Strickland Mock Draft 2.1: The Stricklandites weigh in
You’ve seen our NBA Mock Draft 2.0 and heard from our panel of outside experts. Now, our staff reveals who controlled what teams, and why they made the moves that they did.
Welcome back to The Strickland’s draft room! Last time around, we revealed our Mock Draft 2.0 and had three experts weigh in on the trades and picks. But so much was left a mystery! Who controlled what teams? Who was even involved? Why were certain trades made, and why did certain players fall?
Well, we’re here with all the answers you seek today. The draft was conducted by Prez, Jon “Stingy” Schulman, Tyrese London, Theo Sands, Stacy Patton, Shwinnypooh, and Alex Wolfe. We used a random generator to assign all of the teams in the draft to writers. Who controlled which teams? Well, you’ll have to read below to see! First, here’s a look at the draft board and the trades made again (with the second round included this time as well — we got done with the first round and were having a little too much fun to stop there):
The Draft Board
The Trades
(Not pictured: Sacramento trades picks 43 and 52 to Washington for pick 37)
Explain your rationale/moves for each of the teams you controlled.
Alex: I controlled Charlotte, Sacramento, Orlando, and the Lakers in this draft.
With Charlotte, I tried really hard to get the Minnesota Theowolves to agree to a trade up to get Killian after he traded down with Prez from the top spot. I bluffed like I’d for sure take Killian and he’d be stuck with Edwards, when in reality, I definitely was leaning more towards Edwards. Apparently my digital poker face wasn’t that great, and Theo also said he’d be cool taking Edwards if it came down to it. That stone cold fox. Whatever, I took Edwards, and I feel pretty damn good about adding him to Devonte’ Graham to form my Charlotte backcourt of the future. Get the kid in a room with MJ for a while and see if you can fix those work ethic concerns and make him understand what it means to reach the highest level of basketball.
In the second round, I nabbed Killian Tillie (one of my personal faves late in this draft) and Udoka Azubuike. One modern floor-spacing big to make me happy, and one old-school, kinda fossil-y (but still talented!) big to keep MJ happy. Ultimately I liked my draft for Charlotte, but it wasn’t earth-shattering or anything.
Sacramento, on the other hand… I loved how things worked out there. When Okongwu started slipping, he really stood out to me as a guy I wanted to try to get if the price wasn’t too high. I called up Detroit and New York (both run by Stingy) and attempted to pit them against one another. Turns out Stingy Rose was kind of a tough customer, whereas Stingy Weaver was kinda down in the dumps about all of his favorite targets being off the board (I assume Killian, Okoro, and Williams). I initially offered him two seconds in 2020 (35 and 43) in addition to my pick 12, and he insisted on a future second instead. I sent him Memphis’ 2021 second, and we were in business.
I know PD Web wasn’t super into my Okongwu pick in the guest analyst roundtable, but I really liked the fit. Marvin Bagley is definitely talented, but dude is always hurt. De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield could use a big man partner to clean up the inside and protect the paint. As far as I’m concerned, Okongwu is the best big in this draft, so to get him at the cost of a couple seconds was well worth it.
Then, with both of my other second rounders in tow, I talked the Washington Stacy Pattons into trading down with me: my picks 43 and 52 for his pick 37. I took Robert Woodard there, who I honestly didn’t think would fall to that spot. More shooting for the Kings, and, importantly, more defense at both picks for a team that ranked 19th in defensive rating last year.
And then, as far as I’m concerned, my crown jewel — the Orlando Magic. I got lots of love from our guest panel in the previous article, which is probably blowing my head up a bit here, but I feel like I totally owned this draft for the Magic. Somehow I managed to make a deal where I moved up 10 spots and got the two best players in the deal (maybe the three best, depending on how you feel about Isaac Okoro vs. Aaron Gordon and Mo Bamba). Are the Magic kinda screwed as far as cap space is concerned for a few years? Yeah, probably, but they were kinda already there anyway. I doubt that the real life DeVos family would OK a trade like this that would cost the team a few more millions, but from a basketball perspective, I thought it made a ton of sense.
Now, the Magic go from being perennial 7-8 seed cannon fodder to perhaps a team that could actually shoot for that 4-5 seed range. “But Alex, they’re not championship contenders!” OK, but that’s not everything, especially not for a small market team like the Magic. You think their fans and ownership wouldn’t be thrilled for them to be a perennial 4-5 seed like the mid-2000s Atlanta Hawks, winning around 45-50 games a year for a while and making some appearances in the second round?
You now get a starting lineup this year of Markelle Fultz, Evan Fournier, Isaac Okoro, Kevin Love, and Nikola Vucevic, with Collin Sexton and his efficient 20 points coming off the bench. Once Jonathan Isaac is healthy, you can fade Love to the bench to extend his career and march out a defensively destructive lineup of Fultz/Fournier/Okoro/Isaac/Vuc. If I was a Magic fan, I’d be going nuts over this, because that’s gonna be a fun team to watch.
Oh yeah, and the Lakers. I tried to get every team in the teens to bite on a Kyle Kuzma/pick 28 package so I could take Toppin or Haliburton, but nobody wanted it. Instead, I grabbed Aaron Nesmith, who somehow dropped to pick 28 and is basically a perfect (and unfair) fit for the Lakers there. A 52% shooter from three on volume his last year at Vanderbilt joining the world champs? Yes please.
Schulman: I had the Knicks, Nuggets and the Piss Tones. Late in the second round, Indiana was foisted upon me and I never really developed a plan for them.
With Detroit, it felt like there was nowhere to turn. A trade down gamble left me in shambles, and I just tried to get them some guards with pop that could learn on the job from Derrick Rose and give them a little more oomph on offense after he’s gone. I’m not convinced of Devon Dotson or Cole Anthony, but I felt their pedigrees — whether earned or perceived — would appeal to a team that would prefer their draftees to contribute immediately. Don’t worry Pistons fans, I’m putting in calls to Jon Teske’s and Zavier Simpson’s agents as we speak. It’s like that dog says, “This is fine.”
When it came to the Nuggets, I tried to dump Michael Porter Jr. because he’s a monumental bum and his injury risk/history is horrifying, but I was rebuffed (more on that shortly). So I just tried to get a flamethrower to go with Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. Enter Isaiah Joe at 22. This splashy character is bound to be a frightening orbital for planet Nikola and gives the Nuggets another guy who can win a quarter for you in just a few sudden and electric minutes. Beware!
Now comes the team you’ve all been waiting for: the Knicks. I wasn’t worried about moving up, knowing it would cost too much to get Killian Hayes from these vultures, so I just sat back hoping Pat Williams would slide back, but he didn’t. So I decided on the best player, which to me was a veritable tie between Kira Lewis and Devin Vassell. I had the feeling no point guards I’d care about were gonna make it to 27, so I held off on Vassell, opting to test the wing waters later on. Luckily I found Saddiq Bey at the back of the first and then felt comfortable taking a hefty cut chasing Jaden McDaniels. Maybe he can actually be what people saw in Kevin Knox. Or maybe he’ll just be a bigger Terrance Ferguson.
Prez: Ya boi Sam Prezti controlled Chicago, Oklahoma City, Dallas, and San Antonio, and my goals were fairly straightforward: Chicago and OKC are rebuilding — with OKC having a surplus of picks and both OKC and CHI needing to begin acquiring high-end player assets more than low end assets (picks and role players). Dallas is competing and is officially on the clock with Luka and KP, so I tried to get value for the one pick they had with Haliburton, preferably a player to defend wings and improve their offensive dynamism. The Spurs have only one pick, and we don’t know if they’re selling or buying, so I tried to keep it simple and get a good value player who fits into multiple timelines with Avdija.
The Bulls-Theowolves pick was all about changing the risk profile of the Chicago portfolio, so to speak. Lauri is great, but is also going to be paid, and isn’t quite the kind of two-way power forward most contenders have despite his prodigious marksmanship, so I was willing to move him for a high-risk, high-reward initiator asset in LaMelo. Getting defensively-reliable Okogie and pick 17 made it a slam dunk for me. With 17, I picked the player with the exact kind of profile I described: Precious, who is risky, but his good outcome is a contender-type power forward who can keep you honest from outside while providing extra rim protection, switch-ability, and rebounding from the 4. That gives LaMelo and Wendell Carter a wide variety of wings and guards to work with as they evolve: giant size (Precious), athletic/gunning/shooting (Zach LaVine), defensive (Okogie), Swiss Army (Denzel Valentine), microwave (Coby White), switchy ball mover (Tomas Satoransky), and lockup guard (Kris Dunn). Not to mention the whole group is pretty tradable.
The Oklahoma City/Pelicans Schroder deal was simpler than all that: I needed to extract value off of the functionally useless Schroder, and frequent Strickland readers know that Riller is, to me, the best value pick in this entire draft bar none, so my eye was on him the whole time. Pairing him with Shai gives them an INCREDIBLY versatile backcourt that complement each other on both ends, and will be nigh impossible to stop from collapsing defenses. Shroder is, to me, lower than Riller’s floor. Prezti does it again.
Shwinnypooh: I controlled Cleveland, Phoenix, Milwaukee, and Brooklyn, teams with varying motivations.
Cleveland is in a clear rebuilding situation, but the roster is completely imbalanced, and I wanted to somewhat ease the clutter of things while adding a bit more defensive bite and versatility in the front court. Moving down 10 spots was a tough pill to swallow, but I felt it imperative to get off the Love contract, and landing Obi Toppin at 15 — a player Cleveland is rumored to have heavy interest in at No. 5 — is a value play even if I’m personally not a huge fan of his.
Speaking of not a fan, that’s how I’d describe my feelings on Collin Sexton. Using him as a chip to get Chuma Okeke from Orlando is a gamble given his plus scoring profile, but I get two extra years of team control out of it, as Chuma’s rookie deal doesn’t start until this season and I really like his fit and upside as a prospect. Clearing the starting 2 guard spot for KPJ was another major motivation for me in including Sexton.
Aaron Gordon is no great shakes, but I think I’ll have better luck upping his trade value and flipping him for an additional asset down the line. His contract also expires a year sooner than Love’s. Ditto for Aminu, who had a bit of a nightmare in Orlando last season, but provides some defensive versatility. Mo Bamba is never going to live up to the pre-draft hype that saw him get drafted sixth overall, but he made real improvement last year and had solid impact, while adding sorely needed rim protection. Cleveland walks away with a young core of Garland, KPJ, Okeke, Toppin, and Bamba, who at least makes more sense on paper and has far more balance than whatever they had going on before. I also add years of team control and clear up my cap a year sooner. Cleveland isn't a hot destination for free agents, but freeing up that space sooner opens up possibilities before I have to start paying any of my young core.
With Phoenix, I simply felt that Patrick Williams could provide a monster front court partner with Ayton down the line. I don’t think Oubre is part of the future, and Okobo and Owens are fungible assets. Moving up from 10 was a bit pricey, but it’s a worthwhile gamble without giving up anything I consider a significant piece of the Suns’ future.
Milwaukee needs a plug-and-play guy from day one. Somebody who can knock down shots from outside, operate as a secondary facilitator, and is a stout perimeter defender. Basically they needed somebody to replace Malcolm Brogdon, and it was poetic to give up the exact package received for Brogdon to draft his replacement. Enter Desmond Bane. Getting Rodney Hood back for Ersan Ilyasova’s expiring felt like a solid upside play that could bolster their wing rotation so that they’re not depending on the corpse of Wesley Matthews during the postseason.
Brooklyn is in win-now mode. I gave up three firsts and acquired a near-ideal backcourt partner for Kyrie in Holiday, and on top of that was able to get Lonzo, who gives me some additional playmaking and can help inject some verve into the Nets’ transition game and juice the bench unit. Since the Nets are also committed to DeAndre Jordan, BFFL, I wanted to flip Jarrett Allen as he enters the final year of his rookie contract. Getting two late firsts for him, one used to draft a direct replacement in Xavier Tillman, and a guard who can really shoot the shit out of the ball like Immanuel Quickley, means Brooklyn is walking out of this draft having added three legitimate young players (Lonzo, Tillman, Quickley). That I was able to keep Caris LeVert was just the cherry on top, which means I still have the ammo to make moves down the line. The Nets have a draft day like this, and they’re the clear-cut favorites in the East, if not for the title.
Stacy Patton: The first team I controlled was the Atlanta Hawks. They are in a tricky situation, as they have a young star point guard (with some flaws) and would like to compete next year, but need to keep accruing talent for the long term; given that Atlanta is not exactly a hotbed of free agent acquisition, ideally they’d like to add another star through the draft, but competing next year is a slightly orthogonal goal to that given that (a) the trade-off between long-term value of a prospect and immediate impact weight more heavily and (b) if they are competitive/a playoff team next year, they are less likely to be able to pull one of the 7-8 high-end prospects from next year (many have said this is the number of prospects in 2021 who would go No. 1 in this year’s draft).
So the opportunity to grab Kelly Oubre, a wing who should provide scoring punch and creation to lighten the load on Trae Young with shooting ability and decent-if-not-hugely-positive switchable wing defense. Adding a young athletic big in Tariq Owens and a still-developing young point guard in Elie Okobo are just gravy at that point. And with a young, immediate contributor coming in at wing in Oubre, the opportunity to pick Poku at 10 fell right into our lap. Deni would have been a good pick, too, but why not take the home run swing? You’ve drafted DeAndre Hunter, Cam Reddish, and Kevin Huerter as 3-and-D wing prospects, let’s try to get somebody who could be a star one day next to Trae. Poku is unlikely to contribute at a high level next year, but his combination of wing skills, movement and pull-up shooting, passing, and defensive instincts portend big things if he can hit a high-percentile outcome. As PD Web mentioned in the draft expert evaluation of our mock, this move allows Atlanta to pursue two different timelines (win now and long-term development) at the same time. In the second round, I got the Hawks yet another 3-and-D wing in CJ Elleby. Asked to do a ton of creation for a Washington State team that wasn’t exactly brimming with talent, Elleby’s 34% 3-point shooting percentage on 8.2 attempts per 40 isn’t bad in context. He won’t be asked to do that at the next level, but his experience as a shot creator should allow him to add some additional value and his length and instincts should allow him to be a quality NBA defender.
My other lottery pick was the Washington Wizards, and Devin Vassell was the easy choice with Okongwu snatched up. The Wizards do need a rim protector, but with the two blue chippers gone we finally get a legit wing defender with shooting ability. He could be the perfect complement to Bradley Beal going forward and has some upside for self-creation. In the second round, I considered taking Robert Woodard at 37, but opted to trade down and get extra picks in a draft with solid depth in terms of high-floor guys. I find Nate Hinton’s unusual statistical profile (elite offensive rebounder as a guard, good shooting ability) as well as his tenacity very intriguing and think he will stick as an energy role player who doesn’t compromise your spacing — perhaps even a starter one day. I felt like Tre Jones was solid value at 52. An underrated athlete who can come in and provide tenacious on-ball defense, playmaking, and a developing jump shot, Jones should slot in immediately as a quality backup for John Wall and a good complement to the scoring of Bradley Beal long-term.
For the Miami Heat, I had a deal in place to obtain Michael Porter Jr., but my hopes were dashed by a cruel veto at the last minute (I’m not bitter or anything), so I took Tyrell Terry. His shooting versatility should allow him to cause havoc in double handoffs with Bam Adebayo off the bat, and he’s a perfect chess piece for Erik Spoelstra. Though undersized, he has quality defensive instincts and generates a lot of steals, and he’s added quite a bit of strength (and perhaps some vertical explosiveness) during the offseason, hinting at the kind of long-term upside the Heat have been best-in-class at unlocking in prospects. Even if that never comes to fruition, his shooting and feel on both ends of the floor is a perfect match for Miami.
Lastly, for the Utah Jazz, I would have liked to add a shooter like Isaiah Joe or Desmond Bane or a true facilitator like Malachi Flynn to play next to Donovan Mitchell, but with those options off the board, I took the best talent available. The Jazz can afford to stash Leandro Bolmaro for a year, especially since there’s really no one available that can come in and impact their standing in the Western Conference immediately. With his playmaking, tenacious on-ball defense, and size, in time Bolmaro can be a great backcourt complement to Mitchell, especially if his shooting comes around. The Jazz can explore other routes to find more immediate veteran contributors next year, but I’d rather bet on Bolmaro’s unique skillset and upside here. The idea that “win now” means they must find a guy who can be an immediate contributor is a little bit overblown; long term, the team will need more high-end talent if they want to seriously challenge in the West, and Bolmaro gives them the best shot at that (and even if he doesn’t hit that outcome, he has a solid floor).
Overall, I tried to take a long-term view on prospect selection even though most of the teams I controlled also have immediate ambitions.
Tyrese: I had the Warriors, Pelicans, Sixers and Raptors.
For the Warriors, I attempted to guess what they would try to do in that situation, and given how highly they value the pick, I doubted that they would find value in a trade that matched, so I assumed they would pick Wiseman (even if I wouldn’t).
With the Pelicans, with Jrue being on the trading block, I wanted to get a solid perimeter defender with shot creation equity who can attempt to fill that hole in their lineup. Maxey was on the board, so it felt like a no-brainer to me.
For the Sixers, they desperately need a shot creating ball handler who can also organize the offense and distribute to Embiid/Simmons. Grant Riller was my original choice, but since he was taken, I settled on Malachi Flynn, who I believe to be the most NBA-ready point guard in the draft currently.
Finally, for the Raptors, I prioritized upside and the incoming lack of a ball handler with Lowry approaching retirement; Hampton at 29 is great value for the pick, and with the Raptors’ development system, he will have time to be groomed for this role.
Theo: I controlled the pick-heavy Minnesota and Boston teams. Both of these teams are trending in different directions, so the drafting philosophy wasn’t the same. For Minnesota, I took more of a talent acquisition approach, and just tried to find as many skilled guys as I could. With Boston, I tried to take advantage of their bevy of picks and put them in better position to compete for a championship.
For Minnesota, a potential trade down from the first pick was a no brainer. I had several prospects in the same tier (Ant-man, LaMelo, Killian), with a slight favoring for the French point guard. So acquiring an asset while still selecting a high-celing prospect just seemed like the right thing to do, especially in a draft like this where there is so much uncertainty. Originally, the Bulls deal with Prez was centered around getting more defense in the lineup, with a deal centered around bringing back Kris Dunn in a sign-and-trade along with Otto Porter. The particulars of that trade fell through, but there was still an opportunity to add a talented, sweet-shooting forward in Lauri alongside KAT, while still being able to pick up a quality prospect at 4.
Once Wiseman went 2nd, I felt pretty comfortable taking whoever fell out of Edwards and Killian. Of course, Killian was the preferred route and that worked out perfectly. Now is the fit clean? On defense, no. KAT is already a poor rim protector. Adding Lauri to that mix, when quite frankly, I’m not sure which position he can guard, is asking for trouble in the front court. Add that to losing one of your only quality defenders in Okogie, and still trotting out D-Lo as a starter, and you’d have to wonder if I was drunk while signing off on that trade. But I do believe talent is important, and from a talent standpoint, Minny improved by a lot. KAT and Lauri gives the Wolves two skilled bigs that can shoot/score from anywhere. Killian and D-Lo may both be left hand dominant, but you also now have two skilled guards that can dribble, pass, and shoot. The makings of a dynamic offense is there, even if there are a few question marks about Killian’s ability off the ball, as well as reducing D-Lo’s usage. But ultimately, I think Killian eventually proves himself to be a superior player to D-Lo either way.
In the second round, I doubled down on the “skilled” players mantra and nabbed Vernon Carey Jr. at 33. This pick was less about fit and more so about getting as many guys that I think can play on the roster. There are concerns about Carey’s fit in the modern NBA, but he was arguably the most impactful freshman this year on a talented Duke team. At the very least, he should be a nice low post scorer off the bench that can rebound and protect the rim in a pinch. At 44, I picked up Skylar Mays (whom I really was surprised was still on the board). He should shore up their bench and give them a savvy, strong guard that can shoot and facilitate a bit. All in all, I think it was a decent draft. I definitely don’t feel as if the Wolves came out as winners, but I think they managed to get more talent on the roster for a decent price.
With Boston, they entered this draft with four picks (including three first rounders) so my goal was to somehow leverage those guys into getting more vets that can contribute right away while still keeping an eye out for the future. After being rebuffed in an attempt to trade for Okongwu at 7, I settled on drafting Josh Green out of Arizona at 14. Green feels like such an Ainge pick, and should fit right in the rotation as a do-it-all wing off the bench that can hit open shots, defend and make good reads as a tertiary level playmaker. I had my eyes on Xavier Tillman with picks 26 or 30 because I figured he probably wouldn’t last til the second round (I was correct). But ultimately, I didn’t want to leave the draft with three or more rookies. I decided to offload those two picks along with Timelord and salary filler to net Jarret Allen and a 2021 first rounder from Brooklyn. I feel like Allen gives the Celtics some much-needed size on the interior, and allows them to go big or small depending on the matchups. They also don’t sacrifice any of their core pieces in doing so. I really like the pick I made for Elijah Hughes at 47, because of his ability to possibly operate as a movement shooter in the league. I feel like him being miscast as some main scoring option was a reason for his inefficiency at ’Cuse, and him focusing on strictly being a spot-up/off-ball guy should pay dividends. Not sure what to make of his defense, considering he only had like two man-to-man possessions all season, but he has good instincts and is a really good athlete. At the very least, I expect him to compete on that end.
In the end, I was very Ainge-like in my decision making here. I kept one eye on the future by selecting a promising prospect in Green, while snagging a center that can help immediately in Boston’s quest to get to the Finals. The team didn’t get significantly better, but it did add some pieces that should improve the bench depth and make the team at least 1% more competitive heading into next season.
Whose pick other than any of your own was the best in the draft?
Alex: All in all I liked the move by the Hawks to trade back from No. 6 to 10 and net a few players (with Kelly Oubre as the highlight, obviously), but I liked taking Poku there. Was it a little bit of a reach? Maybe. But if he reaches his full potential, I could see him fitting with their core better than John Collins long term. It’d also be a move that says the Hawks don’t think they have to try to win now, which I think would probably be wise.
Schulman: Timberwolves got the best player in the draft at four. So the fourth pick.
Prez: I second that — I did the deal with Theo knowing he wanted Killian, and was flabbergasted when my fellow GMs allowed it to actually happen. I would still do it again, but DAMN. Touche. Also, I was a massive fan of Isaiah Joe to Denver — for contending teams, role player picks can literally have value exceeding that of your traditional top 10... Joe has more value to them than half of the lottery picks. He’ll be what Gary Harris couldn’t for them, despite making a fraction of Harris’ deal.
Shwinnypooh: I could be boring and third that, but I won’t. I’ll say that I really liked Tyrese’s selection of Malachi Flynn to Philly. I think he checks off a lot of the boxes they need to fill.
Stacy Patton: This group of GMs is collectively a little lower on Deni Avdija than the larger draft-verse, but I thought Prez snatching him up at 11 was great value, especially when you consider he’s walking into a hand-in-glove fit under Gregg Popovich. Agree on Isaiah Joe and Killian as well, so I’ll add in Jaden McDaniels to the Knicks. I’m not a huge Jaden guy, but at 38, the ability to take a very young jumbo wing with shooting ability and some wiggle is great value. Could be a perfect developmental prospect for Kenny Payne, especially as he gains more strength.
Tyrese: Hayes at No. 4 plus getting to take a stab at Lauri (and completing the Thibs trade cycle) was my favorite move of the draft, kudos.
Theo: I really liked Prez getting Hali at 18. I know the staff has generally been low on him, but that’s as perfect of a fit I can think of for him. He should thrive alongside Luka.
What pick other than your own was the worst in the draft?
Alex: I get the vision, but I thought the Pistons taking Cole Anthony at 12 was a bit of a reach. I feel like they could’ve tried to trade back a second time if that was their guy. I know Haliburton is not well-liked around here, but if it was me at that pick, I might have gone Hali anyway. At least there’s a baseline with him that you know. So much of Cole is theoretical, and although his ceiling is probably higher than Hali, I feel like as long as you have Blake Griffin still on the roster (with a very slim chance of finding a trade partner, short of trading a ton of picks to do it) you may as well take the higher floor guy and see what you can do.
Schulman: Elijah Hughes. Syracuse guys suck.
Prez: Bolmaro to the Jazz. I’m much lower on Leandro then my fellow draftniks here, not just because he can’t help now (and for Utah the clock is ticking, making this even more befuddling), but because... he can’t score or shoot or dribble enough to help a contender at ANY POINT in the next three years. Donny Mitchell got one foot out the door and Rudy Gobert is about to vice grip the new ownership for $30-plus million a year; you need to make every pick count right now.
Shwinnypooh: I’m going with Cole Anthony to the Pistons also. I like a bunch of other guards that were still on the board at that stage more than Cole. That just seemed like a reach, but I don’t see the upside others do, so we’ll see how that pans out.
Stacy Patton: I do not believe James Wiseman is one of the top eight players in the draft and am in the small minority of people who do not believe that would be a good pick for the Warriors. Even as a raw prospect, Killian Hayes’ playmaking ability, team defense, and developing pull-up game could be a boost next year for the Warriors while giving them a developmental prospect to build around as Curry and Klay age. Wiseman right now (and likely long-term) is a rim-running big who can protect the rim but does not project to be able to do a whole lot else on defense. You can get 75% of that in free agency, and I feel like Hayes (or Edwards or some others) would have been a more productive use of the asset.
Tyrese: For a team desperate for shooting from the guard and wing positions, I don’t see much logic in the Magic taking Okoro at No. 5, especially when they traded up to do so.
Theo: Wiseman at No. 2. I get the logic for sure, and I think he should probably desire to end up in Golden State. But I do think they could do so much better. Like Stacy said, Wiseman probably can be a decent rim protector, but is not switchable and has no bankable skills on the offensive end. Those types of bigs can be had for the vet minimum (Dwight, McGee, DJ) and are virtually unplayable as you get deeper into the postseason. If they wanted to go in the direction of a big man, they should have just selected Okongwu.
What pick other than any of your own was the best value pick in the draft?
Alex: I’m gonna get accused of being a Haliburton stan by the end of this, but Hali to the Mavs at 18 was highway robbery and a perfect fit. He’ll be in a situation where he doesn’t have to be the primary initiator thanks to Doncic, where he can shoot plenty of spot-up threes, and where he has a solid pick-and-roll/pop partner in Porzingis. I kinda hate everyone for passing on him and giving the Mavs one of the best possible fits for them in this draft on a silver platter.
Prez: Why thank you, Fearless Leader. Aside from me getting Hali to Dallas and Riller to OKC, the best value might be hyperbolic to say, but Bane to Milwuakee can save the Keep Giannis campaign. However, short of trading for CP3 (or another useful point guard) and Budenholzer having a come-to-Jesus playoff coaching revelation, this is about the biggest move they can make from a Xs and Os perspective.
Shwinnypooh: Killian’s my top prospect, and Theo got him at No. 4 plus some goodies. That’s great value. Could be Minnesota’s own version of the Fultz/Tatum deal down the line… or I’ll just look like an idiot and be forced to scrub this take.
Stacy Patton: Stretch 4s with rim protection ability don’t grow on trees. He doesn’t have the upside of some of the other guys, but Dallas grabbing Jalen Smith at 31 is a great value pick when you consider his skillset.
Tyrese: Massive shoutout to Tre Jones at 52 for Washington. Jones is almost guaranteed to stick in the league for 10 years, and I expect him to be at worst solid for a team looking for a point guard post-John Wall.
Theo: I already mentioned Prez picking Hali, but Stacy getting Tyrell Terry to fit around Jimmy Buckets and Bam was an elite pick. Adding another movement shooter to Spo’s offense at this point is already bananas, but getting one with lead guard potential was genius.
What move other than any of your own did you like the most?
Alex: I think it was definitely a good return that the Pelicans got for Jrue Holiday and Lonzo Ball, but to me, the Nets won that trade in a major way. Basically, it was just the move that the Nets need to make if they want to maximize the KD-Kyrie pairing. They definitely need a third star to actually contend for a title. Jrue is just that, and on top of it, he’s extremely low maintenance, which is useful next to two high maintenance guys in Kyrie and KD. Add to that that the Nets managed to keep Caris LeVert in both their deals, and, unfortunately, you’re looking at a probable Eastern Conference favorite here.
Schulman: I liked everything! It was fun to do this with the Strickland team.
Shwinnypooh: I actually liked the value Detroit got in trading down to 12 given their lack of assets and young talent on the roster, just not who they picked there.
Stacy Patton: As Mark Jackson might say, Brooklyn hit it out of the park. Not only is Jrue a third star, but he’s the right star to play next to Kyrie and KD. A facilitator with strong defensive ability who can shoot and provide veteran leadership? Ideal fit. Lonzo is just gravy, but should fit in well as a second-unit facilitator and is a good enough shooter to play off Kyrie and KD too.
Tyrese: The value that Sacramento and Detroit got for that trade was quite fair for both parties (yet somehow they managed to both blow it).
Theo: Big fan of Brooklyn going all in Jrue and Lonzo. Jrue is the exact type of veteran presence needed to be the third guy in Brooklyn — a low maintenance scorer that can facilitate along with the willingness to defend multiple positions. Lonzo provides them with a very good facilitator and defensive playmaker off the bench. If he maintains his hot shooting from last year, that’s extremely great value.
What move other than any of your own did you hate the most?
Alex: I didn’t really think any of the trades were really super controversial. I guess I don’t really get why Portland was willing to trade down eight picks for some piddly shit second rounders and… Ilyasova? Considering (damn it, here I go again) Haliburton was on the board, who could’ve been a great backup complement to either Dame Lillard or CJ McCollum, I don’t get not just going for him there. Or they could’ve taken the dude the Bucks literally traded up for, Desmond Bane! Instead they get Tyler Bey, who really isn’t gonna do anything to extend the Dame/CJ contention window. Small — but perhaps important in the long run — missed opportunity to me.
Schulman: I hated it all. These guys all cheated me.
Prez: Okoro to Orlando. He’s gonna be the latest in a long line of picks from 4-10 to flop for them despite being intriguing on the surface. He’s gonna have less spacing there than he did in Auburn!
Shwinnypooh: The Jazz picking Bolmaro. They’re in win-now mode and they picked a guy who won’t help them on the court next year, and maybe longer than that. Just seems like an incredibly poor use of that asset.
Stacy Patton: Wouldn’t use the word “hate,” but I’m not a huge fan of trading up for Okongwu. The KIngs didn’t give up a ton, but I’d rather have added a couple of wing defenders and shooters with those picks than a non-shooting center to play next to Bagley.
Tyrese: That Hawks trade for Oubre felt like a real head-scratcher to me. I don’t see what more front court depth does for them, personally.
Theo: Honestly can’t say I really hated any trade.
The most discussed move in the outside experts roundtable was the Orlando/Cleveland trade. Shwin and Alex, make your final arguments!
Shwinnypooh: I'm not going to lie, I don't get why any non-Sexton superfan doesn't like this deal. Love's contract is a negative asset no matter how much people want to pretend otherwise, and at some point you have to bite the bullet and keep things rolling. Did I love moving down 10 spots to do so? No, but if there's ever a draft to make that move it's this one, and based on how I thought the board would break, I figured one of my Tier 2 prospects would drop and they did, just not the one I expected! I also think Chuma is a better prospect, and far more useful and valuable archetype of player than Sexton. Lastly, the Cavs were a historically bad defense last year, and if nothing else, this roster — while still far away from genuine competence on either side of the ball — has a far better blend of complementary skills.
I actually don't mind the deal for Orlando either, but guess what? Two teams can be happy with what they got out of a deal! I'm not particularly enthused about a Love/Vucevic front court pairing, but I really think Orlando can swing a move with Vucevic, and Okoro is a nice get even if the wing and backcourt shooting is still a bit dicey overall. I'd imagine Cavs fans would be more annoyed than Magic fans about the trade initially, but genuinely feel both teams benefit from it.
Alex: If I didn’t make it obvious enough above, I think I fleeced the Cavs with this trade!
I’m only kinda half kidding. I get what Shwin was doing here, but I think he was entirely too low on Sexton. During the negotiation I asked for Sexton expecting to probably get countered with Garland, and instead Shwin put up zero fight to be rid of him. I’m actually kind of a Sexton hater, to be honest. On draft night 2018, I think I cheered louder for the Cavs taking Sexton at No. 8 than the Knicks taking Kevin Knox at No. 9, because the Knicks were linked to Sexton prior to the draft and I was so happy that Cleveland stepped in and saved the Knicks from themselves. That said, he’s proven me wrong to a degree in the NBA — he can legitimately shoot the ball, even if he’s ass on defense. I think he’s got some Lou Williams in him going forward in his career, and might have a Sixth Man of the Year award in his future when he eventually finds a team that’s good enough at the starting 1-2 to fade him to the bench.
As far as Love, I sort of get Shwin’s rationale to get off of his money a year earlier (since Gordon and Aminu basically equal Love’s salary but expire one year prior), but for the Magic, I think he still definitely has utility. Having him be the starting 4 isn’t ideal, but much like Sexton, he’s going to absolutely eat up second units if you can fade him to the bench once Isaac is healthy.
I guess my big thing as far as the Love aspect is that I don’t get why Cleveland would be so desperate to clear off their cap sheet as a nonexistent free agent destination. Perhaps to open the door for salary dumps a year sooner? But either way, we’re talking about a salary dump window that’s still two years away, in a league that was just financially rocked by Covid and likely won’t have teams handing out foolish deals and partying like it’s 2016.
I think Chuma probably has the highest ceiling of any player they got in the deal, but I think the discrepancy of usefulness between Okoro and Toppin in the long run could be just another thing that makes this deal worth it for Orlando. I’d also raise my eyebrows at the idea of a Garland/KPJ/(Cedi?)/Toppin/Drummond lineup somehow being better defensively. Their backups will have a little more defensive juice, but their starters are still gonna get eaten to start every game, and I don’t know if I see any of their bench guys being good enough to develop into long-term starters.
There were vetos allowed via a majority vote during this draft, and only one deal had the hammer brought down on it — a trade between the Heat and the Nuggets.
Denver (Stingy) gets: Duncan Robinson, Kelly Olynyk, the 20th overall pick, and two future second round picks
Miami (Stacy) gets: Michael Porter Jr. and Will Barton
Prez was the leading voice of dissent. Let’s hear it from the three parties involved!
Schulman: MAGA Porter Jr. fucking sucks. Eat shit, dorks.
Prez: Just because you don’t like a player both on and off the court DOES NOT mean you intentionally sell low on them to spite them. This shit is still a business. They’re not gonna learn some lesson, nor is your franchise, team, or fans gonna be better off for it. Duncan Robinson is a tremendous shooter, and Denver is one of the few teams who can leverage him in a motion system not dissimilar to Spoelstra’s, but MPJ is an elite asset as an elite rebounding and finishing stretch 4, with potential for meaningful weak side help defense and meaningful secondary shot creation, even with health concerns. You wouldn’t trade him for the top pick in this class, and likely not even for a guaranteed top-five pick next year. All the other shit in the deal — the 20th and future 2nds — is window dressing. Props to Stacy for pulling this out of his ass, but we had to David Stern Basketball Reasons this trade to Davy Jones’ locker expeditiously.
Stacy Patton: It’s worth noting that the NBA League Office doesn’t typically veto trades. Everyone brings up the Chris Paul trade, but people forget that this wasn’t a veto in the same way, as the league actually owned the New Orleans Hornets at the time.
Look, I made this trade because yes, I do think it’s a win for the Heat. If you can bet on your player development, you can do a lot worse than taking a 6-foot-10 20-year-old with great athleticism who’s already a very good shooter. However, Duncan Robinson will still likely be the better player next year; that does matter considering both teams will be pushing for a title next year. The 20th pick allows them to add another 3-and-D wing or shooter (or a versatile big like Xavier Tillman). Kelly Olynyk is a pretty ideal big to play next to Jokic with his shooting and defensive ability, and second round picks are not nothing.
Do I think the Heat make out better in this deal? Yes, because I buy MPJ’s talent. But this trade is not without risk for us. It’s worth noting though that a lot of people around the league do not value him as highly, even if you disregard his anti-vax stance and related stuff. Have we forgotten that this guy had major injury flags? He’s made it through 55 games of one season, but there’s a reason why 12 teams passed on him in the 2018 draft. This may still be selling low on MPJ from the Nuggets’ perspective, but I think there are GMs around the league who would see this as at least somewhat reasonable. Denver cashes in, gets an elite shooter and a stretch 4 with some draft capital, while Miami takes a swing on MPJ (and will need to find a way to move Barton, should Giannis come calling in the 2021 offseason, though that shouldn’t be too difficult). It may not be a 100% fair trade, but I’m not sure it was lopsided enough to warrant a veto. The best rationale for the veto has less to do with MPJ as a player and more as an asset; if Denver does want to move him, why not go after a guy like Jrue Holiday?
That’s all she wrote for The Strickland’s inaugural mock drafts. We hope you enjoyed the show! Now that you can assign names to the picks and trades in the draft, feel free to praise/roast us in the comments!
