FanPost

Picking up an extra first - Finding teams to take advantage of

I don't know about you guys, but I still want to stockpile some extra firsts in this draft. What's key is to identify the teams tempted to give up their picks, namely those in poor cap situations. These teams often don't even really want their first given that it's a guaranteed contract and are willing to move them for seconds, or give them up to shed salary.

Portland Trailblazers - Welcome to the worst cap situation in the NBA. Without signing anyone and only using the players currently under contract the Blazers will have $138mil committed for next season. They need help. They also happen to have 3 firsts making them more comfortable with trading one away. They would love us to absorb a contract, if you're willing to take on Allen Crabbe and his big contract, who despite some of the worst defense in the league this year did shoot 44%3PT, I'm pretty confident they'd be willing to move on from some of their picks. Festus Ezeli is another guy who intrigues me since they just traded for Nurkic and he's only signed through next season. They own picks 15, 20, and 26.

Milwaukee Bucks - I was a bit shocked to see that the Bucks are already capped out for next season if Greg Monroe doesn't opt out. They also have to worry about retaining Tony Snell and extending Jabari after this season. While I'm not sure the Bucks will want to move on from the 17th pick in the draft, they do have a new GM and he might be willing to move it to shed salary. Mirza Teletovic is an interesting guy to take off their hands. Signed through 2019 on $10.5mil/yr, Teletovic can stretch the floor as a second or third string PF.

OKC Thunder - Poor Westbrook. The man has a bad team around him, and they've got no money to help out as they're potentially capped out for the next two seasons already. The problem here though is that there're just massive contracts on their payroll that I don't think we'll want to touch like Oladipo's $21mil through 2021. They have the 21st pick in the draft this year.

Charlotte Hornets - They have the 11th pick in the draft so good luck prying it from their fingers, but the value that could be there is great with ESPN predicting Monk to slip all the way down there on draft night, let alone guys like Donovan Mitchell. We could throw a future first at them and take someone like Lamb(signed through 2019) or Belinelli(one year left), or maybe even both, off their hands and clear some room saying as they currently have none.

Detroit Pistons - I have no idea what these guys are up to. They're far from being a contender, yet they're apparently actively shopping their pick away. They're already capped out, and they have a big decision to make with RFA Caldwell-Pope probably getting a max or near-max offer from a team like Brooklyn. They apparently would like some proven players which we really don't have much of, but they might be interested in the cheap contract of RoCo if you're willing to move him. If not, we can pick up some guys, maybe Leuer? . A guy like Mitchell could definitely be on the board here giving great value for us, and they seem to not care about their pick anyway.

San Antonio Spurs - As many have seen, the Spurs are pursuing CP3. They'll need to clear some cap to pursue him though. While their pick is #29 and may not seem to valuable to us, it's probably pretty obtainable for straight up some seconds.

Miami Heat - Has Chris Bosh been wiped off their books? If so, ignore this. If not, the Heat are always floating in rumors to make a play for a big name FA. After just barely missing the playoffs, they're looking to improve and compete. Unfortunately for them, they only have ~$12mil to spend. They own a lucrative pick at #14, and taking salaries like Ellington and McRoberts, both of whom only have 1 year left on their deals, helps them get there(as well as obviously not having to pay a rookie). ESPN projects Mitchell to slide to the Heat at 14, great value for us. Even if Bosh is off the books, this puts them in the range of being able to throw big money at two FAs. They might want to get rich quick before Tyler Johnson's contract really kicks in.

Orlando Magic - No, I'm not talking about the 6th pick in the draft. I'm looking at the 25th pick which they now own. The Magic are pretty strapped for cash and already have a first so they might be willing to part with this late one for a couple seconds or taking on the contracts of Watson, Augustin, or even Terrence Ross.

Utah Jazz - With both Hayward and Hill hitting the market, the Jazz need all the cash they can get. They're looking to compete, so they probably don't see much value in the 24th pick. This could be obtainable for seconds or the last year of Joe Johnson's $10mil contract. They also own the 30th pick from GSW, do they really want both?

Toronto Raptors - With both Lowry and Ibaka hitting FA this year, the Raptors are definitely in need of cap relief. A team that likes to compete, they might not put too much value in the 23rd overall pick.

Brooklyn Nets - The Nets have accumulated two firsts, but they still are devoid of talent. Their picks are late too at 22nd and 27th. The 27th pick might be obtainable just for 2nds, they might also be interested in trying to rehabilitate someone like Okafor as they move on from Brook Lopez, or at least try to. Okafor probably has more upside than anyone they have on their roster, and I'm far from an Okafor fan.

A user-created LB joint. The Liberty Ballers staff does not contribute to FanPosts.