2025 NBA Draft Prospect Part 3

[REJECTEDBYCLARK]

Drafting an offball wing with **** defense at 5 is wild. Carter Bryant clears McNeeley so hard once you realize he's an 80% ft shooter.

Carter Bryant sucks lol he’s so bad that I’ll be surprised if he declares this year. He needs more time. McNeeley clears him so easily it’s not even funny.

Like I said, McNeeley will end up as a top-10 player from the class. At the same time, I wouldn’t take him at our pick unless we drop past 10, but he’s really good. Straight killa.

Name me a young college wing with poor stock production, rim finishing, dunk rate and dribble J volume that panned out in the NBA let alone worthy of a t5 or even t14 selection.

[Yallbecrazy]

Hypothetical:

Pelicans get 2nd pick and we get 6

If it were on the table, are you doing IQ+6 for CJ+2?

Pelicans can play IQ next to Murray easy, move CJ for someone of worth and get another high lottery pick. We get a chance to go all in on Harper (or Ace). Can probably start CJ at the '1' until the deadline where we move him to a more contending team and promote Dyaln to start after the allstar break

I'm taking VJ at #2 and not thinking twice about it.

[PhilBlackson]

Hypothetical:

Pelicans get 2nd pick and we get 6

If it were on the table, are you doing IQ+6 for CJ+2?

Pelicans can play IQ next to Murray easy, move CJ for someone of worth and get another high lottery pick. We get a chance to go all in on Harper (or Ace). Can probably start CJ at the '1' until the deadline where we move him to a more contending team and promote Dyaln to start after the allstar break

I don't see the Pelicans trading down one way or the other. They already let it be known they were making EVERYONE available not named Murphy or Jones.

Who knows when Murray will be back or how effective as a non shooter he'll be coming back from an Achilles. I think they're looking to re-start things all over again, Harper gives them that lead guard that they lack and then they will look to flip Zion again either in the off-season or at the next deadline but as soon as they can rebuild Zion's trade value to a point that they can get several picks (2+) because due to his injury there was rumors no one wanted to give up more than a single pick. But once they get closer to their asking, I think they bottom out for 26' in a hunt for AJ or Boozer.

But Harper would actually be a GREAT fit for them with Trey & Herb and 2026 is absolutely LOADED with wings to start replacing some of the higher end talent that they lost with giving up on the Zion/BI duo. TBH I think this will kinda be like Scottie's draft where no one will want to trade out of the top 3. The only trades for us that I can potentially see happening, is using Ochai (most likely) to trade back into somewhere in the mid to early late 1st to grab a player a defensive wing like Fleming or CMB to try & fill some of the void OG left.

[UnbelievablyRAW]

Hypothetical:

Pelicans get 2nd pick and we get 6

If it were on the table, are you doing IQ+6 for CJ+2?

Pelicans can play IQ next to Murray easy, move CJ for someone of worth and get another high lottery pick. We get a chance to go all in on Harper (or Ace). Can probably start CJ at the '1' until the deadline where we move him to a more contending team and promote Dyaln to start after the allstar break

I'm taking VJ at #2 and not thinking twice about it.

Ngl I’d be sick if we took VJ over Dylan

This is the type of comment that can get quoted in like a year from now if I’m dead wrong but Dylan pre ankle injury clears VJ easy

[UnbelievablyRAW]

Hypothetical:

Pelicans get 2nd pick and we get 6

If it were on the table, are you doing IQ+6 for CJ+2?

Pelicans can play IQ next to Murray easy, move CJ for someone of worth and get another high lottery pick. We get a chance to go all in on Harper (or Ace). Can probably start CJ at the '1' until the deadline where we move him to a more contending team and promote Dyaln to start after the allstar break

I don't see the Pelicans trading down one way or the other. They already let it be known they were making EVERYONE available not named Murphy or Jones.

Who knows when Murray will be back or how effective as a non shooter he'll be coming back from an Achilles. I think they're looking to re-start things all over again, Harper gives them that lead guard that they lack and then they will look to flip Zion again either in the off-season or at the next deadline but as soon as they can rebuild Zion's trade value to a point that they can get several picks (2+) because due to his injury there was rumors no one wanted to give up more than a single pick. But once they get closer to their asking, I think they bottom out for 26' in a hunt for AJ or Boozer.

But Harper would actually be a GREAT fit for them with Trey & Herb and 2026 is absolutely LOADED with wings to start replacing some of the higher end talent that they lost with giving up on the Zion/BI duo. TBH I think this will kinda be like Scottie's draft where no one will want to trade out of the top 3. The only trades for us that I can potentially see happening, is using Ochai (most likely) to trade back into somewhere in the mid to early late 1st to grab a player a defensive wing like Fleming or CMB to try & fill some of the void OG left.

I think they won’t get good value from Zion so they might as well keep him and maybe start building more around Trey. Same issue the Hawks had with Trae

Even still, with Herb back next year, Murray back, Zion in better shape (lol) and a lottery pick, they will be too good to outright tank for a top pick again.

Their position this year is largely due to injuries so they might let the ball roll again and see how they look next year with Trey taking Ingrams role, a top pick and Murray back.

If anything I’d even include Dick in that offer I proposed above to make it more enticing. IQ on a 4 year deal, Dick on a rookie deal and a top 6 pick for expiring CJ and 2

[Rapsfan07]

Why do I feel the Raptors are locked into Malauch regardless of what position they’re picking from.

I've been saying this from the start of the season. There's a Masai x Maluach connection. However, we'll only take him if we draft outside of the top 4 (i.e., Flagg, Harper, Ace, VJ).

I can see Masai ties being a factor, but that is a really high pick for a player that will need some time before being productive in the NBA. Bigs always take long to get acclimated and I am not sure if this guy can play in .5 offense. We have a simplistic big in Orlando Robinson now and it looks rough.

I can see us also taking a player like McNeeley because look at our last first round picks: Gradey Dick (RSCI rank 16 in 2022) and Ja'Kobe Walter (RSCI rank 8 in 2023). Both were known highly ranked high school recruits.

Bobby tends to value that and has made comments about knowing/tracking players for many years. McNeeley is a Montverde Academy guy who played with Cooper Flagg and was RSCI ranked 10 in 2024.

He was a special high school player and a very impactful college player, leading his team as a freshman and would fit easily into our offensive schemes as a guy who works off ball screens and can do some secondary creation and brings some size at forward. A case can be made he fits well in Toronto.

We don't need anymore wings unless they're a lock to be a superstar and I don't see that in McNeely.

[REJECTEDBYCLARK]

Hypothetical:

Pelicans get 2nd pick and we get 6

If it were on the table, are you doing IQ+6 for CJ+2?

Pelicans can play IQ next to Murray easy, move CJ for someone of worth and get another high lottery pick. We get a chance to go all in on Harper (or Ace). Can probably start CJ at the '1' until the deadline where we move him to a more contending team and promote Dyaln to start after the allstar break

I'm taking VJ at #2 and not thinking twice about it.

Ngl I’d be sick if we took VJ over Dylan

This is the type of comment that can get quoted in like a year from now but Dylan pre ankle injury clears VJ easy

True VJ's event creation vs conf opponents isn't as nutty as vs other opp which could mean against better athletes it will just be very good but not elite bc of the wingspan limitation. But I wasn't aware that ankle injuries cause guys to miss free throws. Harper was pretty bad against Oregon was his ankle injured against them too?

That said Harper is tough to crack but I'm very confident he's not cut from the same cloth as Harden, SGA, etc.. and is more of the De'Aaron Fox type should he hit such a theoretical ceiling. He has the same issue Topic had last year in that he has no midrange counters - making him a 2 level scorer. How this plays out in the NBA given his lack of bounce is a question mark. I can't see him being a major free throw merchant but probably sitting in the low 300s. His athleticism could easily make him fall way short of a Fox level outcome... how much his wingspan compensates I'm not sure. Such an outcome could be something more like a rich man's Jaden Ivey. I'm trying so hard to use past examples and samples for reference.

I'm curious how he finishes off this last stretch of games. Same with VJ.

[Psubs]

Drafting an offball wing with **** defense at 5 is wild. Carter Bryant clears McNeeley so hard once you realize he's an 80% ft shooter.

Carter Bryant sucks lol he’s so bad that I’ll be surprised if he declares this year. He needs more time. McNeeley clears him so easily it’s not even funny.

Like I said, McNeeley will end up as a top-10 player from the class. At the same time, I wouldn’t take him at our pick unless we drop past 10, but he’s really good. Straight killa.

I guess it's like Gradey is a top 10 player from his class that we drafted outside of the top 10.

[Rapsfan07]

Hypothetical:

Pelicans get 2nd pick and we get 6

If it were on the table, are you doing IQ+6 for CJ+2?

Pelicans can play IQ next to Murray easy, move CJ for someone of worth and get another high lottery pick. We get a chance to go all in on Harper (or Ace). Can probably start CJ at the '1' until the deadline where we move him to a more contending team and promote Dyaln to start after the allstar break

Meh. Honestly I'm not sure I'd bother. A top 2 pick sounds amazing but I'm not sure it's worth taking on McCollum. I feel we might be better served by moving down in the draft and getting three young guys on cheap contracts who can contribute while moving off of Gradey Dick.

I like him as a shooter but he gets abused on defense and if the goal is to start building towards winning games, I think we have to keep either Agbaji or Walter.

[PhilBlackson]

Hypothetical:

Spoiler:

Pelicans get 2nd pick and we get 6

If it were on the table, are you doing IQ+6 for CJ+2?

Pelicans can play IQ next to Murray easy, move CJ for someone of worth and get another high lottery pick. We get a chance to go all in on Harper (or Ace). Can probably start CJ at the '1' until the deadline where we move him to a more contending team and promote Dyaln to start after the allstar break

Spoiler:

I don't see the Pelicans trading down one way or the other. They already let it be known they were making EVERYONE available not named Murphy or Jones.

Who knows when Murray will be back or how effective as a non shooter he'll be coming back from an Achilles. I think they're looking to re-start things all over again, Harper gives them that lead guard that they lack and then they will look to flip Zion again either in the off-season or at the next deadline but as soon as they can rebuild Zion's trade value to a point that they can get several picks (2+) because due to his injury there was rumors no one wanted to give up more than a single pick. But once they get closer to their asking, I think they bottom out for 26' in a hunt for AJ or Boozer.

But Harper would actually be a GREAT fit for them with Trey & Herb and 2026 is absolutely LOADED with wings to start replacing some of the higher end talent that they lost with giving up on the Zion/BI duo. TBH I think this will kinda be like Scottie's draft where no one will want to trade out of the top 3. The only trades for us that I can potentially see happening, is using Ochai (most likely) to trade back into somewhere in the mid to early late 1st to grab a player a defensive wing like Fleming or CMB to try & fill some of the void OG left

.

I think they won’t get good value from Zion so they might as well keep him and maybe start building more around Trey. Same issue the Hawks had with Trae

Even still, with Herb back next year, Murray back, Zion in better shape (lol) and a lottery pick, they will be too good to outright tank for a top pick again.

Their position this year is largely due to injuries so they might let the ball roll again and see how they look next year with Trey taking Ingrams role, a top pick and Murray back.

If anything I’d even include Dick in that offer I proposed above to make it more enticing. IQ on a 4 year deal, Dick on a rookie deal and a top 6 pick for expiring CJ and 2

Idk man I really, really don't see them sticking with Zion much longer, all the excitement etc that the franchise had for him is just gone and the rumors around him have been endless. We might have to agree to disagree on this one but I really, really don't believe he will remain a Pelican past next year's deadline and I think IF he can remain relatively healthy without a MAJOR injury that they'll eventually find a team that will give them at least a couple of picks or so.

But all that aside, all I can say is wow you really love Harper eh?! lol I do like him too and I think he can be a jumbo Brunson long term which would be a GREAT player to have but I do think there is some slight downside risk with him. As he obviously doesn't have any elite physical attributes other than his strength as a guard and I know some people like to make the Harden comparison but Harden's handle and shooting were on a different level. Nonetheless I think he has the bball IQ/feel for the game that I don't expect him to be a bust.

Although I will say that I'm with you on trying to flip IQ for a bigger PG long term AND using Gradey in a trade package for an upgrade at another position while he still has a very high perceived value.

[BoyzNTheHood]

Drafting an offball wing with **** defense at 5 is wild. Carter Bryant clears McNeeley so hard once you realize he's an 80% ft shooter.

Carter Bryant sucks lol he’s so bad that I’ll be surprised if he declares this year. He needs more time. McNeeley clears him so easily it’s not even funny.

Like I said, McNeeley will end up as a top-10 player from the class. At the same time, I wouldn’t take him at our pick unless we drop past 10, but he’s really good. Straight killa.

Name me a young college wing with poor stock production, rim finishing, dunk rate and dribble J volume that panned out in the NBA let alone worthy of a t5 or even t14 selection.

Liam McNeeley (2025)

[PhilBlackson]

I've been saying this from the start of the season. There's a Masai x Maluach connection. However, we'll only take him if we draft outside of the top 4 (i.e., Flagg, Harper, Ace, VJ).

I can see Masai ties being a factor, but that is a really high pick for a player that will need some time before being productive in the NBA. Bigs always take long to get acclimated and I am not sure if this guy can play in .5 offense. We have a simplistic big in Orlando Robinson now and it looks rough.

I can see us also taking a player like McNeeley because look at our last first round picks: Gradey Dick (RSCI rank 16 in 2022) and Ja'Kobe Walter (RSCI rank 8 in 2023). Both were known highly ranked high school recruits.

Bobby tends to value that and has made comments about knowing/tracking players for many years. McNeeley is a Montverde Academy guy who played with Cooper Flagg and was RSCI ranked 10 in 2024.

He was a special high school player and a very impactful college player, leading his team as a freshman and would fit easily into our offensive schemes as a guy who works off ball screens and can do some secondary creation and brings some size at forward. A case can be made he fits well in Toronto.

We don't need anymore wings unless they're a lock to be a superstar and I don't see that in McNeely.

I couldn't disagree more in terms of the first part of your statement.

I agree that I definitely don't see a star in McNeeley but I do think we still need a wing defender to replace what we lost with OG (Ochai just isn't big enough or really at the level defensively), Scottie is a solid defender but he's not locking anyone up and/or I don't want him expending most of his energy chasing around the best player on the other team but the team absolutely could use more actual wings which nowadays are the forward positions (I don't think Mogbo will ever had the shooting to be a long term fit).

I'd still LOVE to add someone like Fleming. He's my #1 target if we can find a way to trade back into the mid 1st with either of Ochai or Gradey. He reminds me so much of Eason but actually has a better handle/can use his left hand lol. You see the effect guys like Eason and Amen have had for HOU (I'd argue their defence has been THE key to the Rockets ascension). I'd want to mimic some of that by adding players like Fleming, Byrd as defensive wings that can terrorize opposing wings/guards. That's not something I'm asking either of BI or Scottie to do long term but like Green (scorer)/Sengun (scoring facilitator) (similar dynamic to BI/Scottie), those defensive wings would help everything else come together. Especially if we could also get a big that has the threat of jumper to space the floor.

[TNRaps4life]

Watch on YouTube

[PhilBlackson]

Watch on YouTube

Like a lot of us are saying, I really do think Khaman is THE player that our FO has their eyes set on (and I say that as a poster that still loves Queen as a player/prospect). But especially after trading for BI, to me it feels like they're not (rightfully) as confident they'll be able to crack the top 3 to get one of Flagg or Bailey, so they made the move for Ingram and Yak is a GREAT vet but he still isn't quite the right timeline OR fit.

Khaman's upside could be near ideal. We've seen with Luka/Lively, Garland/Mobley or Allen etc, how deadly a lob threat in a PnR could be which he should be at minimum and his TOUCH around the basket is VERY underrated imo. So if he's learning some footwork from Yak the first little bit that could be tremendous help to his development plus of course we'll continue to hone his shooting which could completely change the dynamics of everything offensively and really open things up for Scottie and RJ in particular. He's obviously not Shaq lol but he is one BIG dude that moves relatively quickly for his size and that will continue to fill out an already big frame. If we develop some more post moves with his frame and touch around the basket (and even further out), he could really end up being one of the best players from this draft class and I'm sure given our track record of developing players that our FO is drooling over the opportunity to build out his game. Personally I think outside of the top 3, Khaman is the player I'd be most low-key excited about because if we hit on him, I think he has the potential to blow the other remaining prospects outta the water with maybe the exception of Kasp (although I'm interested to see how he does against better athletes/competition).

[Psubs]

I can see Masai ties being a factor, but that is a really high pick for a player that will need some time before being productive in the NBA. Bigs always take long to get acclimated and I am not sure if this guy can play in .5 offense. We have a simplistic big in Orlando Robinson now and it looks rough.

I can see us also taking a player like McNeeley because look at our last first round picks: Gradey Dick (RSCI rank 16 in 2022) and Ja'Kobe Walter (RSCI rank 8 in 2023). Both were known highly ranked high school recruits.

Bobby tends to value that and has made comments about knowing/tracking players for many years. McNeeley is a Montverde Academy guy who played with Cooper Flagg and was RSCI ranked 10 in 2024.

He was a special high school player and a very impactful college player, leading his team as a freshman and would fit easily into our offensive schemes as a guy who works off ball screens and can do some secondary creation and brings some size at forward. A case can be made he fits well in Toronto.

We don't need anymore wings unless they're a lock to be a superstar and I don't see that in McNeely.

I couldn't disagree more in terms of the first part of your statement.

I agree that I definitely don't see a star in McNeeley but I do think we still need a wing defender to replace what we lost with OG (Ochai just isn't big enough or really at the level defensively), Scottie is a solid defender but he's not locking anyone up and/or I don't want him expending most of his energy chasing around the best player on the other team but the team absolutely could use more actual wings which nowadays are the forward positions (I don't think Mogbo will ever had the shooting to be a long term fit).

I'd still LOVE to add someone like Fleming. He's my #1 target if we can find a way to trade back into the mid 1st with either of Ochai or Gradey. He reminds me so much of Eason but actually has a better handle/can use his left hand lol. You see the effect guys like Eason and Amen have had for HOU (I'd argue their defence has been THE key to the Rockets ascension). I'd want to mimic some of that by adding players like Fleming, Byrd as defensive wings that can terrorize opposing wings/guards. That's not something I'm asking either of BI or Scottie to do long term but like Green (scorer)/Sengun (scoring facilitator) (similar dynamic to BI/Scottie), those defensive wings would help everything else come together. Especially if we could also get a big that has the threat of jumper to space the floor.

With around 1.5 stls and 1.5 blcks Rasheer is mobile enough to guard 3-5 in the NBA. We have guards that can guard 1-2. Jakobe locked down PG (though he is in a slump). Ochai isn't always big enough. I guess Mogbo is the bench wing defender. Rasheer could eventually start at PF and have Scottie at SF on offense. Rasheer would be used to expend more energy on defense than Scottie on the forward matchups.

[PhilBlackson]

We don't need anymore wings unless they're a lock to be a superstar and I don't see that in McNeely.

Spoiler:

I couldn't disagree more in terms of the first part of your statement.

I agree that I definitely don't see a star in McNeeley but I do think we still need a wing defender to replace what we lost with OG (Ochai just isn't big enough or really at the level defensively), Scottie is a solid defender but he's not locking anyone up and/or I don't want him expending most of his energy chasing around the best player on the other team but the team absolutely could use more actual wings which nowadays are the forward positions (I don't think Mogbo will ever had the shooting to be a long term fit).

I'd still LOVE to add someone like Fleming. He's my #1 target if we can find a way to trade back into the mid 1st with either of Ochai or Gradey. He reminds me so much of Eason but actually has a better handle/can use his left hand lol. You see the effect guys like Eason and Amen have had for HOU (I'd argue their defence has been THE key to the Rockets ascension). I'd want to mimic some of that by adding players like Fleming, Byrd as defensive wings that can terrorize opposing wings/guards. That's not something I'm asking either of BI or Scottie to do long term but like Green (scorer)/Sengun (scoring facilitator) (similar dynamic to BI/Scottie), those defensive wings would help everything else come together. Especially if we could also get a big that has the threat of jumper to space the floor.

With around 1.5 stls and 1.5 blcks Rasheer is mobile enough to guard 3-5 in the NBA. We have guards that can guard 1-2. Jakobe locked down PG (though he is in a slump). Ochai isn't always big enough. I guess Mogbo is the bench wing defender. Rasheer could eventually start at PF and have Scottie at SF on offense. Rasheer would be used to expend more energy on defense than Scottie on the forward matchups.

Exactly!

Also I don't think Mogbo will ever be quite the level of shooter necessary to be effective at spacing the floor for Scottie. I don't think Rasheer will remain above 40% as a NBA player lol but his mechanics look WAY better than JMo's and he hits them with a higher degree of difficulty. The key is his 3pt shot is at least one you can't just sag off of him like a Ben Simmons as they do with Mogbo. But he's also physically bigger which will help even more with the all the beasts in the East.

Can't say enough how much I'd like to get him with another pick, he reminds me a ton of Eason and again we can see how Amen/Eason's defence has completely changed HOU's trajectory as a franchise which is why I'd love to get players like Byrd & Fleming here to play similar roles even if obv Byrd isn't the physical speciman Thompson is. Byrd also averages 2.8spg* (GREAT on ball pressure) & 1.5bpg and we seen how much our FO was rumored to like Dyson Daniels. I'm not saying Byrd will be THAT level (not completely ruling it out either because he's a smuthering defender himself) but he also presents the upside to space the floor with a 83% FT shooting rate that again I think he can become another player that's at a legit threat to make 3s to open up the floor. If we hit on those 2, I think it could do wonders for the team moving forward.

[Psubs]

Spoiler:

I couldn't disagree more in terms of the first part of your statement.

I agree that I definitely don't see a star in McNeeley but I do think we still need a wing defender to replace what we lost with OG (Ochai just isn't big enough or really at the level defensively), Scottie is a solid defender but he's not locking anyone up and/or I don't want him expending most of his energy chasing around the best player on the other team but the team absolutely could use more actual wings which nowadays are the forward positions (I don't think Mogbo will ever had the shooting to be a long term fit).

I'd still LOVE to add someone like Fleming. He's my #1 target if we can find a way to trade back into the mid 1st with either of Ochai or Gradey. He reminds me so much of Eason but actually has a better handle/can use his left hand lol. You see the effect guys like Eason and Amen have had for HOU (I'd argue their defence has been THE key to the Rockets ascension). I'd want to mimic some of that by adding players like Fleming, Byrd as defensive wings that can terrorize opposing wings/guards. That's not something I'm asking either of BI or Scottie to do long term but like Green (scorer)/Sengun (scoring facilitator) (similar dynamic to BI/Scottie), those defensive wings would help everything else come together. Especially if we could also get a big that has the threat of jumper to space the floor.

With around 1.5 stls and 1.5 blcks Rasheer is mobile enough to guard 3-5 in the NBA. We have guards that can guard 1-2. Jakobe locked down PG (though he is in a slump). Ochai isn't always big enough. I guess Mogbo is the bench wing defender. Rasheer could eventually start at PF and have Scottie at SF on offense. Rasheer would be used to expend more energy on defense than Scottie on the forward matchups.

Exactly!

Also I don't think Mogbo will ever be quite the level of shooter necessary to be effective at spacing the floor for Scottie. I don't think Rasheer will remain above 40% as a NBA player lol but his mechanics look WAY better than JMo's and he hits them with a higher degree of difficulty. The key is his 3pt shot is at least one you can't just sag off of him like a Ben Simmons as they do with Mogbo. But he's also physically bigger which will help even more with the all the beasts in the East.

Can't say enough how much I'd like to get him with another pick, he reminds me a ton of Eason and again we can see how Amen/Eason's defence has completely changed HOU's trajectory as a franchise which is why I'd love to get players like Byrd & Fleming here to play similar roles even if obv Byrd isn't the physical speciman Thompson is. Byrd also averages 2.8spg* (GREAT on ball pressure) & 1.5bpg and we seen how much our FO was rumored to like Dyson Daniels. I'm not saying Byrd will be THAT level (not completely ruling it out either because he's a smuthering defender himself) but he also presents the upside to space the floor with a 83% FT shooting rate that again I think he can become another player that's at a legit threat to make 3s to open up the floor. If we hit on those 2, I think it could do wonders for the team moving forward.

So, Memphis might secretly not want to pay Ja Morant max money like Sacramento not wanting to pay Fox, since they know they aren't worth that. They see that Desmond Bane should get more shots. I think might've been one of the only ones on the Demond Bane train despite him being an upperclassman. Fleming is strong like Bane and he always looks balanced when shooting. To me he may not be a "movement" shooter but he looks reliable at 37-41%. Heck look at Pascal shooting 38.6% last season and 40.7 this season. Had he shown that in Toronto, I would've been okay paying him $40 million per year.

Byrd has more steals than to's and and good A/T. Could he be a better defensive Delon Wright? They would definitely like trade RJ, Dick and Poeltl for KD and Nik Richards as they have too many SG's.

[Dalek]

Carter Bryant sucks lol he’s so bad that I’ll be surprised if he declares this year. He needs more time. McNeeley clears him so easily it’s not even funny.

Like I said, McNeeley will end up as a top-10 player from the class. At the same time, I wouldn’t take him at our pick unless we drop past 10, but he’s really good. Straight killa.

Name me a young college wing with poor stock production, rim finishing, dunk rate and dribble J volume that panned out in the NBA let alone worthy of a t5 or even t14 selection.

Liam McNeeley (2025)

The lazy comps that most will go to are the spot-up shooter types like Doug McDermott and Same Merrill. I think it reduces what Liam can be because I think he is a better athlete than both.

I think for low stl and blk% and being a scorer, RJ Barrett comes to mind. He dunked more, but Liam rebounds a lot better and is drawing more freethrows.

Low dunks and good scoring but better defensive numbers - I see Austin Reeves. Liam is only in his first year so he could likely exceed Austin Reaves if given more time in college. I actually think Liam and Austin are a pretty good comp at the end of the day.

[Dalek]

Watch on YouTube

I like Ben Pfieffer for his outsider opinions. He was also really high on Chomche and Yves Missi last year.

[UnbelievablyRAW]

Spoiler:

I don't see the Pelicans trading down one way or the other. They already let it be known they were making EVERYONE available not named Murphy or Jones.

Who knows when Murray will be back or how effective as a non shooter he'll be coming back from an Achilles. I think they're looking to re-start things all over again, Harper gives them that lead guard that they lack and then they will look to flip Zion again either in the off-season or at the next deadline but as soon as they can rebuild Zion's trade value to a point that they can get several picks (2+) because due to his injury there was rumors no one wanted to give up more than a single pick. But once they get closer to their asking, I think they bottom out for 26' in a hunt for AJ or Boozer.

But Harper would actually be a GREAT fit for them with Trey & Herb and 2026 is absolutely LOADED with wings to start replacing some of the higher end talent that they lost with giving up on the Zion/BI duo. TBH I think this will kinda be like Scottie's draft where no one will want to trade out of the top 3. The only trades for us that I can potentially see happening, is using Ochai (most likely) to trade back into somewhere in the mid to early late 1st to grab a player a defensive wing like Fleming or CMB to try & fill some of the void OG left

.

I think they won’t get good value from Zion so they might as well keep him and maybe start building more around Trey. Same issue the Hawks had with Trae

Even still, with Herb back next year, Murray back, Zion in better shape (lol) and a lottery pick, they will be too good to outright tank for a top pick again.

Their position this year is largely due to injuries so they might let the ball roll again and see how they look next year with Trey taking Ingrams role, a top pick and Murray back.

If anything I’d even include Dick in that offer I proposed above to make it more enticing. IQ on a 4 year deal, Dick on a rookie deal and a top 6 pick for expiring CJ and 2

Idk man I really, really don't see them sticking with Zion much longer, all the excitement etc that the franchise had for him is just gone and the rumors around him have been endless. We might have to agree to disagree on this one but I really, really don't believe he will remain a Pelican past next year's deadline and I think IF he can remain relatively healthy without a MAJOR injury that they'll eventually find a team that will give them at least a couple of picks or so.

But all that aside, all I can say is wow you really love Harper eh?! lol I do like him too and I think he can be a jumbo Brunson long term which would be a GREAT player to have but I do think there is some slight downside risk with him. As he obviously doesn't have any elite physical attributes other than his strength as a guard and I know some people like to make the Harden comparison but Harden's handle and shooting were on a different level. Nonetheless I think he has the bball IQ/feel for the game that I don't expect him to be a bust.

Although I will say that I'm with you on trying to flip IQ for a bigger PG long term AND using Gradey in a trade package for an upgrade at another position while he still has a very high perceived value.

I think he has an elite first step and was unguardable one on one for a lot of the first few months of the season. I don’t think his shot is broken at all and I think he can be a 36-38% 3pt shooter. The interior finishing is elite stuff as well.

I think moving off IQ for CJ allows us to clean up the books a bit because if we just let CJ expire in the hypothetical then we turned IQ’s 33M contract into Harper’s 9.5M and save like 23M. Allows us to resign RJ if they want as well.