Def Swami wrote:Xatticus wrote:jonbob17 wrote:Final wants.
1. Trade for 3, 17, Plus (draft Paolo)
2. Trade for 2 and 12 (Jabari)
3. Magic take their guy at 1, because they are 100% that is the guy, and they don't want to mess around.
I've flip flopped on all three guys. TBH, i think there is plenty of value in Paolo already being so good at so many things. All three guys have a lot of projection.
We'd be banking on Jabari getting much better off the dribble, at the rim, and as a passer. I think he will get better, and his floor as a shooter/defender is already so valuable.
If Paolo was a better defender, he is probably the consensus #1 by a wide margin. He shot 34% from 3 (3 attempts per game) and 73% from the line (5 attempts per game), seems like he will eventually shoot it well enough. 35% from 3 is fine, and should open up his offensive game. His footwork is so good on offense, I don't see why he can't be a good defender, or at least an average one.
I think for Chet to be his best he has to play the 5, and there are plenty of question marks, and plenty of development that will be required. The shot blocking is extremely valuable especially paired with his unique skillset (dribbling, shooting, and passing).
I fully expect the Magic to make their pick and get their guy, but if it were me, I think the top 3 are close enough, and i could be easily talked into any of these 3 guys as the top pick, so why not pick up additional rolls of the dice.
I was reading an article yesterday that has said the odds on Jabari as the first pick are all the way back down to around -150, which equates to around 61% chance in the eyes of the bettors/books. Which would indicate that the Magic have done a great job of keeping their mouth shut, and the bettors and the rest of the League do not know what We are going to do.
The issue is that those trades are off the table because our front office's infatuation with Jabari seems to be the worst kept secret in the NBA. Nobody is going to trade up if they know they can get their guy where they are. We can forget about any of that talk about our front office being very secretive. The NBA draft lottery happened on the 17th of May and it seemed to be generally accepted around the league that Jabari was our guy before the end of the combine (May 22).Spoiler:
If Jabari is our guy, then there is a leak. Someone **** up big time. Matt Lloyd didn't depart until the 3rd of June, but maybe he was already on his way out the door? Perhaps he is the source.
I think that's my read of the situation.
There aren't too many good reasons for Banchero to not work out for the Magic. Only plausible one I can think of is Houston became infatuated with Banchero and Banchero became infatuated with Houston. Houston told Banchero they were going to take him at #3. Orlando tipped their hand to the league and Houston told Banchero the only reason the Magic would work him out is to use it as leverage against Houston in a potential trade down to #3 to gain another asset. To protect themselves, I'm sure Houston told Banchero to just shut it down and wait for his name to be called at #3. Banchero hears the chatter about Orlando being in love with Smith and he's probably content with Houston, doesn't want to waste his time with a workout that he feels is meaningless, and doesn't want to compromise the leverage of his future team in Houston.
The unanimous feeling among the NBA media that we were going to take Smith from lottery night onwards in a 3 player draft was awkward. Smith might end up the best player, but I feel like they may have mismanaged the situation.
Could be true. I just tend to not believe any of this stuff. The reality is we have the number one pick which is the golden ticket to get your guy. We control the draft. Rather he works out for us or not doesn't matter. Even if we don't pick Paolo OKC might. They are another team that keeps everything close to chest. The only way to guarantee they get their guy is to trade to number 1. So this scenario still doesn't guarantee they get their guy IF thats Banchero. Which also might not even be true.
