The End-Of-Season Mailbag

Fri Jun 16 2023

NBA Draft Predictions and Potential Trades

Wambanyama, a highly skilled basketball player, is favored to be the first overall pick in the upcoming draft.
Cam Whitmore is gaining buzz as a potential fourth or fifth pick.
There are rumors of teams considering trades for certain picks depending on availability.
The Pelicans are unlikely to trade Zion Williamson due to his potential and fitness level.
Charlotte has a strong interest in Brandon Miller as a rare height prospect who can handle and shoot the ball.
Shooting ability is crucial in the NBA, and many top prospects have question marks about their shooting skills.
Portland's decision to trade their pick depends on Damian Lillard's future with the team.
Several players outside of the top five picks, including Cam Whitmore, Anthony Black, Derek Lively, Taylor Hendricks, Brady Dick, and Jordan Hawkins, are worth watching out for.
Taylor Hendricks' defensive abilities make him intriguing despite not being a true center yet.
Jordan Hawkins is versatile enough to fit into any team.

The Pelicans and Raptors are good potential landing spots for players in the 10 to 16 range of the draft.
Amani Bates is an interesting prospect with high upside.
Many teams in the draft are not in win-now mode and have room to be patient with their young core.
The Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers, and Oklahoma City Thunder are highlighted as teams with young talent and potential for improvement.
The Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz are interesting teams to watch in the upcoming weeks.

The Houston Rockets have $47 million in cap space and are expected to add at least one star this summer.
The Dallas Mavericks are an intriguing team in free agency due to their generational talent in Luca Doncic but have made some questionable decisions in the past.
The Indiana Pacers have up to $27 million in cap space, the number seven pick, and some tradable contracts making them an interesting team to watch.
The Dallas Mavericks need a prototypical modern five player to pair with Luca Doncic as a rim protector and lob threat.
Building around Luca Doncic is key for the Mavericks' future success.
Several teams with young cores and cap space may give a middling vet a one-year contract.
Tyree's Halliburton, Brandon Ingram, and Jamal Murray showed impressive growth as playmakers.
Jalen Brown and Mikal Bridges are two players who could benefit from improving their playmaking abilities.
Bogdanovich, Kuzma, Miles Turner, and Buddy Hield are potential trade targets for top 10 teams.

The Warriors and Suns are potential landing spots for Miles Turner.
Jeremy Grant and Kongu are mentioned as players who could be good on other teams.
The Warriors may need more optionality at the big position.
Adding players when a team is over the cap and taxed can be difficult.
The emergence of Denver does not require any changes from the Warriors.

The Denver Nuggets had an all-time great playoff run, facing tough opponents in each round.
Yokich faced players with 22 combined all-star appearances and the most defensive player of the year awards.
To extend Yokich's run with this roster, the Nuggets should bring back Lopez and Middleton.
They need to upgrade their shooting by going after a scorer who can shoot but not necessarily from three.
Brooke is an impact free agent that people aren't talking about.
The Sixers need everyone pulling in the same direction to win, including coaches, players, training staff, and support staff.
Doc Rivers didn't add much to the Sixers this year.
NURUS is a great coach who could help extend the window for the Sixers if they feature Maxi more.
The Knicks need more shooting options and should look strongly at trades.

The Pistons, Spurs, Rockets, Magic, and Thunder are ranked as the top five teams with promising young players on their rookie deals.
The Denver Nuggets may struggle to become a free agent destination due to the second apron rules and their young, locked-up players.
They will have to rely on hitting their draft picks and finding rotation level players in the 24 to 30 range.
It will be difficult for them to not go over the apron in two years due to having three max players.
The best players are likely to keep signing extensions instead of becoming free agents.
The new rules aim to cut down on player movement.
Teams may trade star players who refuse to sign extensions to avoid losing them for nothing in free agency.

The podcast hosts express gratitude for their listeners and announce upcoming draft coverage.
The energy during the national anthem before games can affect players' performance.
There is a possibility of screwing up on TV and pod stuff.
The speaker shares their funniest moments covering the NBA season.