I liked it as a rumor yesterday and I love it as a trade now. The Warriors could have upwards of 25-30 million to work with next summer. Couple that with a lottery pick this year, probably next year, and a big time free agent or two next year, if they feel so inclined. In all seriousness, the Warriors probably won't be competitive again for a long time.
The Bucks were a time on the rise before this trade and this makes them even better. Most NBA fans know that Corey Maggette makes a bit more than he should. Getting rid of Dan Gadzuric's horrible contract outweighs the negative in Maggette's for this year. If they can unload Michael Redd before the season begins, this time will be headed for great things this season. Their rotation will feature Brandon Jennings, Carlos Delfino, Maggette, Andrew Bogut, and Ersan Ilyasova. Trading for Maggette makes even more sense with John Salmons opting out of his contract now. If they opt not to resign Salmons, the Bucks could go for a backup big man, in addition to whatever big man they are able to snag with the 15th pick. *Update* apparently, they are about to get Chris Douglas Roberts as well. This team is going for the gold.
A few players whose stock appears to have slipped in recent days leading up to the draft: Al Farouq-Aminu (wasn't he at one time a top 3 prospect for this draft) and Xavier Henry (I hope the Rockets roll the dice). Meanwhile, Luke Babbitt and Gordon Heyward's stock continue to rise. Lance Stephenson will be a highlight reel that will get taken by someone at some point. Whether or not he can do anything of value to teams besides create those 30 second highlights remains to be seen.
I am going to really cheat and post my full mock draft tomorrow morning. Until then, I will continue my team by team preview. I doubt I'm going to make it much passed the lottery.
The Indiana Pacers are a team that seems to me to be in a similar position to the Detroit Pistons. While they do have a superstar (when healthy) in Danny Granger, they also have players (Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy that are always rumored to be on their way out the door. They have needs at point guard and they could use some more depth at the forward position and the center position. They have been trying to acquire a point guard via trade the last few days, but nothing seems to be too close to happening yet. There doesn't appear to be a quality point guard available when they draft 10, either. Unless they trade these picks, the Pacers are likely to add depth in the middle with the 10th and 40th pick in this draft. Players that might potentially be available at 10 include Epke Udoh, Ed Davis, Pat Patterson, and Cole Aldrich. I think Ed Davis is the likely selection here.
The Hornets were an exciting team that was consistently improving the last few seasons. Then they traded Tyson Chandler for Emeka Okafor and Chris Paul got hurt. I think if they keep Paul and Collison at this point, they will ruin their chemistry. A lot of GMs can probably keep that in mind in future trades and lowball the shit out of them. The only really needs they possess right now would be at the wing position. Players that could be available when they pick here include Luke Babbitt, Paul George, and Gordon Heyward. I think they will choose from Babbitt and George here.
The Memphis Grizzlies currently possess one of the most promising rosters in the NBA, if not the most promising. Not only do they have a talented roster, but NONE of these players have contracts past 2011 currently. Of course, they will probably lock Rudy Gay up long term for a lot of money in this offseason. Even then, they will probably be right around the salary cap, with three or four pretty good players on the roster and just as many potentially good players. If this team sticks together and Zach Randolph can keep his act together, this team could finally pick up where they left off in the Pau Gasol era. They might even win a playoff game! Like I said, there is no real glaring need for this team in this draft. In fact, if I were the Grizzlies management, I would trade this pack for another future pick or two. If they don't do that, they are more than likely to take a guard/forward with this pick. Players avaialable could include Pat Patterson, Paul George, and Gordon Heyward. I doubt Heyward will still be available so they will probably end up with Pat Patterson.
Unless Lebron doesn't return to Cleveland, Toronto stands to lose the most this offseason. In fact, either way I would say they will witness the biggest win decline this coming season. They won 40 in 2010 and I would be shocked if they win half of that this coming season. Chris Bosh is not coming back and they are not going to have much to work with under the salary cap. Unless Jose Calderon can return to his form from a couple seasons ago, this team will have needs at every position. Andrea Bargnani will be their lone bright spot heading into the season, and even he is still somewhat questionable. To replace Chris Bosh they will more than likely draft Cole Aldrich. As a diehard KU fan, I can almost safely say Aldrich will not be great in the NBA. He will be a starting center for close to a decade, but more of the Greg Ostertag (coincidence, right?) variety. He is almost seven feet tall, afterall.
I will pick this up with my Houston Rockets later on. We are now only 33 hours away from the 2010 NBA Draft.
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