The teams that are interested in trading are in the upward position: NetGrade is dissatisfied with the result of the bad performance, and the Thunder signs too many

(The original article was published on June 15, and the author is Dan Favale in the open-air stands. The content of the article does not represent the translator's views)

Draft night trading is a routine event in the NBA offseason, and this year's draft carnival will be no exception. If anything, trading dynamics this year may be crazier than usual, especially when it comes to teams trading upwards draft picks. Currently, there are 7 teams holding multiple first-round picks this year. The lineup quota restrictions, salary pressure and the desire to pursue higher picks will promote crazy trading and integration of draft picks. Dan Favale in the open-air stands listed the five most worthy of attention around draft night, focusing on those teams that are interested in trading first-round picks.

Brooklyn Nets When the Nets plunged into the reconstruction process last year's offseason, it was obviously not within their plan to win the No. 8 pick. This team has shown too strong competitiveness most of this season, just like the Jazz in the 2022-23 season. Fortunately, the Nets have four first-round picks in hand to make up for the gap. They may pack some combinations of the No. 19, 26 and 27 draws and pair them with No. 8 to hit the top 5 picks, or even the top 2 picks. The Nets can also keep the No. 8 draw and try to use No. 26 and/or No. 27 and No. 19 draw in exchange for another lotto draw. All solutions seem to be under consideration and are possible.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Assuming the Thunder executes the team options of Ajay Mitchell and Jerryn Williams, they will have 15 guaranteed contracts. This has reached the regular season roster ceiling. In addition, they also hold two first-round picks this year, and the problem is obvious. Thunder general manager Sam Presti has long been accustomed to dealing with this "difficulty". He has almost certainly prepared several trading plans, trying to package the No. 15 and No. 24 (or perhaps other chips) upwards in exchange for a lotto sign that is enough to make other teams in the league frightened. However, there are risks in putting the Thunder on this list, and they are more likely to choose to trade this year's draft picks in exchange for future signings. If you are willing to give up Usman Gion, Jerin Williams, Kenridge Williams and others, it will be easier to introduce new players. Otherwise, it will be difficult for the Thunder to integrate existing draft picks, let alone use all signings.

Orlando Magic

Magic holds two first-round picks (16th and 25th picks), and strictly speaking, they do not have enough lineup space to accommodate these two rookies. If all existing players are retained, their security contract will reach 15. You can spoil it in advance, the Magic will not retain all players. The Magic have multiple team options, which makes it relatively easy for them to integrate both draft picks. Whether it is now or in the future, Magic's financial position close to the luxury tax line will also prompt management to bet as much as possible on newcomers with manageable salary. The Magic's current strength and lineup flexibility have exceeded the stage of simply considering cost control, and packaging two draft picks up for higher rankings is also in line with the logic of cost control. The Magic still signed a player with a rookie contract, and the theoretically higher probability of a player with a higher pick becoming a rotation player.

Utah Jazz

The new Jazz Basketball Operations President Austin Angie obviously adopted a "we don't like this" attitude towards the bad strategy, but this sentiment was over-inspired. Even if all players play healthily next season, the Jazz may still be at the top two in the West. It is undeniable that this team urgently needs the cornerstone of the team building. Markanen does not meet this positioning, and Kessler, Collier, Kiant George and even the players on the entire list are not qualified. Finding this core player is crucial to advancing the Jazz's reconstruction, and maybe they can get what they want in the fifth pick. But they also hold the No. 21 sign, not to mention the large number of future first-round signs that have been hoarded. If the Jazz management determines that Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecom or Es Bailey, who are predicting the top 4 picks, are the true sons of destiny, they have the capital to trade up to the fourth, third or even second picks. But is the Jazz having enough courage or urgency to take this path? That's another matter. The Wizards, led by Michael Wenger and Will Dawkins, completed upward trades in their first two draft picks. It would be too naive to think that they would not use the same trick again this year. The Wizards hold the No. 6, 18 and 40 signs, and also have short-term contract and salary space advantages (much lower than the luxury tax line), which are enough to attract top 5 picks, especially those who want to clear up their cap space or expand their trading operations. However, it must be admitted that the Wizards may not be as urgency as other teams to improve their draft picks. Kulibali and Saar have provided them with two potential candidates for the cornerstone of the team building, and the 6th pick is likely to be the third option.

At the same time, the Wizards management has always been good at seizing opportunities. If there is a good opportunity to rush into the top 5 rankings, or if the person in power determines that a player who likes (not the Flag level) will not fall to the 6th ranking, the team's past operation records show that they will definitely take decisive action. Without involving the No. 6 draw, trading from the 18th pick is also in line with the Wizards' opportunistic style. With the No. 40 draw and a large number of future second round picks, the Wizards have full support chips to compete for the first round pick in the last section of the lottery zone.

Original text: DanFavale

Compiled by: Li Taibai