Announcing winners and losers on draft day can be as dangerous as announcing the outcome of a game after the first quarter. It can take years for beginners to fully develop. After a few years, quick predictions often look silly. But they’re really interesting, aren’t they?
Plus, if you’re a sports bettor then you know how talent signing affects NBA odds on basketball & football betting sites. Let’s try to highlight the clear winners and losers in this year’s NBA Draft.
The Biggest Winners and Losers of the NBA Offseason
The Denver Nuggets Have Done it Again
Two years after signing Michael Porter Jr. to a late lottery draft, and a year after picking up a free-falling Bol Bol in round two, the Nuggets took on another troubled asset, RJ Hampton, who was available at number 24.
Hampton, of course, impressed while playing in high school, but last season did not perform well in New Zealand. Although the scouts watched the Hampton too closely. Excessive attention to failures at the professional level of a prospectus in adolescence in a foreign environment. Denver thinks they have got a quality playmaker who is 196 cm, who was considered a top lottery avenue after high school.
The Denver Nuggets are chosen by guys like Nikola Jokic, Michael Porter, and Bol Bol. They rip guys like Will Barton and Torrey Craig out of obscurity. Front office head Tim Connelly and his aides are arguably the best talent evaluators in the NBA. At No. 24, they got a potentially elite talent with little risk.
The Oklahoma City Thunder Are One of the Top Draft Winners
It may be years before it becomes clear if Oklahoma City-signed Alexei Pokushevsky can play in the NBA. But he is one of the potential NBA talents in the coming years.
The takeover of Al Horford‘s contract also looks appropriate. Horford is due to be paid $81 million over the next three seasons. The ludicrous four-year deal that the Sixers signed in 2019 brought Presti and the company another rush to be used to rebuild Thunder from the ground up.
All of these acquisitions certainly don’t guarantee anything, but it’s an impressive asset that, coupled with future payroll flexibility, puts Oklahoma City in a strong position to rebuild. Presti has done a masterful job using the desperation of the league teams against them.
Golden State Warriors and Their Failures
Klay Thompson suffered a lower right leg injury while training in California some time ago. This put his involvement in the next season at risk. Thompson’s injury threatens to derail what Golden State had hoped would be another title attempt this season.
Incidentally, this is the only reason the Warriors fall into the underdog category. Newbie James Wiseman has a terrific avenue. An intelligent and dominant performer who already knows how to play defense, who will outperform most of the other bigs. Wiseman can quickly break into the starting lineup. If James can hone his perimeter game – and there’s no reason to think he can’t – he will become a very strong player.
Are the Boston Celtics the Biggest Draft Loser?
Celtics drafted Aaron Nesmith and Payton Pritchard who are good players on paper, but how will they perform in the main season? Nesmith is arguably the best shooter in the draft, and Pritchard, who played for four years at Oregon, shot 41.5% three-pointers last season. There are some concerns about Nesmith’s foot injury in January, but he will be fine in the long run. The Boston bench needs shooters. Nesmith and Pritchard can theoretically cover this need, but still, the two received players in the offseason are very few.
How will they fit into the lineup? Last season, Boston had two first-round picks (Romeo Langford, Grant Williams) and a couple of second-round picks (Carsen Edwards, Tremont Waters). To make room for Nesmith and Pritchard, the Celtics may have to end their relationship with Semi Ojeleye or Brad Wanamaker. Possibly with both. Vincent Poirier still has a year left on the contract, but he may also leave.
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