PhilBlackson wrote:Ell Curry wrote:PhilBlackson wrote:Idk why ppl are so worried about conveying, it’s not like if we don’t this year that next year SAS will be able to draft Flagg or Bailey lol it’s still top 6 protected next too but at least we’d likely already have a core level prospect added to the roster..
The Spurs can hit on a non top 6 pick in either year lol there’s no way of predicting. I’ve heard the very top players ie/ top 5 will be better but again that’s not an issue with our protection. I actually think our odds are likely better that we get a really good player in the top 6 of this year even more so than outside the top 6 of next and again we get them here sooner and can he better earlier. We can also just easily be back in the top 6 next year since we don’t have half a season of Pascal.
Next year has some strong prospects, and with Barnes we're probably not going to be so bad that we're in the bottom 5, so missing out on say the 7th or 8th pick could be disastrous next year. That's probably the best chance of us finding a Paul George, Wagner, Haliburton, Booker, Donovan Mitchell, Markkanenn, SGA 2nd half of the lottery star.
You’d have to show me which prospects OUTSIDE of the top 6 of next year’s draft are “so much better” than guys like Sarr, Holland, TS, Big Z…because I suspect it’s negligible at best and if you don’t think we’ll be bad enough to be top 6 then it only makes even more sense to add again what would likely be a comparable talent now vs later.
I think of it more this way:
1. Flagg, Bailey and the 3-6 kinda guys seem to be rated higher than this year's picks, so it seems fair to assume that the #8 pick in next year's draft should have more value than the #5 or #6 prospect in this one.
2. There's no chatter about this 2025 being a weak draft. This draft already has that reputation by this point last year, as draft analysts seem to agree with the Raps rationale (deal itself another matter) for the Poeltl trade and openly said they were down on the 2024 draft.
3. Conversely, there is definitely a case for hoping we get a high pick this draft, draft someone and play them and Grady a ton and tank hard just by virtue of them being young and therefore bad (and probably moving Bruce Brown) and hey, maybe we end up with Flagg or Bailey in 2025. If we draft Sarr, we can also move Poeltl for a pick and strengthen the tank and add an asset.