Protecting a Pick Swap

Alonzo_Morning · Post #1 » by **Alonzo_Morning** » Fri Jul 1, 2022 1:59 pm

Legal? Can't find the info anywhere and I've never seen it happen before

Eg. Lakers owe a pick swap with Pelicans in 2023. Could they have protected it 1-4?

giberish · Post #2 » by **giberish** » Sat Jul 2, 2022 2:55 am

Alonzo_Morning wrote:Legal? Can't find the info anywhere and I've never seen it happen before

Eg. Lakers owe a pick swap with Pelicans in 2023. Could they have protected it 1-4?

Sure. No problem.

Instead of: NO gets the better 1st round pick between their own and the Lakers. The Lakers get the lessor 1st round pick between their own and Pells.

Now it's: NO gets the better 1st round pick between their own and the Lakers. The Lakers get the lessor 1st round pick between their own and Pells. Unless the Lakers pick is in the top-4 picks in the draft, in which case both teams keep their own 1st round pick.

Obviously at the time, either NO insisted on unprotected picks/swaps to move Davis (and the Lakers went along despite the Pells low leverage)' LA just couldn't conceive of drafting that high going forward; or LA was lazy.

HornetJail · Post #3 » by **HornetJail** » Sat Jul 2, 2022 10:20 pm

yes. there are a couple of them out there in the league right now:

The 2025 1st swap Houston sent OKC in the Westbrook trade is top 10 protected. to further complicate that, Houston then received the rights to swap whatever pick they do get that year with Brooklyn in the Harden trade.
https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/future_drafts/detailed

2025 first round draft pick from Oklahoma City or Brooklyn (swap, Houston outgoing to Oklahoma City or Brooklyn)
Oklahoma City has the right to swap its 2025 1st round pick for Houston's 2025 1st round pick protected for selections 1-10 or the L.A. Clippers' 2025 1st round pick; Houston then has the right to swap its pick or the Oklahoma City pick for Brooklyn's 2025 1st round pick; if the Houston pick falls within its protected range, then Houston's obligation to Oklahoma City will be extinguished and Houston will instead receive the more favorable of its pick and the Brooklyn pick and Brooklyn will receive the less favorable of the two [L.A. Clippers-Oklahoma City, 7/10/2019; Houston-Oklahoma City, 7/16/2019; Brooklyn-Cleveland-Houston-Indiana, 1/16/2021]