What should an expansion team's draft strategy be?

[ijspeelman]

Say the Supersonics + another team get added as expansion teams. What strategies are their to get the most out of the expansion draft? Do you worry about large salaries (or intentionally grab them to help other teams free up cap)? Do you grab only the youngest players? Do you grab only the best players?

[oldncreaky]

Accumulate tradeable and (if possible) appreciating assets. It's going to take at least a couple of years to build up enough on-court talent to look like more than a GLeague team, so you gotta be patient.

Don't assume anyone you draft will be on your roster in even 12 months

[PhilBlackson]

BPA.

[Big J]

Keep salaries low with the expansion draft and sign a bunch of big name free agents with the rest of your cap space.

[DAWill1128]

Well, you could go with proven vets and attempt to trade them at the deadline for picks. Or you could go with strictly young guys and try to develop them by getting them playing time. Or you could do a 50/50 split.

Highest contender trade value vs highest upside player.

[hauntedcomputer]

There's something to be said for fielding an entertaining team and filling seats. The Charlotte Hornets grabbed Dell Curry and Muggsy Bogues and Bogues immediately became the heart and soul of the team. That was a scrappy bunch in the early years and they were always putting up a fight even with bad records. They also traded for Kelly Tripucka who was their first all-star and big scorer. They already had an identity when LJ and Zo came along a few years later, even though it didn't get a ring, it was still a good run for a while not long out of the gate.

I'd go for "put people in seats" while also accumulating draft picks. I didn't know this until I checked, but both the Heat and Hornets got draft picks in trade for agreeing not to take certain players. Of course you could also combine that with taking on a dump for draft picks. Getting a guy like Westbrook and picks would make sense--you get an entertainer on a bad team as well as assets. I'd probably grab a fading star or two as well if you get guys who will be good mentors and role players instead of sulking.

I don't think I'd want to start out tanking for five years and risking never getting a real fan base. But then I'd be thinking like an owner and GM and not a fan, wanting to build a multi-billion-dollar business asset over the long haul.

[Lalouie]

..

[chrbal]

You’re going to have fans for the first few seasons regardless, in my opinion. So I think you should;

Draft best player available regardless of position with the first pick. Try for best player available with something of a focus on need with any other pick(s).

Then
1- pick as many young upside guys as you can get without fielding a team full of them. Especially if you can get them on first round pick rookie deals.

2- grab up as many guys you can that you get picks for taking and/or trading. You’re really going to have to build through the draft no matter what. So you might as well pick up as many extra picks as possible.

3- Fill out the remaining roster with solid, but overpriced, vets with 2-3 seasons left on their deal. You don’t want to full “Sixers-the process”, but at the same time you don’t want to be a 30 win team until the 3rd or 4th season. You don’t want to pick up a guy who’s useless in the NBA at the moment. So you wouldn’t pick up Kemba Walker off Detroit just to do it, for example.

4- try to leave a spot or so open to trade for or waiver claim other teams players that didn’t pan out.

My opinion, you’d want to be a bottom 3-4 team for at least the first two, possibly 3 seasons. After that start moving towards improving the season by season win total.

[Wolveswin]

Tank.

With inaugural rookie draft pick, BPA.

With expansion draft, big name, past prime, needing plenty of “load management” days of rest. Run them out for most home games, rest (errrr tank) all road games. Maybe one plays well enough to warrant a ring chasing team to trade an asset for such a veteran.

With cap space while tanking, take on as many bad contracts as possible with assets attached.

[TravisScott55]

a lot of it depends on their market. Small market acquire draft assets and try to get a few high picks, big market can collect assets and remain competitive until a big fish comes

[76ciology]

Get win now players then sell for picks to teams looking to make the playoffs by trade deadline.

If these win now players are not available, then go for guys with high upside and not ready to contribute.

Then play the season with these two group of guys, whereas the win now players would look great because of high usage, that allows you to pump and dump by the deadline

Tank hard after the deadline with picks and these high upside and not ready to contribute.

Having this balance also would let the league turn a blind eye with the tanking for you have been trying to win before the deadline with these vets

Sixers kind of did this with Hawes, Thad Young and Evan Turner during the 2012-2013 season

[Almond2Oak]

Depending on what city you’re in, that’s key… but if you’re in a big market and the FA class is good. Just sign 3 big names and sell them on market, endorsements and brand and then fill roster out with guys who want to win.

[zimpy27]

I'd be trying to get teams to pay me wit picks to take their trash.
Then I'd be bringing in long term contracts or rookie deals with upside.

Long term asset accumulation is the name of the game.

[G R E Y]

Don't pick the guy who threatens to chain himself to a radiator if he gets picked by the expansion team. Or the player who openly pouts when drafted by one after bluntly stating he doesn't want to play there.

[shangrila]

Prioritise, in this rough order;

1. Young players. There may not be many that aren't protected but there might be a few that are buried on a bench somewhere that are worth taking a flyer on.
2. Short/smaller contracts. You want as much capspace as quickly as possible. Don't take on the Duncan Robinson's of the world.
3. Good players...to flip for assets.

[alevirfe]

the reality is that a GM is tasked with selling tickets, especially for a new franchise. they would focus on getting big names to put people in seats. I think a player like Westbrook is a lot more attractive than we would think

[Ruma85]

Say the Supersonics + another team get added as expansion teams. What strategies are their to get the most out of the expansion draft? Do you worry about large salaries (or intentionally grab them to help other teams free up cap)? Do you grab only the youngest players? Do you grab only the best players?

Why would a expansion team help other teams free up cap space?

Do you grab only the youngest players? Do you grab only the best player? I mix of both would be the best approach unless your looking to add a top pick or picks for the next draft, your approach would be to get younger guys and just a few qaulity vets.

I actually think things going to happen quite quickly when it comes to expansion it is finally time and a little over due.

[Ruma85]

Depending on what city you’re in, that’s key… but if you’re in a big market and the FA class is good. Just sign 3 big names and sell them on market, endorsements and brand and then fill roster out with guys who want to win.

The key depending on what city is not important here as the two next cities that would be added would not be very small markets.

[Ruma85]

Get win now players then sell for picks to teams looking to make the playoffs by trade deadline.

If these win now players are not available, then go for guys with high upside and not ready to contribute.

Then play the season with these two group of guys, whereas the win now players would look great because of high usage, that allows you to pump and dump by the deadline

Tank hard after the deadline with picks and these high upside and not ready to contribute.

Having this balance also would let the league turn a blind eye with the tanking for you have been trying to win before the deadline with these vets

Sixers kind of did this with Hawes, Thad Young and Evan Turner during the 2012-2013 season

Sixers kind of did this with Hawes, Thad Young and Evan Turner during the 2012-2013 season, as huge sixers fan, I agree with this, They won’t blantley tanking during the whole Tinker period.

[wegotthabeet]

pre-expansion draft: some teams have more than 8 guys they want to keep, but they can't protect more than 8. some teams have albatross contracts they want to get rid of. negotiate with teams before the expansion draft to accumulate assets in exchange for either selecting or not selecting a specific player. you might find one or two players you actually want to keep longterm, but mostly this is about gaining more picks and assets using the blank cap space.

pre NBA draft: more of the same. use cap space to accumulate assets. try to move up from 4 or 5 to the top 3 if there's someone you really like who you can see as the future face of the franchise.

post draft(s): invest heavily into player development.