05-25-2023, 10:50 AM
(05-25-2023, 10:38 AM)omahen Wrote: The downside is, both would likely sign hefty long term deals. And it might be more likely that KP gets injured again than stay healthy for another season. I think if Washington decides to rebuild, they need to be really bad for a couple of seasons to hopefully draft a star in one or two drafts, than build around that guy.
Draft picks are like lottery tickets. Sometimes you get lucky.
Teams that believe they are on the cusp have generally preferred the certainty and immediacy of an established player rather than rolling the dice. It's the teams on the edges (either really bad, or really good) that have been more willing to keep the pick.
One could argue that, under the new CBA, draft picks have greater value than they used to. The value of hitting a home run on a cost-controller rookie might be rising higher than the cost of a proven but now super-expensive complementary player.
So teams like Washington might also find it more difficult to deal proven players like Beal and KP for bad short-term salaries and draft picks.
Perhaps the Mavs will decide to keep their bad salaries and draft picks, offer Kyrie a short-term contract, be content with a 5-10 Western Conference finish for the next couple of years, and hope for that one-in-a-million hit on their lottery tickets.