Quote:
Originally Posted by Flamesfan05
Low first rounders in the NBA are much less valuable than the NHL
Even lottery picks don’t mean much unless it’s near the top
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I don't really agree with that. Granted, there's a huge talent drop off overall, and it's hard to find a star in the late first or second. But... the cheap salary control you get on a late first or second is really valuable. If you're shooting for rotation level, low ceiling high floor guys, maybe college juniors or seniors, then you can get guys who can contribute to a rotation on like $2m per year over their first 4 years, while similar levels of contribution will cost you $8m+ if you're signing a free agent. Plus you've got some salary control on their next contract. Maybe you find guys who have a mix of both a solid roleplayer skillset and some upside, like Siakam was when he was drafted.
For the Raptors, the value in having late FRPs and early SRPs (if they decide to keep them) isn't necessarily that they get a star out of one of those picks, it's that they can build a rotation around Barnes, Barrett and Quickley, while preserving salary and flexibility for additional moves.