[ben voyonsdonc]

One of the biggest lessons of the Tre era (particularly early on) is that when you trade away draft picks for veteran contracts, you aren’t just trading away prospects…you are trading away players who would eventually be playing on ELCs for guys who aren’t.

To be successful in the cap era, an ELC has huge value and the opportunity cost in losing them should be factored into whenever you make a trade. The Hamonic trade hurt, not just because we picked up a guy who didn’t perform as we expected that he would, but also because we gave up a ton of flexibility that we’d have had if we had drafted young players and had them play on cheap deals. Not only could they have blossomed into great players but, as they were developing, they’d be really cheap.

I’m hopeful that Conroy has learned this lesson and will ensure that young players are prioritized over vet min deals and is loath to move draft picks/developing prospects for vets unless it is a no brainer.