Love the trade. He is a really good player. Just hope we don't lose a top draft pick by sneaking in the playoffs.
That's the point.
We just got a top draft pick named Thomas.
And we still have 5 first round picks in the next two drafts.
Ainge is awesome.
Thomas is literally the furthest thing from a top draft pick.
Is that a joke or are you being needlessly pedantic?
Thomas was the furthest thing from a top draft pick. Now, he's at least lottery level value.
+1....I agree with this.
Almost no player is drafted on anything but potential. A proven commodity, especially one as offensively gifted as IT is worth far more than a maybe.
Here are the 18 players drafted 5-10 in the last 3 years' draft. I can only say definitively that I would take three (plus Smart) of them over IT, and only one, Lillard (some would argue Drummond, but he still has a long way to go) is a proven commodity:
Exum,
Smart*
Randle,
Stauskas,
Vonleh,
Payton,
Len,
Noel*,
McLemore,
Pope,
Burke,
McCollum,
TRob,
Lillard***,
Barnes,
Ross,
Drummond**,
Rivers
I think that it's safe to assume that if IT was to be drafted today, with people knowing that he will become what he is today, is a value at 5-10 in the draft.