Ya what you have to remember is that half the noise coming out of these places is just smoke. It doesn't do a team a lot of good to have everybody know they like player X in spot Y. That kind of stuff is often a message to teams below them that if you want plyer X you can't just wait around and take him where you are you have to trade with us and move up. Thats what the Trae young stuff feels like to me. In some cases a team just puts it out there they like a guy to try and boost his value so that a team above them take hi and the guy they really wnat falls to them. It other cases a player is stiffing the team so they throw it out there that they never wanted him anyway just to head off a PR disaster, that may be what the Kings and Hawks are thinking with Doncic. Alot to consider.
Also, I think the MEM pick is the more likely pick we would move to trade up. The SAC pick is more valuable, but theres also a chance it lands #1 and the team acquiring it gets a pick in the 20's. The MEM pick may have a lower expected value, buts its safe. 1-8, 1-6, unprotected means you are either getting a pick in the back half of the lottery (cuz Mem isnt making the playoffs) or an even better pick a couple years from now. So what value does 9-13 next year + Rozier and maybe #27 (since we probably don't need two rookies next year). That may be enough to get you up to 5-7 depending on who teams fall in love with.