Cap Room vs the Draft

[celticpride1]

What will be a better way to build the draft or having the cap room to go after free agents. Or does Danny use the assets that he has to get people via trade. I think you may see a little of both. Now what are some peoples thoughts on this?

[LilRip]

i would take the draft. cap room is useless unless you can fill it with productive players.

trades work with either one, but i still think "draft" option helps trades more. a high pick packaged with a bad and expensive player can still look like a good package.

[Depalma2002]

There is no "best" way.Some championship contenders have been built primarily through the draft, some primarily through free agency, some through trades, and some through a blend of the three. There have also been bottom feeders who got to where they are by using the same methods.

I like the way Ainge is staying flexible. Freeing up some cap space and collecting draft picks which are flexible assets that can be used to make selections or trades. He is not committed to a strategy right now.

He will continue to add assets and build value and when the first opportunity comes for a major move (either through draft, free agency, or trade) then that will ultimately dictate the strategy for the remainder of the rebuild.

[Rhyso]

I think cap room is very important along with having a proven star on the team already and some young talent on cheap contracts. The positive in signing free agents over draft picks is that you know what you are getting, there are no secrets or potential waiting to be untapped. High draft picks have the potential to under achieve and building exclusively around a pick is very risky IMO.

My ideal rebuild would involve keeping Rondo, Sully, Olynyk and maybe Bradley then trading everyone else for whatever you can get to help lose games (except Wallace, he isn't going anywhere).

Sure maybe these players (Rondo) may hinder the chances for a top 3 pick, but ground can be made up by signing players like Monroe, Deng, Stephenson, Hayward etc along with a top 10 pick and a $10mil trade exception. Then you wait to trade a bunch of future picks for a star player.