cjmcallist wrote:This is most likely what I believe happened. Or, something like this. Though, I also believe that Presti would have offered the Hayward package for Olynyk. Either way, I believe he 'tried'.
Of course he
could have beaten any offer, but I feel fine about him not doing it. Prices were too high IMO. After all, the same GM that traded for Olynyk just gave up the #8 pick for Poeltl.
I think this upcoming year I will feel differently. The team was a year ahead of my expectations but I'm caught up now.
Olynyk was traded for the lesser of OKC/LAC/HOU picks. This means that the pick OKC traded to Dallas, the 2nd worst of those three picks, would have beaten the Toronto offer. If your scenario is correct and Presti offered the package for Olynyk that he did for Hayward then he valued a 2028 pick swap with Dallas, a team that will most likely still have Luka in his prime, over adding Olynyk and improving the team this year. He also would have, theoretically, kept his two 2nd round picks he sent Washington.
Presti made a move that might yield a reward around 2030, as late FRP players don't typical contribute much as rookies of ever, instead of playing for 2024. That is terrible resource management for a team that was 1st in the conference in SRS, point differential and every other measurement of which team was the best in the West. Presti opting to attempt to build the 2030 roster, by maybe being better than a prime Luka led Dallas team in the future, over building to win now is complete incompetence. The fact that you are arguing that it was a good idea not to trade the 26th pick for Olynyk, who was traded for #29, but giving it away for a pick swap that might not even happen was better is confusing. Care to explain why you think the price for Olynyk was too high to pay, but paying the same price for something that might not convey was a better decision?
It is highly unlikely that even if the pick conveys Presti will get a decent player with it given his history of picking in the 20s. Even if he would have had to add that pick on top of the rest of the Hayward offer to get Olynyk it is a move a contending team should make 100 times out of 100 instead of adding a player that makes the team worse. If Presti had done nothing at the deadline OKC would have had a better roster in the playoffs. At least they could have experimented with Bertans in an attempt to add some size to a lineup that was getting crushed by size.
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