NBA DRAFT 2019 THREAD

[Mori Chu]

Our front office is inexperienced and generally got fleeced by other, more prepared teams. The Saric trade was a positive, but then we blew the #11 pick on Cam Johnson.

Overall draft day grade: C-

[Ring_Wanted]

Hey guys! Remember when we were all worried that the Suns would draft Coby white? Those were the good old days.

Honestly I have not had this feeling of wasted assets, mismanagement and lack of preparation since they sold Sergio Rodriguez and Rudy Fernandez. Overall a gutting experience, this 2019 draft. Can't imagine what awaits in free agency...

[Flagrant Fowl]

I think some of the comments I've been reading here are a bit hypocritical.

The TJ Warren trade was all about creating cap space. Not receiving a player asset looks bad but we have to see who they sign. I'm reserving judgment on that deal.

#6 for Saric and #11 is a very good deal. I think we bought low on Saric, the same way Indy bought low on Warren.

I don't love the Cam Johnson pick. It was a reach. BUT. My biggest pet peeve with this team for a long time has been a lack of court awareness and consistent shooting. At least Johnson addresses both of those issues very well. The problem is that he doesn't address the teams defensive or rebounding issues, but I don't think there was a prospect available at #11 who would've helped in all of those areas. The FO decided to improve the IQ and shooting, and I'm OK with that.

Ty Jerome. I like him. Yeah, I'm about 10% worried about his athleticism, but the guy is a winner with a high IQ and can shoot the lights out (RE: Cam Johnson). I don't know what the hell is going on with the Baynes situation, so we'll see about that. Keep in mind that Jeff Bowers was the one who brought him over (and overpaid) from Australia. I think a lot of people overrated the MIL pick. I would be surprised if it's better than #25.

Yes, I wanted Clarke. He would've addressed the defense and rebounding issues. A two-deep with him and Saric makes a lot of sense. They decided to address shooting, fine. I hope they're right.

I also liked Culver, but I don't think he's worth two solid role players in Cam Johnson (hopefully) and Dario Saric. Culver isn't a lock to be an all-star or anything like that.

I guess my point is that it's clear the FO has a plan. Maybe you don't think it's the best plan, but that's what all fans do. Right now I'm just satisfied that we didn't try to hit the jackpot in 2-3 years with some raw project. This team needs guys ready to contribute next year, and I think the FO did a good job of trying their best to achieve that.

[ShelC]

I'm worried we drafted two really good college players. The rap will be, "They're older, more mature, have been coached up. We didn't want another 18 year old on the team." Hopefully Johnson can be a knockdown shooter. Maybe a Thad Young-type in his own right. Honestly not expecting much from Jerome until he can prove himself physically. I think he struggles in SL.

Baynes is a decent pickup to be our backup big if he stays on.

Extremely underwhelming tho, especially when we've could've traded back for both guys. I'm honestly not expecting much in FA either.

[Indy]

I think some of the comments I've been reading here are a bit hypocritical.

The TJ Warren trade was all about creating cap space. Not receiving a player asset looks bad but we have to see who they sign. I'm reserving judgment on that deal.

#6 for Saric and #11 is a very good deal. I think we bought low on Saric, the same way Indy bought low on Warren.

From what we were discussing here, this move didn't create any cap space, or any that it did create was used to bring in Baynes and Saric. Which is fine if you think those two will provide more than TJ. But then we are supposedly buying out baynes. So we used TJ and draft assets to get Saric for one year.

[Indy]

I'm worried we drafted two really good college players. The rap will be, "They're older, more mature, have been coached up. We didn't want another 18 year old on the team." Hopefully Johnson can be a knockdown shooter. Maybe a Thad Young-type in his own right. Honestly not expecting much from Jerome until he can prove himself physically. I think he struggles in SL.

Baynes is a decent pickup to be our backup big if he stays on.

Extremely underwhelming tho, especially when we've could've traded back for both guys. I'm honestly not expecting much in FA either.

If that is your approach, fine. I get it. But you don't invest multiple draft assets, and use lottery picks, to take guys that are mid-20 picks and 2nd rounders.

[ShelC]

I doubt Cam Johnson was higher than 20 on anyone's draft board - and that's being generous. And I'd love to hear what our new medical staff said about his hip.

The pick just comes off as arrogant IMO. Like "We're new and we're not going by projections. We're taking our guy and we're gonna surprise everyone."

[O_Gardino]

It's really fun to sit back and judge all these picks from other teams because I have no respect for most of these prospects.

welp

[Indy]

I doubt Cam Johnson was higher than 20 on anyone's draft board - and that's being generous. And I'd love to hear what our new medical staff said about his hip.

The pick just comes off as arrogant IMO. Like "We're new and we're not going by projections. We're taking our guy and we're gonna surprise everyone."

I read it a little different. It seems like we are going to dump nearly everyone, and likely stretch Tyler, and make a big play for a max FA (probably D'lo ), so the message was trade down as much as possible, and only take "safe" picks that are smart guys and can shoot. I don't think they were trying to show off at all.

[ShelC]

That's fine, but you don't take a guy at 11 that no one was touching before 20. That's a waste of a pick/value.

And who's this max FA we're getting if it's not Dlo (Gambo insists it isnt, but maybe he's smokescreening)? Are we going to make an offer to Brogdon? Randle? Not max guys but with Brogdon as an RFA, you have to overpay to get him. Kyrie? Kemba?

[Indy]

That's fine, but you don't take a guy at 11 that no one was touching before 20. That's a waste of a pick/value.

And who's this max FA we're getting if it's not Dlo (Gambo insists it isnt, but maybe he's smokescreening)? Are we going to make an offer to Brogdon? Randle? Not max guys but with Brogdon as an RFA, you have to overpay to get him. Kyrie? Kemba?

I am not saying it was a good execution or smart. I just saw it as the opposite of arrogant. I thought they thought they were playing it safe.

[Indy]

That's fine, but you don't take a guy at 11 that no one was touching before 20. That's a waste of a pick/value.

And who's this max FA we're getting if it's not Dlo (Gambo insists it isnt, but maybe he's smokescreening)? Are we going to make an offer to Brogdon? Randle? Not max guys but with Brogdon as an RFA, you have to overpay to get him. Kyrie? Kemba?

Oh, and I don't think Gambo's insider status is still real. So I don't believe him about Dlo. Book posted something this week with him and dlo hanging out on a boat together, then the tweets... It just feels like a done deal already.

[O_Gardino]

Well, my guy Jontay Porter went undrafted. He's worth taking a flyer on as an udrafted free agent.

[In2ition]

I think some of the comments I've been reading here are a bit hypocritical.

The TJ Warren trade was all about creating cap space. Not receiving a player asset looks bad but we have to see who they sign. I'm reserving judgment on that deal.

#6 for Saric and #11 is a very good deal. I think we bought low on Saric, the same way Indy bought low on Warren.

I don't love the Cam Johnson pick. It was a reach. BUT. My biggest pet peeve with this team for a long time has been a lack of court awareness and consistent shooting. At least Johnson addresses both of those issues very well. The problem is that he doesn't address the teams defensive or rebounding issues, but I don't think there was a prospect available at #11 who would've helped in all of those areas. The FO decided to improve the IQ and shooting, and I'm OK with that.

Ty Jerome. I like him. Yeah, I'm about 10% worried about his athleticism, but the guy is a winner with a high IQ and can shoot the lights out (RE: Cam Johnson). I don't know what the hell is going on with the Baynes situation, so we'll see about that. Keep in mind that Jeff Bowers was the one who brought him over (and overpaid) from Australia. I think a lot of people overrated the MIL pick. I would be surprised if it's better than #25.

Yes, I wanted Clarke. He would've addressed the defense and rebounding issues. A two-deep with him and Saric makes a lot of sense. They decided to address shooting, fine. I hope they're right.

I also liked Culver, but I don't think he's worth two solid role players in Cam Johnson (hopefully) and Dario Saric. Culver isn't a lock to be an all-star or anything like that.

I guess my point is that it's clear the FO has a plan. Maybe you don't think it's the best plan, but that's what all fans do. Right now I'm just satisfied that we didn't try to hit the jackpot in 2-3 years with some raw project. This team needs guys ready to contribute next year, and I think the FO did a good job of trying their best to achieve that.

After getting over being super super disappointed that they didn't go after Clarke, I think we can see what the focus of the front office is.

1. They are betting hard on Ayton and Booker making a jump this year and building a team around them. Ok, it wasn't defensive focused, but shooting was definitely the focus for them.
2. All 4 players we added can shoot. This says that we can say good bye to Melton, Jackson, Tyler and Richaun.
3. The team got better. They addressed shooting around Devin and Ayton, but they also addressed roster balance.
4. I still think they need a penetrator to the PG spot that can also shoot, this will collapse the defense and be able to kick out to the shooters. I think the best for that is DLo, but Gambo insists that the Suns don't want him. I had a friend talk to James Jones recently and James told him that they don't want DLo because of his defense. This is laughable to me, because of the guys they brought in yesterday such as Saric, Cam, and Ty Jerome, along with the guys they are going to let go such as Tyler, Melton and Richaun. None of those guys they brought in are known for their defense except Baynes. On top of that, I've said recently that it's more important that the front court be good at defense than the backcourt needs to be, although it shouldn't be discounted.
5. It feels like they should go after Brogdan and Vonleh in FA, they fit the things that they want, with the exception that Brogdan isn't a great penetrator of a guard.

[Ring_Wanted]

Well, my guy Jontay Porter went undrafted. He's worth taking a flyer on as an udrafted free agent.

Absolutely. I wanted him las year and it sucked he got injuried this season. Health issues run in that family, though. Would have loved Bol at #32 too.

[In2ition]

After getting over being super super disappointed that they didn't go after Clarke, I think we can see what the focus of the front office is.

1. They are betting hard on Ayton and Booker making a jump this year and building a team around them. Ok, it wasn't defensive focused, but shooting was definitely the focus for them.
2. All 4 players we added can shoot. This says that we can say good bye to Melton, Jackson, Tyler and Richaun.
3. The team got better. They addressed shooting around Devin and Ayton, but they also addressed roster balance.
4. I still think they need a penetrator to the PG spot that can also shoot, this will collapse the defense and be able to kick out to the shooters. I think the best for that is DLo, but Gambo insists that the Suns don't want him. I had a friend talk to James Jones recently and James told him that they don't want DLo because of his defense. This is laughable to me, because of the guys they brought in yesterday such as Saric, Cam, and Ty Jerome, along with the guys they are going to let go such as Tyler, Melton and Richaun. None of those guys they brought in are known for their defense except Baynes. On top of that, I've said recently that it's more important that the front court be good at defense than the backcourt needs to be, although it shouldn't be discounted.
5. It feels like they should go after Brogdan and Vonleh in FA, they fit the things that they want, with the exception that Brogdan isn't a great penetrator of a guard.

I could add that they could split the money between Vonleh and Tomas Satoransky. This would be an underrated move and it would improve the team, if they don't think they can get DLo or Brogdan. I should have added Satoransky as a PG option.

[Split T]

My thoughts:

I’m trying to look at the positive side of things, so here goes:

I was excited about the Bender/Chriss draft and JJ draft and those turned out to be awful, so maybe my uneasy feeling about this one will turn good. This can’t turn out worse than 2016 or 2017, right?

When it comes down to it, we offloaded 1 useful player(when healthy) for 4 useful players(of course using 3 picks to do it) Saric and Baynes are proven nba rotation players and Cam and Ty are two of the most nba ready prospects in the draft.

Saric - I think he’s a good offensive fit next to Ayton. He stretches the floor and he is able to put the ball on the floor a bit and do a few things. He’s not the scorer that warren is, but he’s better suited to defend the 4, better rebounder, better passer. I know we didn’t trade Warren for Saric, but replacing Warren with Saric in the rotation is a win.

Baynes - We’ll see if we keep him. National writers are saying a buyout is in the works, but Gambo says he’s staying. I’d be fine with a buyout only if he takes 2 million or less. Otherwise he needs to stay because he’s a competent big. He doesn’t have the athleticism of Holmes, but he’s bigger and more equipped to defend the post. He also shoots it a little better from outside. TBD as I liked Holmes, but this feels like a wash.

Cam Johnson - I liked him a lot when I thought he could be a stretch 4, then I spent more time on him and realized it would be a stretch to call him a 4. Think Oubre and Bridges are better equipped as 4’s. I still really like his shooting ability. We obviously way overdrafted him, but he can really shoot. Probably the best shooter in the draft. Going forward I’m gonna stop evaluating him as the 11th pick and just as a player. I think he’ll be useful from day 1. He takes the Josh Jackson minutes and I think he’ll be more effective.

Ty Jerome - Another shooter. I read he was top 5 in the country on catch and shoot 3’s from an efficiency standpoint. Close to 50%. He’s a very good passer, very smart basketball player. Just not an nba athlete. Was a good team defender in college, but I worry about his on ball defensive skills in the nba. I don’t think he’s a starter, but could be a real nice backup combo guard if he’s not overwhelmed athletically. I’m ok moving the Milwaukee pick for this. He takes the Okobo/Melton minutes and I think he’ll be more effective.

Jalen Lecque - All I knew about him before last night was that he reclassified after a prep year, never went to college, and was pretty athletic. Turns out he’s freakish athletically, with a 43 inch vertical. He’s not nba ready at all and will need time in the G League, but I’m intrigued by this signing. He’s got good size at 6’4 with a 6’8 wingspan. His 2 guaranteed years don’t bother me as they’ll be at the minimum. A project worth taking a flyer on.

Josh Jackson - What do we do with him. I was surprised when we had to give up assets to dump TJ and wondered what that meant for Josh, who is much less useful as a player. But, Josh can be an expiring, so he doesn’t have the two extra years, his salary is lower, and there is still the chance a team thinks they can fix him. Still worried we won’t be able to move him without attaching significant assets and we’ll have to decline yet another 4th year option on a former #4 overall pick...yikes.

Free Agent PG - I have no idea what we do here. I think we absolutely should waive and stretch Tyler and throw max offers to Brogdon and D-Lo because the rest of the pg class is crap and I might cry if we did all we did yesterday just to sign someone from the Rozier, Rubio, Collison, Beverley group. But, my feeling is we keep Tyler and sign Rubio.

Rubio/Booker/Oubre/Saric/Ayton
Jerome/TJ/Cam/Bridges/Baynes

that’s probably our roster.

I’d guess we saw Booker/Ayton/Oubre as our core top 3 and just wanted to add quality role players. Bridges becomes 4. Rubio/Saric/Cam/Jerome/TJ/Baynes become 5-10.

I thought we needed another guy who could be better than Oubre, but we’ll see. I predict 38 wins and the 10th seed. Hopefully we get lucky in the lottery and land a top 4 pick next year or Jalen Lecque turns into a star.

Side note, I though we solved the whole two TJ problem by trading Warren, but then we drafted Ty Jerome...so we can’t use TJ for either, can’t use Ty for either and can’t use Johnson because we also drafted Cam Johnson. Let’s hope we waive and stretch Tyler Johnson so we don’t have to deal with this problem.

[In2ition]

My thoughts:

I’m trying to look at the positive side of things, so here goes:

I was excited about the Bender/Chriss draft and JJ draft and those turned out to be awful, so maybe my uneasy feeling about this one will turn good. This can’t turn out worse than 2016 or 2017, right?

When it comes down to it, we offloaded 1 useful player(when healthy) for 4 useful players(of course using 3 picks to do it) Saric and Baynes are proven nba rotation players and Cam and Ty are two of the most nba ready prospects in the draft.

Saric - I think he’s a good offensive fit next to Ayton. He stretches the floor and he is able to put the ball on the floor a bit and do a few things. He’s not the scorer that warren is, but he’s better suited to defend the 4, better rebounder, better passer. I know we didn’t trade Warren for Saric, but replacing Warren with Saric in the rotation is a win.

Baynes - We’ll see if we keep him. National writers are saying a buyout is in the works, but Gambo says he’s staying. I’d be fine with a buyout only if he takes 2 million or less. Otherwise he needs to stay because he’s a competent big. He doesn’t have the athleticism of Holmes, but he’s bigger and more equipped to defend the post. He also shoots it a little better from outside. TBD as I liked Holmes, but this feels like a wash.

Cam Johnson - I liked him a lot when I thought he could be a stretch 4, then I spent more time on him and realized it would be a stretch to call him a 4. Think Oubre and Bridges are better equipped as 4’s. I still really like his shooting ability. We obviously way overdrafted him, but he can really shoot. Probably the best shooter in the draft. Going forward I’m gonna stop evaluating him as the 11th pick and just as a player. I think he’ll be useful from day 1. He takes the Josh Jackson minutes and I think he’ll be more effective.

Ty Jerome - Another shooter. I read he was top 5 in the country on catch and shoot 3’s from an efficiency standpoint. Close to 50%. He’s a very good passer, very smart basketball player. Just not an nba athlete. Was a good team defender in college, but I worry about his on ball defensive skills in the nba. I don’t think he’s a starter, but could be a real nice backup combo guard if he’s not overwhelmed athletically. I’m ok moving the Milwaukee pick for this. He takes the Okobo/Melton minutes and I think he’ll be more effective.

Jalen Lecque - All I knew about him before last night was that he reclassified after a prep year, never went to college, and was pretty athletic. Turns out he’s freakish athletically, with a 43 inch vertical. He’s not nba ready at all and will need time in the G League, but I’m intrigued by this signing. He’s got good size at 6’4 with a 6’8 wingspan. His 2 guaranteed years don’t bother me as they’ll be at the minimum. A project worth taking a flyer on.

Josh Jackson - What do we do with him. I was surprised when we had to give up assets to dump TJ and wondered what that meant for Josh, who is much less useful as a player. But, Josh can be an expiring, so he doesn’t have the two extra years, his salary is lower, and there is still the chance a team thinks they can fix him. Still worried we won’t be able to move him without attaching significant assets and we’ll have to decline yet another 4th year option on a former #4 overall pick...yikes.

Free Agent PG - I have no idea what we do here. I think we absolutely should waive and stretch Tyler and throw max offers to Brogdon and D-Lo because the rest of the pg class is crap and I might cry if we did all we did yesterday just to sign someone from the Rozier, Rubio, Collison, Beverley group. But, my feeling is we keep Tyler and sign Rubio.

Rubio/Booker/Oubre/Saric/Ayton
Jerome/TJ/Cam/Bridges/Baynes

that’s probably our roster.

I’d guess we saw Booker/Ayton/Oubre as our core top 3 and just wanted to add quality role players. Bridges becomes 4. Rubio/Saric/Cam/Jerome/TJ/Baynes become 5-10.

I thought we needed another guy who could be better than Oubre, but we’ll see. I predict 38 wins and the 10th seed. Hopefully we get lucky in the lottery and land a top 4 pick next year or Jalen Lecque turns into a star.

Side note, I though we solved the whole two TJ problem by trading Warren, but then we drafted Ty Jerome...so we can’t use TJ for either, can’t use Ty for either and can’t use Johnson because we also drafted Cam Johnson. Let’s hope we waive and stretch Tyler Johnson so we don’t have to deal with this problem.

Very good break down Split.

The one thing I disagree with is going after Rubio. I have a feeling that we don't go after him, because of his shooting woes. I really think it's going to be probably out of left field such as Satoransky and Vonleh. That way they continue to surround the team with shooters who are also smart players and on decent contracts, not overpaying for either.

Otherwise, I think you are spot on with everything else. Also, it's possible that they don't bring back Oubre, also because of shooting, although I think that's a mistake.

This could be our depth chart next year:
Satoransky/Jerome/Okobo/Lecque
Booker/Daniels
Oubre/Bridges/Johnson
Vonleh/Saric/Bender
Ayton/Baynes

[Split T]

I forgot about Satoransky...that actually makes some sense. My only concern would be that didn’t we just draft a guy that’s essentially Tomas Satoransky in Ty Jerome?

[O_Gardino]

Please someone tell me what Ty Jerome does that Daniels doesn't do.