Trade Idea: #3, #23, and 2017 BKN pick to Philly for #1

[colincb]

No. There isn't anyone one in this draft worth #3, #23, and 2017 BKN pick.

[Evantime34]

I'm not sure I would do that deal even if you took the third pick out. 2017 is supposed to be a great draft, the espn recruiting ranking has 25 5 star players in the 2017 class which is a record.

There is a strong chance Brooklyn will be a bottom 3 team in the league again, so I'm not moving that pick as a throw in, in this deal.

[action781]

I'm not sure I would do that deal even if you took the third pick out. 2017 is supposed to be a great draft, the espn recruiting ranking has 25 5 star players in the 2017 class which is a record.

There is a strong chance Brooklyn will be a bottom 3 team in the league again, so I'm not moving that pick as a throw in, in this deal.

It was originally a center piece of the deal.  It's pretty safe to say that Dunn is widely considered a notch below Simmons and Ingram.  So it's the two of them together, with the #23 as the "throw in" (sweetener really), that forms the deal.

[jambr380]

In agreement with the '17 BKN pick. Lopez is due for an injury, right?

I would probably do #3 and Smart for #1 and think that would be an amazing deal for Philly. Dunn and Smart would completely change the identity of that team. They could still deal Okafor for a top wing player and immediately be in business.

We are giving up a lot, but we can afford to take a chance when it comes to superstar talent like Simmons. I told myself I wasn't going to watch the draft lottery, then I did and was really excited, and then was really bummed. Still #3 is better than #6.

[Who]

Yes. Do it. I am happy to take that chance on Ben Simmons.

[Moranis]

Before free agency you have to make that trade because you just don't know what Brooklyn will do.  I mean what if they sign Conley and DeRozan.  That would make them a playoff contender.  You just can't take the risk that Brooklyn improves significantly and the pick ends up being a mid 1st round pick.  3, 23, and 2017 mid 1st round pick looks pretty good for Simmons.  Of course that is why the Sixers would never make that trade.

Maybe KG and Lebron will sign for Brooklyn too!

 

Of course, maybe the Earth will be struck by a mile wide meteor tomorrow. But I'll play the odds and not start digging a shelter today.

Brooklyn is going to sign some players this summer.  They have no incentive not to.  Even if they don't land Conley and DeRozan, they will get better.  I mean why wouldn't they sign a guy like JR Smith to a 2 yr/20 million dollar contract (or things like that). 

It is crazy to think that the Brooklyn team that finished the year is going to be the team that starts next year.  Brooklyn will almost certainly be better.  Heck even if they just get healthy, they will be better.

[Granath]

Before free agency you have to make that trade because you just don't know what Brooklyn will do.  I mean what if they sign Conley and DeRozan.  That would make them a playoff contender.  You just can't take the risk that Brooklyn improves significantly and the pick ends up being a mid 1st round pick.  3, 23, and 2017 mid 1st round pick looks pretty good for Simmons.  Of course that is why the Sixers would never make that trade.

Maybe KG and Lebron will sign for Brooklyn too!

 

Of course, maybe the Earth will be struck by a mile wide meteor tomorrow. But I'll play the odds and not start digging a shelter today.

Brooklyn is going to sign some players this summer.  They have no incentive not to.  Even if they don't land Conley and DeRozan, they will get better.  I mean why wouldn't they sign a guy like JR Smith to a 2 yr/20 million dollar contract (or things like that). 

It is crazy to think that the Brooklyn team that finished the year is going to be the team that starts next year.  Brooklyn will almost certainly be better.  Heck even if they just get healthy, they will be better.

No one is claiming that they will start with the exact same team. But neither is anyone else. We do know this - almost every NBA team will have the chance to get better on draft night. The Nets won't be able to do that. We know that there are 15-20 teams with gobs of money to spend in FA. We know that nearly every single one of them has a better story to tell than the Nets. We know that the teams who are as bad as the Nets have better, up-and-coming talent. 

As far as them being healthy, they were one of the healthiest teams in the league last year and still finished with 21 wins. They tanked out the end of their season not because they were hurt but to preserve the few assets they do have in case they decide to throw in the towel and start over.

You can spout all you want about them "getting better". The question is how do they get better versus every other team in the NBA who is also getting better? Things don't just happen in isolation. They're not getting younger. There's no young stud talent that's developing. They're not getting any top draft picks. They have one real hope - free agency - which is going to be more competitive than any other FA period in league history.

That's why Vegas has them as the worst team in the NBA and - besides the Suns - the worst by a factor of four. There's really that little hope. Now maybe they score in FA. Maybe they get another career year out of Lopez. Maybe - just maybe - they get to 30 wins. But that will take everything breaking their way to do it. When 30 wins is your maximum upside, that means there's a whole lot of downside as well.

It's not that the Nets have no hope whatsoever. But there are 30 teams in the NBA and there's a strong case that 29 of them are in a better position than Brooklyn. I like those odds.

[dreamgreen]

That's to steep for me.

[Smokeeye123]

I'd do that trade in a second.

[action781]

Yes. Do it. I am happy to take that chance on Ben Simmons.

I'd do that trade in a second.

What do you think Philly thinks of the offer?  Here were my thoughts:

1. They probably really like Dunn as a player.  He looks like a future all-star, he just needs to be drafted into the right situation (playing time available at the PG position) and Philly has that.
2. They don't have to deal with the logjam of a frontcourt in a hurry.  Not drafting Simmons means they can let Okafor and Noel hang around until the right deal comes up also giving Philly time to further evaluate them to see who they like more and give both players time to improve and up their trade value.
3. They get the 2017 Brooklyn pick.  That's two (their own and Brooklyn) really good draft picks in what many believe to be a strong 2017 draft to continue building on to this pretty decent core.

[action781]

Here are some of my thoughts on Ben Simmons and the 2017 draft.

Ben Simmons.  He is a truly elite prospect.  Since 2010, so going back over the last 6 drafts, I think we've seen only Kyrie, John Wall, Wiggins (debatable), and Anthony Davis who had the level of promise/hype that Simmons has before draft night.  I'd probably rank them 1. Ant Davis, 2. Wall, 3. Kyrie, 4. Simmons, 5. Wiggins, then a bit of a drop off until 6 where I'd say one of Evan Turner/Brandan Ingram/Jabari Parker.  Again, this is strictly draft night expectations ranking.

The 2017 draft.  Going back to that statement, that's 4 truly high level prospects in a 6 year span before this year's draft.  People are acting like we are going to get 5 players in the upcoming draft who are guaranteed to be on that same level or better.  The last HS draft class to come in really loaded like this that I can recall was probably the 2007 HS class (2008 draft class) with Derrick Rose, OJ Mayo, Eric Gordon, Kevin Love, and Michael Beasley. 

I just looked up HS rankings that year and it turns out ESPN had all of those guys ranked a 98 or higher including a few others too (Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith, Austin Freeman).  Turns out it truly was an epically stacked HS class.  This 2016 HS class, ESPN doesn't have a single prospect ranked higher than 97.  And even if they did, look back at that '07 list.  You want to pass on Simmons to hold on to hope for a draft class that might turn out like that? 

[Surferdad]

I am amazed that this thread has gone on for 2 pages. Philly has made bonehead moves in the past, but trading the #1 after so many years of tanking would be the ultimate head-scratcher. Colangelo is in charge now.

[Who]

Yes. Do it. I am happy to take that chance on Ben Simmons.

I'd do that trade in a second.

What do you think Philly thinks of the offer?  Here were my thoughts:

1. They probably really like Dunn as a player.  He looks like a future all-star, he just needs to be drafted into the right situation (playing time available at the PG position) and Philly has that.
2. They don't have to deal with the logjam of a frontcourt in a hurry.  Not drafting Simmons means they can let Okafor and Noel hang around until the right deal comes up also giving Philly time to further evaluate them to see who they like more and give both players time to improve and up their trade value.
3. They get the 2017 Brooklyn pick.  That's two (their own and Brooklyn) really good draft picks in what many believe to be a strong 2017 draft to continue building on to this pretty decent core.

The only way Philly trades the #1 pick is if they are not completely sold on either Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram which is not inconceivable. Neither guy is a sure-fire thing. All-Star talents, yes ... but not All-Pros or MVPs.

Kris Dunn is an All-Star talent too at #3. Perhaps a few others.

Getting the Brooklyn pick in 2017 would give them a strong chance at another top five pick. Maybe they put some protections on it that they get another future lottery pick from Boston if the 2017 Brooklyn pick falls outside the top 5/6.

That is a strong offer if you are not convinced by Simmons or Ingram.

And if they are convinced by one of them as a franchise player, this is a non-starter.