Wizards Draft Office.
Ernie Grunfield put down the phone.
Just now, he made a choice.
Before him were many trading plans for the No. 5 pick.
What they initially chose was the bargaining chip provided by the Suns, the No. 14 pick + Leandro Barbosa's offer.
But this offer was replaced by offers from other teams after the draft began.
Even if Cole adds Robin Lopez to this foundation.
Because Barbosa still has three years of long-term contract, and more importantly, he is not the swingman they most want.
As for the draft picks, it is not something they value now, because Arenas has returned from injury and they are eager to return to the playoffs and save the sluggish ball market.
Therefore, immediate combat capability is their priority.
Similarly, they also rejected the Bobcats' trade plan based on the No. 12 pick, because the Bobcats also could not provide the kind of swingman they wanted (cheap contract, capable, and able to start).
He finally made his choice between the following two offers.
One came from the Timberwolves, Randy Foye + Mike Miller, and then the Wizards sent the No. 5 pick + Etan Thomas + Oreksey Pecherov + Darius Sangela.
The other one is from the Bulls, Tyrus Thomas + John Salmons, and the difference between the chips they sent and the first one is that there is one less Pecherov.
Let’s talk about the bargaining chip they sent out first. Edon Thomas has a serious garbage contract. He only played 26 games last season, averaging 3 points and 2 rebounds per game. His contract is worth more than 7 million, but he only has the last year left;
Oreksey Pecherov, the 18th pick in 2006, was a draft that has been proven to be a complete failure. He played for two seasons and his statistics were 3 points and 2 rebounds. Originally, they were planning to give up on executing the contract this season. , if traded with the Timberwolves, it would be used for balancing in the third year.
Darius Sangela, a substitute insider who scored 7 points and 3 rebounds last season, still has a two-year contract of 9 million. He is the only positive asset, but his value is limited.
So in general, they used the No. 5 pick to get immediate combat power, and then disposed of the junk contract.
Let’s look at what they got in return.
First, let’s talk about the Timberwolves. Foye was the No. 7 pick in 2006. He is a 1.93 meter combo guard. His performance in the first two seasons was average, but in his third year as a rookie, last season he averaged 16 points, 3 rebounds and 4 rebounds. In terms of assist performance, the 40% shooting rate is a bit low;
Mike Miller is a 2.03 meter swingman. Last season was Miller's 9th season in the NBA. He averaged 10 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. He is an immediate player at the rotation level and has a salary of 9 million a year. contract.
Then let’s talk about the Bulls.
Tyrus Thomas, the No. 4 pick in 2006, is a 2.06-meter power forward. Thomas is a bit special. When he was drafted that year, he was considered the team's core inside player, a violent power forward who flew into the sky and escaped from the ground. However, before He didn't get much opportunity with the Bulls for two years and didn't become the team's starter until last season.
Then his entire career trajectory is upward. Last season, he averaged 27 minutes per game and contributed 10.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. He is the Bulls' internal barrier and an important factor in their return to the playoffs;
Salmons, a 2.01 meter swingman, last season was his seventh season in the NBA. He averaged 18.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, with a 47.2% shooting percentage and a 41.5% three-point shooting percentage. At the peak of his career, he still has a one-year contract of 5 million yuan.
Salmons went through a trade last season and went from the Kings to the Bulls. He is a master of chaos. His performance in the playoffs last season was particularly eye-catching and he was an important factor in the Bulls' ability to reach the tiebreaker with the Celtics.
So after comparison, this choice is actually not that difficult.
Moreover, the Bulls brought out two starters from last season at once, showing great sincerity.
So in the finalized plan, they sent out the No. 5 pick + Edon Thomas + Darius Sangela, and got Tyrus Thomas + Salmons + a future second-round pick.
…
"If I don't go to Memphis, why don't I go to Chicago?"
When Schwartz ran over and told Xu Yong the result, he was really confused.
Because he just said in front of reporters that he was looking forward to joining the Grizzlies.
"Yeah, the Bulls drafted you with the No. 2 pick, not the Grizzlies," Schwartz explained, knowing it sounded weirder, but it was true.
"You mean, the Bulls asked the Grizzlies to draft me?" Xu Yong smoothed over Schwartz's words.
"Yes, they negotiated a deal, but you know the deal requires league approval, so that's the result." Schwartz continued to explain.
At this time, a staff member came over to remind Xu Yong that he was going to the press conference.
Players selected in the lottery area will have to go to the designated press conference after being interviewed by courtside reporters.
Xu Yong nodded, asked Schwartz to go back first, and then followed the staff towards the press conference.
The journey was not long, but he had a lot to think about.
He doesn't know much about the Bulls this season, but the Bulls probably don't have the leverage to directly exchange for the second pick, and he doesn't know how they did it.
Moreover, the Bulls already have the outside core of Rose, which is different from the core he expected.
I don’t know why the Bulls want him so much. You must know that the price of getting the second pick will not be too small.
However, fortunately, he is a relatively optimistic person, and his mentality has been adjusted before walking to the press conference.
Thinking about the problem from another angle, going to the Bulls may not be a bad thing.
Because although he didn't know much about the Bulls during this period, he remembered that the Bulls would undergo huge changes in the summer of 2010. New head coach Thibodeau and Boozer would also come to the Bulls. The Bulls at that time were a legitimate team. A championship contending team.
Unlike the NCAA, reaching the NBA championship is the highest honor, so it is certainly a good thing to compete for the championship.
And doesn’t this give him a year to develop?
Even if the Bulls spend a lot of money to select him with the second pick, they will definitely focus on training him, which does not conflict with whether Rose is there or not.
After all, no one stipulates that a team can only have one core. For example, the Celtics now have three?
And you must know that if history does not change, a super team with three peak cores will soon appear.
Fighting against the Big Three on the Bulls?
For a person of his character, just thinking about it is exciting!
What's more, the Bulls are the team Jordan once played for, and going to such a team is very exciting for him.
Therefore, when he actually sat down, his mood became very comfortable.
"Xu, we just received the news that the Bulls have completed a deal with the Grizzlies using the No. 5 pick and a future unprotected first-round pick. You will go to Chicago to report. How are you feeling at the moment?" He just sat down. , a group of reporters immediately raised their hands, and a reporter who stood up after being named asked.
Xu Yong quickly filtered the information given by the reporter.
The No. 5 pick plus the No. 2 pick in the future first rotation, why does this sound so familiar?
By the way, there was a similar deal during the 2018 draft in history. At that time, the Mavericks had changed their name to the Mavericks. They used the No. 5 pick plus a future protected first-round pick in exchange for the No. 3 pick from the Hawks. , and used the third pick to select Luka Doncic, the core of the team for the next ten years.
The Hawks used their fifth pick to select Trae Young.
A slap in the face can't make a difference. The reason why this deal can be reached is the joint result of the interests of both parties.
For the Hawks, they wanted to select Trae Young, but at the time, Young did not have the prospect of being a top-three pick. It would be too wasteful to select him directly. Trading down was the option to maximize profits.
As for the Mavericks, what they were most worried about was that the Grizzlies with the fourth pick would intercept Hu Doncic, so they paid a strict protection to pass the Grizzlies in the first round.
So essentially, the Bulls are doing this to prevent the Thunder and Kings from intercepting him.
This is definitely a perfect move, because the Kings gave him a draft commitment.
As for the Grizzlies, Schwartz also told him before that Thabeet had a poor workout and that Rubio and Harden did not go to Memphis for a workout.
It is not cost-effective for them to directly select Thabeet with the second pick, and it is too risky to blindly select others. In this case, it is understandable that they want to maximize their interests.
Maybe they know some insider information about the Thunder and Kings drafts.
However, the price for the Bulls is definitely more than an unprotected first-round pick next year, because the fifth pick itself does not belong to them, and it is the bulk of their payment to get the fifth pick.
Of course, these are just flashes in Xu Yong's mind. Facing the reporter's questions, he said calmly and happily: "The Bulls are a young and energetic team. I am very excited to be able to join the team." Joining a team with such a bright future.”
