Mock GM for Heat and Charlotte

Pick 13 and Pick 14 look small on paper, but they can expose everything about a front office: patience, urgency, and whether the salary cap is driving the plan or the plan is driving the cap. We finish our mock GM series by putting the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets under the microscope and asking the uncomfortable questions both teams have to answer before they’re on the clock. 

For Miami, we dig into the first-apron squeeze and why paying contender money for play-in outcomes forces bold choices. We talk through the Bam Adebayo timeline, what Tyler Herro and Andrew Wiggins mean for roster building, and why the Heat are always lurking around the next superstar rumor. Then we build a realistic Pick 13 approach: best player available versus specific needs, the types of guards and wings that fit Erik Spoelstra’s system, and how this pick could become part of a bigger trade package if the Giannis-level market opens up. 

For Charlotte, the conversation flips to growth, fit, and optionality. With a promising young core and two bites at the apple at Picks 14 and 18, the Hornets can draft for immediate role clarity, swing on upside, or try to do both in the same night. We lay out why players like Morez Johnson and Jaden Quaintance change the identity of a team, how the Coby White decision could shape guard depth, and what “pushing now” actually looks like in the Eastern Conference. 

We wrap by hitting the teams most likely to move on draft night, plus quick West and East outlook notes that frame what’s at stake next season. Subscribe for more draft strategy and team-building talk, share this with the friend who always argues the board, and leave a review with your best prediction: who makes the first big trade?

Transcript

Welcome And Mock GM Finale

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome back to the Dirac and Sedash podcast. I'm your host, Andrew. We are at the end of our mock GM series with teams 13 and 14, and we're gonna touch on other interesting uh players and teams in the rest of the round. But we're gonna start the intro.

SPEAKER_01 0:37

One of the most exciting raps that I can remember in the years I've been doing this, I think this graph is the best.

SPEAKER_00 0:43

What is up, everybody? Welcome back to another episode. This has been a lot of fun. I just kind of get into go through teams, look at their cap sheets and their team rosters and just the things that could and couldn't happen, you know, so to speak. Today's episode, we are going to get to picks 13 and 14. I was gonna have a guess, but things have been so crazy. I'm talking to him about maybe coming on for post-draft stuff, specifically with Charlotte. I just I couldn't make it work, unfortunately. So it's just me solo again. But we're going to start basically this episode. This is the the you know crossroads teams. Unlike the other teams in the lottery, you know, Miami and Charlotte aren't trying to figure out who they are, they're trying to figure out what they are next. One is an aging organization trying to stay relevant without a superstar. The other team is young, trying to become relevant for the first time in a long time.

Miami After Jimmy Butler

SPEAKER_00 1:29

We're gonna start with the Miami Heat at pick 13. You know, can heat culture still carry a team? They're you know, current core with Amario, Tyler Hero, Andrew Wiggins, you know, Nikola Jovich, Yvon Mitchell's kind of come on, you know, here and there, you know, Jami Hakes, Kelloware, you know, Casparas. You just kind of look at it and you're like, yeah, this team is it's nice, but it's not great. I do have my my neighbors doing some yard work, so if you hear some buzzing, um, don't be alarmed. They've kind of just, you know, for the longest time, they didn't really tank, but they weren't really good enough to do anything. This is after Jimmy Butler, which I completely agree on them, you know, allowing him to move on. You know, he's just because he was a huge headache for them. But it's very much like what is next now, right? Because you've got Bam Atabayo looking at the the current cap sheet. They are at 234 million. They're in the first apron with this current roster, which is bonkers because it's it wasn't good enough to even make the playoffs. You know, you've got Bam Badaballo, who is going to be around like 50 million, probably, around that like you know, 30% hit on the cap. You've then got Tyler Hero, who is still making 33 million. Andrew Wiggins is at 30 million, but in as a player option, which I fully expect him to take. Then you've got, you know, you know, Nikola Jovich, who will be around 16. Davion Mitchell should be around 12. You know, Hami Hotkez is around six. They have a lot of top end, you know, if they could, you know, maybe move, let's say, Wiggins or Hero and break that contract up into like a couple pieces, I think that could be really helpful. You know, maybe trying to expand and adding a few more talented pieces, or maybe Miami feels that they need to have, you know, another person that is equal to, you know, BAM or maybe better than BAM with Giannis now becoming uh again this week, he he's now back on the block. I don't know. It's it's such an ongoing thing. Miami's been very interested in him. There's been rumors with John Morant, but it's always Giannis is always the person of note that kind of holds up everything. You know, you you've got all these teams that have got a lot of assets, but nobody really wants to spend any assets because you know maybe they could get Giannis. With that said, you know, they have Kella Ware, who I was a big fan of actually in that draft. I had him and Mantes Bizales head of Zach Edi. And Ware looked great his rookie year. This last year he had some some good ups, but he did he did have some downs. It seems as if you know him and Spolster are not really on the same page. And I can't tell if this is because Spolster has become like the old man in the room, and maybe his patience is just beginning to go away, or maybe Ware is just not listening, no matter how much he tries to tell him what he needs to do to, you know, you know, to get to those new heights, right? But I think Ware still has a lot of talent. He's shown a lot of really good worth. You know, maybe everything's just not clicking currently. So if we look at their the current draft, they're so they're that they have cap holds right now, obviously, for you know, their pick at 13. That's gonna be around like a little under 6 million. Norman Powell will, you know, has a cap hit of around 30 million, you know. Simon Fontecchio, uh, you know, Kashad Johnson. So they they have a bunch of like small uh salary that will come off. Norman Powell, I don't know. Man, I mean, I feel like he's gonna want to get this amount of money. I don't think he's worth it. He's 33, borderline, all-star quality guard. He's just aging. I don't know. I mean, like maybe that ends up being their actual best move. If that's the case, I would assume that maybe they move off of Hero. You know, I think Wiggins does a lot for them. You know, it's so, so tricky, you know, with you know, most of this caphold stuff coming off, you know, it would drop them below, you know, 200 or so, maybe like around like 180 something. So they would have, I believe, access to their mid-level, but you know, it's uh man, it's just uh they're just paying so much and getting so little. It's like they're they're kind of in the in the in the Clippers and the Kings books, you know, where it's like I'm paying all this money and you're getting just small returns, but they're in the East, so you know, it's a little bit easier. You know, you can you can get really average returns and still be, you know, a very relevant team.

Heat Cap Sheet Reality Check

SPEAKER_00 5:43

So we're kind of gonna move into the picks that I think that might be kind of cool for them in this range, right? So just based on like normal mock drafts, which you know, take those with the grain of salt at 13. I mean, I think it I'm I'm very much a person that believes in taking the best player available, but they also really need a guard. And I think in this range, you can probably like find both those, right? There is a few people talking about, you know, phylon here. I think that that might work. I also like the idea of maybe like a Corey being here. He's more of a score first type of guard, which they kind of already have in Tyler Hero. So I don't know if that would fit necessarily, but I do think he's really good and worth noting. I think I've said it before, I think, you know, maybe Bennett starts here at 13. You know, he seems like the type of like spulster guy that would come in, he's gonna play the right way, he's gonna play hard, you know, he likes to run. He's not gonna turn the ball over, he's not gonna make a lot of those like young player mistakes. I think he'll understand where to get the ball in spaces and in like in their actions. I think that that could very much be like a really good spot for him as well. If they're not thinking, you know, a guard, you know, in that range, maybe maybe they go with like a Taylor and Swain, which might be a little high. You know, a a Christian Anderson here could also make sense. He is an insane shooter, might be the best shooter in the entire class. It's just beyond that, do you trust him going forward? He's he's he's another one of those small guards, it's kind of tough. They they kind of already have a bunch of like smaller players on the wings, you know, here and there. So that's kind of tricky. When I like you know, with Swain, I think you know, maybe bringing him in allows you to maybe move off of somebody else. I I'm not saying that I think he's ready in one year, but he has the potential to be a person you can play on and off the ball. He showed really good defense early in his college career, you know, like here recently in Texas. I don't know if he took a step back or maybe he just was told to have more of a offensive, you know, mode as opposed to also playing defense. I'm I'm not really sure. It's so hard in college to like you to like read, you know, when people are being honest with coaches telling them not to you know play defense and this and that and everything. But I think he could be you know pretty interesting there as well, you know, or maybe like a Cameron Carr I think Cameron Carr could actually come in and you could maybe if you decide to uh you know extend and trade Norm Powell or maybe you know move off of Hero. I think Cameron Carr could come in and get you maybe like you know 15 to 220 minutes. I I don't know uh is another player probably like Akelaware though. I don't know if he's gonna fit you know Eric Spolstra. But he has good size, he's got good length, he's he's a little slight, but I don't think that really matters a lot. You know, now with there's so many players that are around that like 180, 190 something range. And with how you know calls are are made currently, I don't know. I think just are not as physical as it used to be. But he is a great shooter, he's a good athlete, he runs a transition. I don't think his defense is as good as people think, but he does have a good block rate. So you know, he does show some feel on that end, you know. Or I don't know, like I just it's tough, right? Because it's like, or would you go big? Would you go Morez Johnson here? I think Morez is very much a Miami Heat player, man. Like, you know, he is like like a really great version of like a Haslam. He would come in there. I think any any team that gets Morez, he's gonna have a giant fan base, right? Maybe they go with like a really big swing and they take you know Quaintance there, you know, maybe or something. But they're gonna have a lot of options here. And in general, it's gonna be you know kind of important for them. They could also trade this pick, you know, in case maybe they they do get a chance at like you know a a Giannis. I don't know if they have the right pieces for that, but it could happen for them. But I in general, they they they tend to move picks kind of like aggressively when stars become available. So they're gonna be a team to watch on on draft night and also maybe leading up up to that point. Uh, you know, I I don't think that Tyler Hero can be your second best player on your team and and you want to like really contend, even in the east. So, you know, we kind of just look here, you know, are are like would they go with like a like more of an upside swing, even though their team is kind of aging? Would they go with more of a of like a tweet forward? I mean, it would be crazy if you know Yaxel fell to them at 13. That would be the absolute perfect fit, I believe, because he does fit every type of thing that Spoulster likes to do. Plus, you know, he's ready to go. He could play multiple roles for them. You know, you could slot him in in that 3-4 spot, and I think he would be great for them, right? So they heat have a lot of good players. The problem is they don't really have enough great players, uh, but they look like a a perpetual playing team currently, but they and they really need to find another star.

Charlotte’s Young Core Takes Shape

SPEAKER_00 10:28

We're gonna move to the Charlotte Hornets necks there at Pick 14. They were one of the most interesting, uh they were one of the most interesting teams last year that nobody really talked about until late in the year. And I think maybe like I don't want to say like their their national popularity grew towards the end. And I don't want to I hope that that wasn't like a factor in them losing the playing game versus Orlando at the end, but they they look so young and overmatched, and maybe that's just part of it. And you know, their their current roster with Let Melo Ball, Brandon Miller, you know, Con Kanipples, John Saloon, Lee Manille, you know, Ryan Hotbrenner. I I like a lot of this, you know, younger, younger stuff going on here. Like I wonder if they'll hold on to Miles Bridges. You know, I'm not really sure. You know, with Brandon Miller, maybe you could just step into that role, but they'll need like another power for you know type of guy, which could be Merez Johnson. You know, we'll get into that in a second here. You know, they they have Josh Green, you know, Con Kanipple was a great, great rookie for them. You know, maybe he could slot to the three as as well. You know, it's they have some some really interesting stuff here, you know, Pat Connington, you know, Muzid Yibate. So it's it's pretty exciting, man. Like their new, I'm not sure how long the current GM's been there, but in the last couple of years, that they've done really well to get more, I'm gonna say like adults in the room, but you know, players that were where their fill was was next level. It wasn't just about do they have like a high level of of talent, you know, it it wasn't just about oh that they can dribble past shoot, but people that that that truly understood the game. And I think you know, landing, you know, Calk Brenner was great, landing Liam McNeely was great, Conka Nipple, you know, just like you know, like hitting on those picks was were so so big and important for them. When we look at their cap here, they're currently at 187, but I believe that they can get down to you know a level that you know will allow them to maybe use their mid-level as well. But they've got you know Lamello, who I'm not the biggest fan of. He's been, I don't want to like blame his father, but you know, I just like him not finishing high school and just being so popular so young. I just I don't think he's really had I don't know the maturity process to like kind of you know grow as a person. You know, I think I think his brother Lonzo is great, you know, and he he says some things that like I'm like okay, well he's obviously like very mature and adult, and I'm just not sure maybe Lomelo got too popular too fast where where Lonzo didn't it didn't happen to like maybe like a little bit later. I don't know. I just you know because he's currently about to go on trial for you know, he like ran over a kid's foot. And just in general, Lamello has been like wreaking havoc on the streets in Charlotte for a long time. It's it's wild, but he's at 41 million almost. Uh, you know, you got Miles Bridges who was at 22. Brandon Miller is in that 15 million uh you know range. You got Josh Green or right around 15 million, Grant Williams is a little over 14, Conka Nipples at that, you know, 10. You know, T John Salon. I don't know. I feel like a lot of Hornets fans like him, but he's one of those players where you know you just never see him if you're not from there, probably, because you know, I'm sure that the Hornets fans watch every game and they're maybe very excited about him. I know his rookie year was not you know great. His second year, I believe, looked better. I only saw maybe two or three or their games all year, so it's hard for me to really you know comment on that. I know that I've seen some stuff here recently where he's you know added some muscle and stuff, so maybe that'll be huge. I'm just not I wasn't a big just like French, you know, in general play, you know, fan. I think that they they had a lot of players that were like overhyped at a certain point, and and a lot of them missed, but you know, so I don't know. So I'm very hesitant after you know killing Hayes and other guys like that. Then you've got you know Trey Mann at 8 million, and I believe they have a team option on Pink Content. So I don't know. And then there is a couple of of like cap holts here with you know Kobe White. I assume they don't bring back Zabra Chillman. He's very much like a 12th man. I don't think he's really a guy that's gonna be in your general, you know, top 10 man rotation. I mean, like and and like you know, he played here, was a really nice guy, very cool. I just I you know he's just I think he's just a dude, and you'd probably you know go out there like and get better. Uh Kobe White was great for them. I've I've been a huge Kobe White fan since you know college and stuff. I'd like he was so much fun to watch with the Bulls. I have no clue why teams like Houston didn't go after him, teams like you know the Pistons didn't go after him. I just like he he so clearly has talent and the Bulls basically gave him away. And so I I would be shocked if they don't try to bring him back. They they do have his bird rights. Then you've got pick 18 and pick 14. Pick 14 is gonna be around 5.4 million, and then you've got pick 18, it's gonna be around 4.4 million. So you have to also factor those

Hornets Options At 14 And 18

SPEAKER_00 15:15

things in, right? Uh, so let's just kind of get into some draft picks I think could be kind of fun for the Horns. I I I I obviously already brought up Morez Johnson. It's no surprise. This is a a Merez Johnson podcast. I think I've been watching some games recently with him and Yaxel. They're playing against Illinois in Illinois. And between Yaxel and Morez Johnson, they man, they just went to work on you, Keaton Waggler. They were guardian one through five. It's crazy to watch him pick up full court, and no matter who's on the ball, he applies so much pressure with his reach and his size and his his his foot speed going side to side that you know he's able to turn the guy with the ball like you know three to four times and he just makes him waste like five to six seconds, you know. He's just he he hits screens hard, he switches, you know, he he he he he's able to get into that like drop drop coverage, and then he's able to like you touch and go. He's just such a smart player. I mean, he measured better, his athletics are great, his reach is insane. You know, I I the only thing that's really gonna like cap his ceiling is if his shot can extend, right? But to me, even if that does not happen, he's gonna be like a tenure starter, probably, right? So he might not be an all-star, but I mean, like, he doesn't have to be, right? You know, if he is your your like fourth best player in your team or fifth best player, and he is just like this really cool, you know, solid factor for you every single night, you know, there is a lot of value in that. I think Charlotte would, I mean like if they drafted him and then they you know let you know Miles Bridges go, I think it would be a huge step in the right decision. If they're not Philliam Rez Johnson, you know, I I'd already brought up you know Jaden Quaintens, and that's kind of like it's such high potential, volatile pick, you know, on paper. Jaden is priors in high school and his first year, you know, he shows a crazy amount of athleticism on the defensive end. He he still plays basically, I don't say like like with like his hair on fire to a certain degree, you know. He you know, there's there's juice there, but his basketball IQ is not there yet. So he's still like, I think, like an okay defender, but his man, his defensive moments where he uses his length and his athleticism to like jump off the floor are so impressive. His ability to move in space and in actions is really great as well. You know, he he just, you know, he just goes through screens. The problem is he was injured the whole year at Kentucky. He played four games, and only one of the games he looked kind of okay, and the others he did not look good at all. When putting him into my model because of the stats, you know, it it just it spits out like a not great score. So I have to completely use like a scout adjustment. So I'm I'm a little low Ron Quaitons. Like I've got him in the 20s, but I can totally see a team like Charlotte taking him here, you know, and just hoping that they hit on a guy that might end up being like a top five, top six player in this draft if he hits his potential, and they got him at like 14 or something, right? And and then and then they've got LaMelo and Khan, and they've got Jaden Quaintens, you know, and like Brandon Miller, it would just be like, you know, a super good get for them in the east. But I would understand them maybe wanting to, you know, you know, go after a player whose floor is like a little bit better. Uh, you know, if if they decide to, let's say, maybe let Cubby White walk, it's too expensive. If they're trying to like, I don't say be cheap, but just be like more, you know, uh, you know, pragmatic to a certain degree with their money, you know, maybe like a Christian Anderson here could make sense to kind of you know take that role, you know, maybe like a Cameron Carr as a guy to, you know, maybe come off the bench and be like a straight gunner for them. I think that could be pretty cool. You know, LeBron Fylon, I don't I don't like I'd already brought him up. Bennett Sturts is another guy here. And like, you know, I'll probably just keep bringing up certain guys because all these teams need the same types of roles. You know, if you're not thinking that, you could maybe go Karim Lopez here. I'm not a big Karim Lopez guy. I know he'll go in these ranges somewhere. Some teams like his size and they assume he can play on the ball and do some things. I'm not really sure, right? You know, I mean Hannes Steinbach is also going to be here. I don't know if he fits with Kalbrenner. That would be a really weird combination. I'm I mean, like, I assume Hannes would have to play the four. It would just be kind of tough. Now, I think Kalbrenner's very good and he's like a killer rebounder. He might be the best rebounder in the entire draft. He's got great size. I think he moves very well. He's like a Santi Obama that's actually tough, like you know, but I worry about him being able to move on screens and switch and stuff on defense, and he's not a good rim protector despite being like seven feet tall. So he does have his issues, but I think he could be pretty cool there as well. Like Dalen Swain is also a person that you know could come in and also maybe take that you know, Miles Bridges role or or allow them to go small at certain times. You know, it's I think that they're them being at 14 and at 17 or sorry, 14 and 18 are just man, just opens up so many things for them. It's gonna be so cool. Uh Abuko Corey could also be really good here for them at either pick, you know, especially if they let Kobe White walk. I think he could immediately take on that role because it also might might fit him better. He's got really great reach, he's he's a solid athlete. He's uh might be one of the best ball handlers in the entire class. He you know, he rarely has to use his body to guard. Uh, you know, he's able to just he's got such a long reach that you know his dribble is low, but you know, he can get to high really quick. And he's he's a really killer shooter. He can get to his spaces. I think that could be like a pretty fun thing as well. Maybe they want to go with another person that seems perceived really smart, maybe like an Alan Graves at that, you know, range around 18. You know, he could definitely be a guy to come in, play off the bench, maybe play the four of the five or the three, you know, and they just maybe hope that he can do everything that he showed in college in terms of being able to do everything, even though there is some defensive analytics that kind of point to him maybe not being as good as as assumed. Maybe they take a swing on a guy like Azubi Egifor, you know, in that 18th spot. I really like Edgefor. He's gonna be in my lottery, you know, he's 6'7, 6'8 and shoes, got a crazy wingspan. He might be the second best playmaking big in the entire draft behind Cameron Boozer. His handle is really productive, you know, to where he can, you know, take like a step or two and get to the rim. A really great athlete. His shot might be good as you know, a catch and shoe guy. I wouldn't trust him as like a dribble pull-up guy, but you know, he's somebody who can maybe drift in into the corners and hit shots. You know, he's man just so smart. He won almost every award in the Big East, you know. I think he's being slept on. He would be really killed for them, right? But in general, uh, you know, where does Charlotte kind of go, right? Because they've got obvious talent and they're young, and their salary cap situation is not bad. You know, I think that is this something where they they maybe push right now and try to get into you know the playoffs, you know, in that top six. Do they do they try to or do they just let things like slowly develop and just you know maybe in two years, three years, that's when they're trying to hit that like top three range, maybe after a couple of these other teams have I've drifted back. I don't know, it's it's exciting. It's cool to see Charlotte, you know, you know, being really relevant again, man. It's been like a really long time. That was one of my favorite teams when I was growing up. And I used to love Larry Johnson, Muggsy Boggs, you know, all those guys was so much fun. You know, it's weird that at one point Lamella Ball was in that in that same talking points as Trey Young and John Morant, as you know, he was gonna get traded, and then all of a sudden he just started to play better and he got a little more healthy. And now people are just like, okay, cool. So, like, you know, he's he's now like a permanent fixture there, right? If it's me, I think you have earned yourself a little runway and you can take a swing. I wouldn't mind them taking you know Jaden Quaintance. I think that that would be like a really fun pick there for them. You know, maybe you know, maybe you go Jaden Quaintance as like that big, and then maybe Bennett Sturts or like a Corey Falls to you at 18, you know, as another player who I think could be really solid very like like immediately. And, you know, if both those guys hit, you know, I mean, they could be really good in like two years. I think that that's kind of where I would go, right? But just in terms of their outlook, you know, I think Charlotte is probably one of the sneakiest winners at each conference over the next few years. Uh, if Brandon Miller becomes an all-star level player, Lamelo stays healthy, and Conka Nipple keeps growing and they they nail both these picks. Man, they could be in the East Finals, I think, in probably like two years or so, right? But let's move

Draft Night Wild Cards Beyond Lottery

SPEAKER_00 23:42

on. I kind of just wanted to just in general talk about the rest of the draft. Let's do that. So beyond the lottery, we we we've done all that stuff. I wanted to talk about a few other teams that I think could either be really active during draft night or maybe you know, teams that that have like a really good

Memphis Assets And Trade Up Angles

SPEAKER_00 24:00

future, right? I know I have talked about Memphis, but I you know just them having picked three, 16 and 32. They have future picks from Phoenix, uh, future picks from Utah. Their current roster is young, but they have a lot of contracts that are very movable. And Zach Kleiman has a mystery of moving up the board, right? So I think there is going to be something here. I don't know. I I in no way do I expect them to move back from three. I don't expect them to trade up. Where they've landed, they're gonna get like most likely a future all-star. I just I think AJ, Darren, Caleb, or Cameron, I think all those guys will at some point make at least one or two All-Star games, and uh probably two of them make the Hall of Fame, right? So you're hoping that that you hit one of the ones that actually makes the Hall of Fame, but at worst, you've still got a guy who's gonna be very soft for you, right? So I don't think that that pick is is in play at all. 16, however, there is some new rumors that they are looking to move up and that they might have guys like Merez Johnson, Kingston Flemings, you know, that, and then some people think maybe Darius Acup. I I don't think that they they get back into the small guard, you know, like you know, you know, things here and there. Swain has been a name as well, but I I don't think Swain's gonna move up as high. I think that they can maybe get him at 16. But you know, Merez Johnson has I've talked about 137 times, you know, he uh he's he's moving up boards, and so that's when I was saying, like, I don't know if he'll be there at 14 now for at one point, sure. At one point I had Lakers fans talking to me that they thought that they would get him at like 26 or I'm or or 27 or something. I'm not sure exactly what breather pick is. And I was, I mean, this like you know, two months ago, three months ago, I was like, guys, I don't I don't think he's gonna be there. And now, and then he moved up to like 20. And then after the combine, he moved up to like, you know, like 15 or something. And now people are putting him, you know, near 10. I like I currently have him at eight or seven. Uh, you know, I I think you know, if they won him, it would be to move up. I also think Kingston Flemings will be a really smart get. He's another super competent guard. He is, you know, very, you know, in general, risk averse how he plays. He doesn't turn it over. He's got really good play feel in terms of finding his men open on the corners and at top of the key. He's great. His his first step is so explosive, he really has a strong gravity. You know, he he he can get in the paint, excuse me. And his his mid-range game, well, I some people don't like his shot die. I get that, but he's really good at it also. Like he hit it at a 44% clip. And there's a difference between relying on mid-ranges because you can't get anywhere, and another on you're able to get there and create two to three feet of space because you're able to move so quickly. And I think he is the latter there, right? So let's move on to Brooklyn.

Brooklyn’s Picks And Cap Leverage

SPEAKER_00 26:44

Brooklyn has a massive amount of cap, they they have so much money, they've got uh, I mean, the most draft uh most draft assets, it's insane how many picks they have. I think they have 14 first-round picks or so. You know, it's absolutely crazy. So they can take on contracts, and then it's so you know, they it can maybe you know move up to facilitate bigger trades. You know, I I've mentioned in the past I could you know maybe see them trying to trade up to four or to five. I I still think the Kings are gonna trade up from seven to five. I I fully think that the Kings want Darius Acuff. I think the Nets want Darius Acuff, and I think the Clippers would be cool to get like maybe Keaton Waggler. And so maybe they could fall back to seven and maybe get him plus stuff, right? I think that that like him or maybe like Michael Brown. I think both those guys are probably higher on their list, and maybe they're able to turn this pick into a few assets. And I think Brooklyn could be one of those teams. You know, I wonder what they're gonna do with Michael Porter Jr. But I I expect Brooklyn to start making some moves. I I hope that people don't think that they're gonna be good next year. I I think it's another year of them playing the long game, which I know is is not what DMA wants to hear, but you know, they're just not in a strong enough position currently, even if they make a bunch of moves. I I just I would not trade in your entire your entire treasure chest to just be kind of good this year. So just you know, hang on a little bit, but I do think that they will be making moves during the draft to help facilitate other deals. Phoenix,

Phoenix And The Star Trade Rumor Mill

SPEAKER_00 28:13

I think, is another team that might be doing stuff here, right? You know, after the whole Durant thing with they got there, and then they got Jalen Green and Dylan Brooks, and they were actually better than people thought. And Dylan Brooks just like kind of like as he does, he he's is a a culture setter to a certain degree, where you know he adds this level of toughness onto every team that he's played for. And then Jalen Green, unfortunately, was hurt most of the year, and then he kind of came on and and he looked really good in the you know playing game and everything, and you know, basically got them into the playoffs, and then they kind of you know, of course, got smashed by the thunder. But you know, they they have moves here. There's rumors that they might want John Morant. I think that could be kind of fun, you know, him like in Devin Booker and Brooks and you know Malawatch. I just I wonder what the move would be because obviously it would be more about taking on the contract and maybe like a few assets. It's just you know, Matt Matteshiba has you know, he's shown that he'll spend money and he'll go after really big names. I think that's probably the reason why Phoenix is in the bad situation it's in, because they made the finals and then he was like, Oh, you know what? I want I would rather have Kevin Durant than all this depth and this team that just made the finals. So I I I do think I could see Phoenix, you know, trying to make some moves here as well. Uh, they don't have any real, like, you know, you know, current, you know, draft capital in this draft, really. So I mean, they they really wouldn't be able to, you know, trade any any assets right now because they they've given up so many. So it would have to be some actual players. And I'm just wondering exactly who it would be, you know, maybe Grayson Allen, you know, that there's like you know, a few other guys as well. But I I would I would really I think that Phoenix could be a mover, right? Uh and then next here for teams that I think might might move could be Miami, man. They you know, Pat Riley rarely sits still. You know, he he likes to be active and go after the guys that he wants, you know, he's never been of the wait and see

More Potential Movers And Packages

SPEAKER_00 30:04

guy. You know, he he doesn't like to just draft as things come. You know, he he's very much the the the hunter, you know, so to speak. So I I could see Miami taking this pick at 13. I could see them taking Kellaware and then maybe Davion Mitchell or somebody else and packaging that to either move up in the draft to get somebody that they really like or to maybe get a star, you know, quality player that they think could elevate them a little bit more. So I think in general, Miami just likes to be good, you know, and then hope that you know certain things fall their way. You know, you like Miami made the finals like what's like you know four or five years ago out of nowhere. And I think that they they enjoy that. But I know Miami fan Miami, you know, Heat fans that are their diehards most likely do not like their team to be just average all the time. But I I could definitely see them also move it up. Golden State is another team. They have an aging core, they're not really athletic anymore. You know, their young guys aren't even really, you know, in that 19 you know range anymore. I mean, like those guys are getting to their like in mid-20s and they're gonna be the future and they're not really good enough to be the future. They need help now, plus he like they have just are in such a weird spot. They have so many heavy contracts at the top. I do not know what they do. I fully assume Draymond takes his contract, maybe they can move him. I'm sure certain teams you know think that they that they could use him. Draymond, you know, for all of his boisterous, you know, antics and talking points and stuff, you know, he's still like you know, a quality player. He's older though. So I don't know how much you would give up for him, but I could see them maybe moving off this pick. I don't know if I would. But if if the goal is to just let Curry be on a team that is good for his last couple years, then I could see them moving this, right? I do not know what they would try to go get. They they really need a center. You know, they tried that with Chris Osperzingis, it didn't really work out. You know, it's just it's so tough, man. Like to get a quality big man that's not gonna break the bank is just very, very tough. Maybe they could do something where they could Isaiah Hartenstein or something, you know. It's like I think he would be great for them, but dude, they want to help out the thunder, you know. Does anybody want to help out the thunder? You know, it's it's I feel like anytime that you make a deal with Presty, you assume the knife's already in your back. You know, he's just he's so good at what he does. Uh so I don't know. It's there's most likely a few teams that have got a few centers that could work. You know, maybe would they take on like a gag of purple and like a big contract? You know, it's just so much stuff, man. I don't know, it's it's super, super tricky, but I think Golden State makes a move as well. Then I I I I'd already talked about the Clippers. They they do have certain assets that are limited now, and not this upcoming year, but the year after, they're gonna have a lot of uh money fall off the books. They're gonna have to extend quite lender, most likely. But there's a lot of older stars, especially older then, uh, they'll be like in their mid 30s or later, that that will be available and they'll have like you know 40 to 50 million dollars to go and get maybe one or two guys. So would they maybe just draft a young guy here and then just hope for that? I think that that could be you know something that that might work. You know, if that's the case, you know, who who's it gonna be exactly? But maybe they trade back and get like a few extra pieces. But you know, I think the Clippers are very much open for business here at pick five. You know, I think the draft really starts with them. Denver, I think, is another team that can maybe also move up. You know, you've got their their cords very aging, Jokic is getting up there, Jamal Murray's up there, Aaron Gordon is up there, you know, they have a bunch of other guys that are kind of falling off the books. Like, are they gonna keep Tim Hardaway? Are they gonna keep Bridge Brown? They have, you know, Peyton Watson is gonna be a free agent, you know, and they they would like to pay him. He's probably gonna get like 18 to 20 million. So they currently cannot afford him. They probably move off Cam Johnson, but because of the optics, you know, they're gonna want something, but it might just be best to get off of that contract entirely if that's the case. Maybe Chicago, maybe Memphis, you know, maybe I'd heard you know, San Fassini talking about. Would they do something where they send Scottie Pippen Jr. to the Nuggets for like Cam Johnson and maybe like I don't know, something else? Basically, you're you know, taking on that that $21 million extra amount on Memphis, which would be like, which would basically tie up all other extra money. Then, you know, Denver gets you know Pippen, and then that they get another like you know, 19 to 20 million, you know, basically of that money freed up, which would allow them to bring back Peyton Watson. I don't think anybody would take Christian Brown at this current juncture. He's a fine player, but that contract is way too big. So that's probably gonna take a couple years until it's finally about done, you know. And then, you know, I mean Aaron Gordon's at like 30 something, but I just know he's too valuable even at his age. I don't think that that that's something that they would do. So I don't know that they're definitely gonna have to make a few moves. Their ownership's been kind of cheap as well. So that's also really tricky for their management, but I would not be shocked if Denver also makes a move. Maybe, maybe they they use their their pick at 26 to you know trade out and get a couple of other assets or future assets or something. I it's it's gonna be a lot of fun. And then finally, I think Minnesota might make a move. You know, they were very close last year. This is one of the only picks that they're gonna have for a little bit because they've you know traded out a bunch. You know, Rob Dillinghan didn't work out. They do have Ayo, who looked really good for them. Uh Mike Conley is very old. I don't know if he comes back. You know, do they use this pick? It would be, you know, what like 28, I think is where it would be. You know, and it's like who who would be in that range that might actually be really good, right? I mean, maybe Malik Thomas, Isaiah Evans, I don't know, you know, maybe they take like a more traditional way with like a Joshua Jefferson who can do a couple different things, also really smart. Maybe you know, Alan Graves is here somehow. That that might work. Maybe they they they just go really old and take like Alice Caraban, which would shock me. My gosh, like my my my my eyes are popping in my head, but maybe they convince themselves that he can do like a bunch of stuff, you know, or you know, I don't know, I don't think Luigi stays in. Maybe they go with like a Henry Vsar, you know, maybe try to move off Rudy Gabriel and and let the French guy uh start. I uh Johan Berenger, uh, you know, start basically. Maybe they go with like a terrorish read, you know. I don't know. So it's the it could be fruitful to stay at 28, but maybe they use that, you know, and which I think would be really aggressive, which is what they've done in the past. I think that they should go for it. You know, they they were very close this year. Some injuries really hurt them, but I think that they have a chance to like really do something, and I would go for it. Looking

Western Conference Outlook After Draft

SPEAKER_00 36:45

beyond that, we're gonna talk about the Western Conference outlook and the Eastern Conference outlook outside of the draft after in the first year. I've got Oklahoma City and San Antonio. Obviously, they're gonna be safe bets. Both are young, both have talent, both have uh assets, they're gonna be good for the next five years. Like, so everybody just needs to buckle up and hope that their team gets lucky and is able to find stars here and there to try to compete with them. Beyond them, we've got the other two home court teams. Uh, currently, I think Denver and Minnesota are the safest bets next year to keep home court. Maybe they get challenged here and there, but like I was just saying, you know, I think both of them make some moves. And and I believe that they'll be competitive and maybe win a couple games off to Spurs and the Thunder. I don't think that anybody will assume that they have a chance to win the title, but with Anthony Edwards and Jokic, man, you at least always have a punter's chance, right? Going into the next two couple spots, I think will be the guarantee playoff spots. I think Utah, man, I really think, you know, now that they're hopefully not gonna be tanking anymore, good grief. Having Laurie Marketing, Jaron Jackson Jr., you know, Keontae, you know, you've got, you know, Ix Bailey, Walker Kessler. You assume it's gonna be Darren Peterson that they draft, which will be huge for them. Then they've got other assets and stuff. I mean, I feel like their team doesn't have any excuses not to at least be going for that top six spot. Anything less than that, I think would be really disappointing. And then fighting for like the final couple spots here, I think the Lakers are always in play. You know, you've got Luca, that that team's very aggressive in terms of making moves. You know, Bron's probably gonna play at least one more year. I think they'll be, you know, there, right? The Suns, I think, will also be trying to make aggressive moves. I think that they'll also be in the thick of things there. The Rockets, man, it's weird that people thought they were gonna be the maybe maybe the second best team and the year just did not go how they thought. You know, Fred Van Fleet obviously gives them some more gas coming back, but off that injury and his age, it's just very, very tricky. You know, Kevin Durant, do they trade Opera and Singoon? I don't think they do, but maybe that's something that they do. You know, it's it's very tricky here and there. Then you've got you know other teams that uh should be in that range, like the Blazers, the Warriors, the Grizzlies will probably be in that like you know, 10 or 11 range as well. You know, so it's gonna be fun, man. Obviously, it's gonna be top heavy. The West will have parody again, unfortunately. And you know, some of the teams that are bad might get a little bit better. Like I expect, you know, teams like the Pelicans and the Grizzlies and and them to win probably like you know, five to six more games, you know, and and show some some fun stuff. But in probably two years, we'll start to see actual shake

Eastern Conference Tiers And Surprises

SPEAKER_00 39:23

up. Moving to the east, there's no reason to not think the Knicks in Boston will be one and two, right? Until people prove otherwise, they're just gonna keep being up there. You know, you you keep hearing about like, oh, well, what about the Pistons in Cleveland? It's like, well, the Pistons 160 gains, and then they almost lost in the first round. You know, if certain injuries didn't happen, they probably lose that series in five or six. It's really embarrassing. They did their GM sat on his hands because he wanted to see what his team had, even though everybody was like, you need another really competent guard, and he could have gone and gotten a few different guys, like like I mean, I mean, there was Ayo, Colin Sexton, there was you know Kobe White. I mean, like, I assume like you know, he wouldn't go after Trey Young, but you know, he was available. It just there are players available that he could have gone to get and he didn't do it. I I think that was very short-sighted in a year where they could have maybe made the NBA finals. Then you've got Orlando. I I fully think that they'll be better next year. Oh my god, that their coach is finally gone. I think that team started to click again. They're if they can figure out what to do with their guard spot. I mean, I like Jalen Suggs, he's just injured all the time. And that contract is bad. I just wonder with the new coach, what the offense will look like, right? So I think that's gonna be like a really big factor. And then moving down, you know, I you know, Cleveland's gonna be in that, you know, five to eight range. They were a big disappointment. I assume that they make some moves. I think Toronto moves up to around that like six or five range, though. I think they looked really good. They're gonna have a pick here in this draft. They have some weird contracts, but I man, I think that they have legitimate potential to be, you know, a top four, top three teams in about two years. And they if if they make the right moves, they could be, man, like really, really like you back in it. And then we get to, you know, Charlotte. I think Charlotte, there's no reason why they can't make the playoffs next year, you know, especially if they nail picks 14 and 18. Maybe they make a trade here or there, you know, they are a couple of puzzle pieces away from like having some real synergy between offense and defense. You know, that's why I was saying, like, I and I I fully think they should take Bennett Starts 18. If you could go from, you know, maybe like you know, a Bennett went when ball hits the bench and you've got Kobe White and Bennett Starts as your two guys that can play on and off the ball, both shoot like crazy, man, it would be really exciting. I think that that's probably the way that I would go with it, but who knows? You know, their you know, GM has been really good the last couple years. I I expect them to make some you know pretty smart decisions here. So just at the end of this all, I I expect Memphis to trade up. I expect Brooklyn and Golden State to make some moves. I wouldn't be shocked if the Thunder trade down or out. I wouldn't be shocked if the Miami Heat trade out. I think Utah making some kind of big move would be very shocking. Maybe Phoenix sits on their hands and doesn't do anything. That would be really, you know, shocking. I I think I don't see, I don't know. I mean, I'm not sure who's gonna make the biggest move, but it might be the Kings trying to trade up to five or so uh yet to get Darius A cup. But

Final Calls And What’s Next

SPEAKER_00 42:24

this ends our mock GM series. I sorry that I rattled on here, but I love basketball. Next week, I'm gonna try and I'm trying to get back Chip and Parker to do a mock draft first round. So basically, we would each take some teams, we would you know, come come to it with our big boards, and we would you know try to build the best teams. That could be a lot of fun. I might actually do video for that. So I might set up like maybe like a YouTube page or something just so people could also watch that because I know it's more interesting to see you know the actual video, not just the voice. But until next time, remember to watch more basketball. I've been doing this for 10 years.

SPEAKER_01 43:00

This is he's two years away from being two years away, and then we'll see.