NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After sitting out last summer's draft, Hollywood owner Aaron Connolly Nutting promised to "#BreakTheWheel" on Sunday, a Game of Thrones reference that he followed up on by making two major draft-night trades. After Colorado went with LSU forward Ben Simmons at the No. 1 spot, Hollywood selected Duke swingman Brandon Ingram at No. 2. With Manhattan on the clock at No. 3, things got entertaining. Hollywood swooped in to draft Providence guard Kris Dunn, trading Kenneth Faried ($8 million), Dante Exum ($2 million), a 2017 first-round pick and a 2018 first-round pick (top-two protected in 2018, top-one protected in 2019, unprotected in 2020). Then, Hollywood sent Ingram — the No. 2 overall pick — and center Gorgui Dieng to Newport Beach in exchange for point guard John Wall ($22 million), center Nikola Vucevic ($12 million) and a 2017 first-round pick (top-five protected). The successive swaps made the Hornets an instant playoff contender, and Hollywood still has some cap space to add to its "Core Four" (Jimmy Butler, Hassan Whiteside, Wall and Vucevic). "This organization was mocked for last year's trades, but here we are, ready to blow s*** up," Nutting said. "Hop aboard, people. It's time to #BreakTheWheel." Sunnyvale, unhappy with its draft position but unable to find any trade partners, rounded out the lottery by snagging Oklahoma sharpshooter Buddy Hield at No. 4. Here are more thoughts from around the league (with summary below): Colorado GM Collin Atkinson: "When we thought about the potential value of a player like Simmons in comparison to trading the pick for a player with NBA experience, we decided that we are going to try and build our team around the No. 1 pick. Simmons will be able to contribute on the floor right away, and bring hope to a fanbase that has been rightfully disappointed. We are excited to rebuild this team with Simmons, and think his addition provides playoff potential." Manhattan GM Alex Krause: "As tempting as it was to draft Kris Dunn, we felt that this trade allowed us to improve the most ... Faried fills a great need for us in the frontcourt and has a reasonable salary for a guy that has averaged 19 bones/game the past three years ... We still view Exum as a work in progress, especially considering he missed all of last season due to an ACL injury, but are still very high on him ... The two first-round picks are the most intriguing parts of the deal. They obviously give us potential to add additional talent over the next few years, but they also give us flexibility for some potential trades down the road ... the 2017 unprotected first-round pick looks like it could be the most valuable asset in this trade." Newport Beach GM Peter Mayer: "Unfortunately, John was going to be a salary-cap casualty this season, so we decided to get the best return possible. We felt that Brandon was an excellent return, and we're incredibly excited to bring him into the fold. Prospects like him don't come around very often, so the opportunity couldn't be wasted. Gorgui has shown his potential to be a star in this league, and his motor is unmatched. As for that f***boy Renfro, his trade analysis would be worth something if he won every once in a while." Statement from Hollywood PR: "Storm's a brewin' over Hollywood. Get your popcorn ready. One year after taking control of the Hornets franchise, management has put them in a position to make a championship run. Using pieces assembled from last year's Anthony Davis trade, we were able to bring in two seasoned veterans with great contracts and a future star point guard. All was done in a 15-minute span of the draft, surely giving Chris Broussard a headache." 1ST ROUND
2ND ROUND
0 Comments
|
Archives
March 2024
Categories
All
|