2025 NBA Draft Discussion Part 8

[Grew]

Read on Twitter

Lots of teams within the top 5 are interested in Maluach ....Don't look like he will make it to 9th...

This is excellent news.

If he goes before 9 he needs to bust. If he hits on the potential of being a lob threat, rim protector who can stretch the floor and guard the perimeter... People here are going to flame masai for not trading up for the next 10 years. He's basically a unicorn if he can do all those things, if he's moving into the top 5, teams believe he can. College is not the NBA. Athletic testing is not in game capability.

[Clutch0z24]

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Lots of teams within the top 5 are interested in Maluach ....Don't look like he will make it to 9th...

This is excellent news.

No where mentioned top 5. It is meant for the 14th pick. Spurs has 2 picks.

Post suggest they could trade down from 2 as well to get him + More assets.

[WuTang_OG]

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[ATLTimekeeper]

The upgrade doesn't have to be linear. There are more teams that can use an expiring Johnson vs an expiring Barrett in a year's time. Even RJ's biggest supporters will agree that he's hard to fit in a lot of places. By doing the swap, we maintain the salary/term and increase the potential destinations/trade partners.

The Nets also have a lot of 2027 picks that can be included to round things out. If the FO doesn't like the back half of the lottery, why not move off of RJ and bring in a better trade asset in Johnson, pick a player later in the draft at a lower guaranteed salary for further cap flexibility, and add pick capital in the future?

We just threw 2 full seasons just to end up with #9. You're arguing we need to move down to get off RJ's negative asset with what amounts to an easier to trade UFA (who would be 31 at that time) and a small amount of cap room.

Yes, + future pick capital AND IF the FO doesn't like its options in the back half of the lottery. I think we both agree that they know better than all of us what the value of that slot is, no?

If the FO doesn't like its options at 9, why do they like its options at 20? What future draft capital is Brooklyn throwing in here since you already argue that Cam Johnson has more trade value than RJ?

I wholeheartedly disagree that they know better the value of that slot. The NBA is full of examples of great drafting teams that traded down or out and got it wrong. It's a bad risk.

Just from an optics standpoint, you just told everyone to sit tight for two seasons. All for Cam Johnson and some extra picks of unknown quantity and range?

[mihaic]

We literally just tried to trade him at the trade deadline and a team like the poverty Pelicans said nah I’m good on RJ.

Knicks immediately went from a play in team to winning at a 80% rate by simply replacing him with OG in the starting line up.





It turns out that it’s probably a wise idea to upgrade on a guy that’s on both these lists and is a weak defender too.

Masai will trade him as soon as he can find a team that wants him.

The second list only shows me that RJ is bad at FT. According to that list, Castle and Giannis should be out of the league. So yeah, "good" argument.

Besides the Pelicans did not get RJ as they needed to shed salary both short an long term, and wanted a pick.

Think before you post.

You can cope all you want. Masai is not giving him that extension. Look around the league, guards who are not efficient and can’t play defence are getting wiped out. There’s no place for them on playoff teams unless they come off the bench. Masai knows this. You’ll learn in due time.

Cope what. I have no problem if they trade him, but I simply don't think his value (or Giannis, or Castle in your stats) is as low as you suggest. You use bad reasoning to get to that conclusion.

[mihaic]

Maluach was a 5-star recruit and the #4 prospect entering college. He played professionally against grown men at 16 & 17 years old, and didn’t look out of on the court against NBA players during Olympic qualifiers.

He was the starting centre for one of the best NCAA teams in the country as an 18 year-old. He’s a projected Top 10 pick.

I get not believing in his ceiling or wanting the Raps to draft him. But writing him off to the point of projecting that him getting minutes means your teams season has “gone horribly wrong” is super weird to me. I don’t see any other prospect, especially one with his pedigree, get talked about like this.

Edey says hi. The experts here told me last year that Edey will be unplayable in NBA, and they wouldn't even draft him with the 2nd round pick.

I don't claim I know how Maluach will turn out, he could be a star, or bust, but some people here are soooo opinionated right?

Yet, Edey is better than Maluach in every category in Combine measurement, and his lane agility being 11.19 vs Maluach being 12.05 are massive.
The opinion that is based on result and stats will be more accurate than just "look likes".

I'll bookmark this. If it's massive and the draft is much stronger than last year, it means based on your assessment Maluach will drop a lot, way below #10. Let's revisit this after the draft and we will probably see it's not the case, Maluach will not last till #9 imo.

The scouts assess more than just combine result, obviously. Combine is a small part and not the most important in their decision.

I saw a couple of College games and Maluach looks fluid, I think he will fit in NBA. Including with his MNT ON Soudan against serious competition, he did alright imo. But Maluach was not utilized properly imo by his coach, he was an afterthought in their strategy.

I'll bookmark this!

[YogurtProducer]

We literally just tried to trade him at the trade deadline and a team like the poverty Pelicans said nah I’m good on RJ.

Probably preferred the cap space and picks. Who knows what our offer with RJ was.

Knicks immediately went from a play in team to winning at a 80% rate by simply replacing him with OG in the starting line up.

Knicks were 15-11 with RJ in the lineup, and 2-4 in games he missed pre-trade in 2023/24 as well.

Knicks also didn't win at an 80% rate this year lol. They went 20-3 in a super small sample after the trade before coming back down to earth thisyear.

It turns out that it’s probably a wise idea to upgrade on a guy that’s on both these lists and is a weak defender too.

Sure - if we could find a clear upgrade we would take it

Masai will trade him as soon as he can find a team that wants him.

Doubt it. Odds are we hold onto him unless its a clear upgrade. We're not salary dumping the guy ffs

[Tha Cynic]

People like shiny new rookies. No one analyzes things objectively. If RJ Barrett were in this draft he goes top 3, maybe 2. Even at 23, take RJ’s skill set and put it on an NCAA roster and you’re not trading this guy for the 19th pick and Cam Johnson, much less giving up 9.

That’s only because RJ would be on a rookie deal lol.

RJ is just not a winning player. I get that he’s Canadian and all that stuff but this is the same trap a lot of Demar fans fell for.

He will always be a guy that every single team wants to upgrade on when they go from a middling team to a team that’s serious about winning.

Knicks won’t be first team, we won’t be the last team, this will be his legacy for every team that he lands on.

There’s not a single playoff team that would take RJ over Johnson.

I don’t believe that for a second. And who are you for me to believe. Opinions are like ****. We all have one. Why should we care about yours?

This is true. We are all nobodies with opinions. But I agree with HumbleRen about RJ Barrett. Of course on the Raptors it doesn’t make sense as we need youth right now and a chance someone becomes a star.

But, who am I really either?

[Grew]

That’s only because RJ would be on a rookie deal lol.

RJ is just not a winning player. I get that he’s Canadian and all that stuff but this is the same trap a lot of Demar fans fell for.

He will always be a guy that every single team wants to upgrade on when they go from a middling team to a team that’s serious about winning.

Knicks won’t be first team, we won’t be the last team, this will be his legacy for every team that he lands on.

There’s not a single playoff team that would take RJ over Johnson.

I don’t believe that for a second. And who are you for me to believe. Opinions are like ****. We all have one. Why should we care about yours?

This is true. We are all nobodies with opinions. But I agree with HumbleRen about RJ Barrett. Of course on the Raptors it doesn’t make sense as we need youth right now and a chance someone becomes a star.

But, who am I really either?

Watch on YouTube

[James_Raptors]

He's not a good finisher, has a poor midrange game, below average 3pt shooter for his position, finishes with his predictable (left) hand, below average defender, below average FT shooter. RJ is an overpaid 6th-man or the type of guy teams like Washington, Sacramento and their ilk trade for and add into their starting lineup. He was the 3rd best player (sorry Precious) in that 3 player trade. If he wasn't Canadian this wouldn't be such an issue (with some people). If you're serious about winning you exclude RJ Barrett from your NBA roster.

[Indeed]

This is excellent news.

No where mentioned top 5. It is meant for the 14th pick. Spurs has 2 picks.

Post suggest they could trade down from 2 as well to get him + More assets.

And post suggest he isn't even being interested

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=0YpMScWXY2zRUqR8fH-usg

[Indeed]

Edey says hi. The experts here told me last year that Edey will be unplayable in NBA, and they wouldn't even draft him with the 2nd round pick.

I don't claim I know how Maluach will turn out, he could be a star, or bust, but some people here are soooo opinionated right?

Yet, Edey is better than Maluach in every category in Combine measurement, and his lane agility being 11.19 vs Maluach being 12.05 are massive.
The opinion that is based on result and stats will be more accurate than just "look likes".

I'll bookmark this. If it's massive and the draft is much stronger than last year, it means based on your assessment Maluach will drop a lot, way below #10. Let's revisit this after the draft and we will probably see it's not the case, Maluach will not last till #9 imo.

The scouts assess more than just combine result, obviously. Combine is a small part and not the most important in their decision.

I saw a couple of College games and Maluach looks fluid, I think he will fit in NBA. Including with his MNT ON Soudan against serious competition, he did alright imo. But Maluach was not utilized properly imo by his coach, he was an afterthought in their strategy.

I'll bookmark this!

You better. C spots are more based on needs, I think the earliest is the Bulls, unless there are trades involved.
And I also watch one or two full games, and I think the coach already did a lot for him.

Watch on YouTube

Was surprised you previously replied you weren't comparing both of them, yet come back and argue about his performance.

I was not comparing the two at all.

[Yallbecrazy]

Edey says hi. The experts here told me last year that Edey will be unplayable in NBA, and they wouldn't even draft him with the 2nd round pick.

I don't claim I know how Maluach will turn out, he could be a star, or bust, but some people here are soooo opinionated right?

Yet, Edey is better than Maluach in every category in Combine measurement, and his lane agility being 11.19 vs Maluach being 12.05 are massive.
The opinion that is based on result and stats will be more accurate than just "look likes".

I'll bookmark this. If it's massive and the draft is much stronger than last year, it means based on your assessment Maluach will drop a lot, way below #10. Let's revisit this after the draft and we will probably see it's not the case, Maluach will not last till #9 imo.

The scouts assess more than just combine result, obviously. Combine is a small part and not the most important in their decision.

I saw a couple of College games and Maluach looks fluid, I think he will fit in NBA. Including with his MNT ON Soudan against serious competition, he did alright imo. But Maluach was not utilized properly imo by his coach, he was an afterthought in their strategy.

I'll bookmark this!

You are waiting to say I told you so based on draft position and not performance?!?

[Grew]

No where mentioned top 5. It is meant for the 14th pick. Spurs has 2 picks.

Post suggest they could trade down from 2 as well to get him + More assets.

And post suggest he isn't even being interested

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=0YpMScWXY2zRUqR8fH-usg

Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if they were. Harper is redundant with Fox. Maluach and Wemby playing together would be a ridiculous amount of size. If they can get good enough assets to trade back, I could see it.

[Psubs]

Post suggest they could trade down from 2 as well to get him + More assets.

And post suggest he isn't even being interested

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=0YpMScWXY2zRUqR8fH-usg

Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if they were. Harper is redundant with Fox. Maluach and Wemby playing together would be a ridiculous amount of size. If they can get good enough assets to trade back, I could see it.

Aaaaah, Chicago or Atlanta might need to take Maluach so San Antonio doesn't get him at #14, should he slide out of the top 10.

[HumbleRen]

He's not a good finisher, has a poor midrange game, below average 3pt shooter for his position, finishes with his predictable (left) hand, below average defender, below average FT shooter. RJ is an overpaid 6th-man or the type of guy teams like Washington, Sacramento and their ilk trade for and add into their starting lineup. He was the 3rd best player (sorry Precious) in that 3 player trade. If he wasn't Canadian this wouldn't be such an issue (with some people). If you're serious about winning you exclude RJ Barrett from your NBA roster.

People get enamoured with his counting numbers.

[HumbleRen]

We literally just tried to trade him at the trade deadline and a team like the poverty Pelicans said nah I’m good on RJ.

Probably preferred the cap space and picks. Who knows what our offer with RJ was.

Knicks immediately went from a play in team to winning at a 80% rate by simply replacing him with OG in the starting line up.

Knicks were 15-11 with RJ in the lineup, and 2-4 in games he missed pre-trade in 2023/24 as well.

Knicks also didn't win at an 80% rate this year lol. They went 20-3 in a super small sample after the trade before coming back down to earth thisyear.

It turns out that it’s probably a wise idea to upgrade on a guy that’s on both these lists and is a weak defender too.

Sure - if we could find a clear upgrade we would take it

Masai will trade him as soon as he can find a team that wants him.

Doubt it. Odds are we hold onto him unless its a clear upgrade. We're not salary dumping the guy ffs

Masai would salary dump him, just not for the 19th pick.

Masai will not field a luxury tax team for an entire season for a 6-8th seed caliber team. If we do not get Giannis or any star in the off season, he’ll get rid of him by the trade deadline.

[PhilBlackson]

I flat out don't see Maluach falling past us (period) but I don't think he's gonna be there anyways.

You can claim it's smoke but as they say where there's smoke...there's usually fire. There's just too many rumours floating of teams before us liking Maluach. It's foolish to think it's some sort of massive conspiracy that all these teams are leaking this to get different prospects lol just put the tin foil hat away. In reality, you hear over & over from MULTIPLE outlets that are covering the draft that he has impressed GMs (period). I'd said this months ago but it's really not hard to imagine GMs seeing this huge 7'2 guy burying 3s and showing some decent fluidity with the ball in his hands for at least a couple of them to start drooling at the thought of "what if he only continues to get better?!" which considering he's just about turning 19 and only recently started getting high level training should be the thought. He's definitely going to need the right environment but clearly the tools are there.

Having said all that, I've genuinely pretty much let go of the idea that we're drafting him because again I think he's gone but ofc if he's not I'll be extremely happy because I'd believe in his potential especially here with our franchise's ability to develop





BUT I really don't even daydream about the scenario much anymore and have pretty much landed on that if we retain this pick -- then I'm taking Carter Bryant, he just flat out looks like a winning player and has all the right intangibles, physically and mentally.

Anytime he got playing time he had a legit impact that literally had everyone puzzled why Arizona didn't play him more. I think that lack of playing time could be a massive blessing in disguise for us that his draft stock is possibly even underrated (something like how it was for Booker, not saying he's the same level player) and really it might sound crazy right now but I could see a world where he could potentially become a better player than either of Bailey or VJ (he basically combines their traits), flame away if you want, I'm not saying he will but I don't think it's as outlandish of a take as some may think especially with his work ethic & mentality.

[HumbleRen]

I flat out don't see Maluach falling past us (period) but I don't think he's gonna be there anyways.

You can claim it's smoke but as they say where there's smoke...there's usually fire. There's just too many rumours floating of teams before us liking Maluach. It's foolish to think it's some sort of massive conspiracy that all these teams are leaking this to get different prospects lol just put the tin foil hat away. In reality, you hear over & over from MULTIPLE outlets that are covering the draft that he has impressed GMs (period). I'd said this months ago but it's really not hard to imagine GMs seeing this huge 7'2 guy burying 3s and showing some decent fluidity with the ball in his hands for at least a couple of them to start drooling at the thought of "what if he only continues to get better?!" which considering he's just about turning 19 and only recently started getting high level training should be the thought. He's definitely going to need the right environment but clearly the tools are there.

Having said all that, I've genuinely pretty much let go of the idea that we're drafting him because again I think he's gone but ofc if he's not I'll be extremely happy because I'd believe in his potential especially here with our franchise's ability to develop





BUT I really don't even daydream about the scenario much anymore and have pretty much landed on that if we retain this pick -- then I'm taking Carter Bryant, he just flat out looks like a winning player and has all the right intangibles, physically and mentally.

Anytime he got playing time he had a legit impact that literally had everyone puzzled why Arizona didn't play him more. I think that lack of playing time could be a massive blessing in disguise for us that his draft stock is possibly even underrated (something like how it was for Booker, not saying he's the same level player) and really it might sound crazy right now but I could see a world where he could potentially become a better player than either of Bailey or VJ, flame away if you want, I'm not saying he will but I don't think it's as outlandish of a take as some may think especially with his work ethic & mentality.

Carter is seems like a sure bet to be a 10 year vet in this league. It might take him a couple years to get his offence together like it did for OG but you live with that. He’ll be able to provide + minutes on his rookie contract and we’ll need that immediately at the wing position.

[Grew]

I was thinking the other day that Carter Bryant's game actually feels quite similar to Ace. Carter just didn't have someone press the ball into his hands and say do whatever you want with it.

Carters high school highlights are a lot of him knocking down smooth pull up jumpers, just like Ace. Neither has the handle to get to the rim by themselves, but they are good athletes who finish above the rim within the flow of the offense. Carter is an inch and a half shorter but his wingspan is better in relation to his height. Carter also has the more NBA ready body. Both these guys look smooth as can be, but they both need to figure out a handle to really become on ball players and hit their ceilings.

Carter just feels like that diamond in the rough, someone who is sort of like Ace on offense and maybe comparable to VJ on defense, while being in-between size wise. If he had been used in the way Ace and VJ were in college, I believe he has the skills to have solidified himself into being in the top 5 just like the other two. He doesn't have Ace's downside, if he never figures out how to create offense, then he's just going to be a prototypical 3+D wing. He doesn't have VJ's downside of being on the smaller side for a wing.

Could really be the steal of this draft, looks like a guy who will thrive in the NBA game.