stitches wrote:At some point we have to STOP trading our draft picks and/or players on rookie contracts for old/overpaid vets. We need to target players whose value is likely to exceed their cost salary-wise. We have plenty enough players who are overpaid now. This is especially true in a shrinking market and with Mitchell and Gobert likely receiving new big money soon. We need the next Kuzma/Herro/Robinson. Players that are cheap but able to play and compensate for the bad decisions we have already made on expensive vets(Ed Davis, Conley)... Most everything good on this team has come from either our picks or UDFAs.
To a large extent I agree with you. However, in this particular situation where Mitchell is a star but on the final year of his rookie contract, Gobert is set to make even more money in two years and there are a couple of vets that have only a couple of years left on their contracts, I think you have to go all in for at least this next year if you are the Jazz and the opportunity presents itself. Griffin is a swing for the fences move for me.
For some perspective, here are the #23 picks over the past twenty years. Picking in the 20s is rarely going to get a difference maker.
Number 23
Year Player School/Country – Team
2019 Darius Bazley, Princeton High School (OH) – Oklahoma City Thunder
2018 Aaron Holiday, UCLA – Indiana Pacers
2017 OG Anunoby, Indiana – Toronto Raptors
2016 Ante Zizic, Croatia – Boston Celtics
2015 Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Arizona – Portland Trail Blazers
2014 Rodney Hood, Duke – Utah Jazz
2013 Solomon Hill, Arizona – Indiana Pacers
2012 John Jenkins, Vanderbilt – Atlanta Hawks
2011 Nikola Mirotic, Montenegro – Houston Rockets
2010 Trevor Booker, Clemson University – Minnesota Timberwolves
2000’s
2009 Omri Casspi, Israel – Sacramento Kings
2008 Kosta Koufos, Ohio State – Utah Jazz
2007 Wilson Chandler, DePaul – New York Knicks
2006 Josh Boone, Connecticut – New Jersey Nets
2005 Francisco Garcia, Louisville – Sacramento Kings
2004 Sergei Monia, CSKA Moscow (Russia) – Portland Trail Blazers
2003 Travis Outlaw, Starkville HS (Miss.) – Portland Trail Blazers
2002 Tayshaun Prince, Kentucky – Detroit Pistons
2001 Brandon Armstrong, Pepperdine – Houston Rockets
2000 DeShawn Stevenson, Washington Union HS (Calif.) – Utah Jazz