that benefits the Jazz since they move up from 2 to 1 but benefits the Wiz because they move up from last year's #6 pick in Johnson to last year's #5 pick in Bailey

That's a good one.

Also, while it's too early to make firm decisions, if I were to pick a player from the Wizards, I might go with their other 2025 rookie, Will Riley.

PER had him rated higher, 12 to 10. So did Win Shares, 0.4, to -0.7.

Will Riley is also 6'9.

BUT, if we look at the Trueblood Mock draft, you said you "weren't impressed with him" (Will Riley).

Whereas you had Tre Johnson as a steal pick potential.

https://clippers.newssurge.com/PNphpBB2-viewtopic-t-15440.html#656708

What has the past year done for your impressions on Tre Johnson and Will Riley?

I must admit, you are ahead of the game here. I wasn't impressed with Riley in the tournament. Admittedly, my opinions are based largely on what these guys do in conference tournaments, the NCAA tournament and whatever national tv games I happened to watch. That being said, Wizard advanced analytics can be misleading. How many games were guys racking up stats during garbage/tank time? How many games did so and so go up against weak defenders while so and so were against stronger defenders and so on

I'm gonna roll with Johnson based on ceiling plus the one thing that the Jazz don't lack is size so the 6'9" doesn't move the needle much for this trade

I don't know the answers either. I just think the Wizards have more young guys than they have the playing time for.

Unless all of them have starting potential, they won't be able to pay them all.

So they'll probably look to offload one or some. And if some of them might actually be good, then a team should jump on getting them for cheap.

There was a game where Washington built a 17 point lead, then benched their starters. Their bench players held on to win. It's just one game out of 82, but would be interesting to see who played, and how they did.

This is when I get sad that Popcorn Machine is having technical difficulties and stuck on January 19th.

Because I'd like to see the 5 man units for a game like this, to see what group was out there, and how they did. Since Popcorn Machine is great at showing you the 5 man units at any point in the game, and what their +/- were.

https://popcornmachine.net/

Jazz are probably going to lack size soon. Either Markkanen or Kessler are probably going to be traded within a year or two.

Like I said, I don't know the answer to who is better, or who is available, Trey Johnson or Will Riley. They've only had one pro year, and it's hard to read a lot into the Wizards games. I just see an opportunity where a team is unlikely to be able to play, or pay, them all. And if they are decent players, then some other team should try and take them.

And both players at least showed flashes of not being busts, at a minimum.