Traded First-Round Picks For 2017 NBA Draft
The 2017 NBA draft is still more than nine months away, but with the start of the regular season fast approaching, it’s worth taking stock of how this season’s results will affect next year’s draft. Depending on how certain teams perform during the 2016/17 campaign, other clubs will have the opportunity to pick up an extra first-round selection, or to swap first-rounders with those teams.
There’s a good chance that a few more 2017 first-round selections will change hands before the 2017 trade deadline, or on draft night next June, but many picks have already been included in trades. Five teams currently have the opportunity to grab an extra first-rounder in 2017, while two other teams could have the chance to move up in the first round by swapping picks with another club.
Below, you’ll find a breakdown of the first-round picks that could (or will) change hands. For each selection, we make a note of which team is sending and receiving it, the protection on the pick, and what will happen if the protection language prevents the pick from being conveyed. For instance, the Bulls are on track to receive the Kings’ first-round pick, but only if it falls outside the top 10. If Sacramento’s pick is a top-10 selection, the Bulls will instead receive the Kings’ second-rounder.
Here’s a breakdown of the traded first-round picks for 2017:
Traded first-round picks:
Brooklyn Nets
- From: Washington Wizards
- Protection: 1-14
- If not conveyed: Nets will have chance to get Wizards’ 2018 first-rounder (protected 1-14).
Chicago Bulls
- From: Sacramento Kings
- Protection: 1-10
- If not conveyed: Bulls will instead receive Kings’ second-round pick (protected 56-60).
Los Angeles Lakers
- From: Houston Rockets
- Protection: None
Orlando Magic
- From: Los Angeles Clippers or Toronto Raptors (less favorable)
- Protection: 1-14 (Clippers pick)
- If not conveyed: In the unlikely event that the Clippers’ pick gets protected and the Magic receive Toronto’s pick, the Raptors would have a chance to get the Clippers’ 2018 first-rounder (protected 1-14).
Philadelphia 76ers
- From: Dallas Mavericks
- Protection: 1-18
- If not conveyed: Sixers will instead Mavericks’ 2017 second-rounder (protected 56-60) and Mavericks’ 2018 second-rounder (protected 56-60).
Philadelphia 76ers
- From: Los Angeles Lakers
- Protection: 1-3
- If not conveyed: Sixers will get Lakers’ 2018 first-rounder (unprotected).
Portland Trail Blazers
- From: Cleveland Cavaliers
- Protection: None
Portland Trail Blazers
- From: Memphis Grizzlies
- Protection: 1-5
- If not conveyed: Trail Blazers will have chance to get Grizzlies’ 2018 first-rounder (protected 1-5).
Sacramento Kings
- From: New Orleans Pelicans
- Protection: 1-3
- If not conveyed: Kings will have chance to get Pelicans’ 2018 first-rounder (protected only for No. 1 pick).
Utah Jazz
- From: Golden State Warriors
- Protection: None
Pick swaps are rarer than simple pick trades, but they’re often included in deals to get around the fact that teams can’t trade consecutive future first-round picks. For instance, in the Nets/Celtics blockbuster that saw Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett land in Brooklyn, Boston received the Nets’ 2014, 2016, and 2018 first-rounders, plus first-round swap rights in 2017. The Nets couldn’t leave themselves without first-round picks in back-to-back future seasons, so giving the Celtics the right to swap selections ensured that the Nets would still have a 2017 first-rounder — either their own or Boston’s.
That pick swap is one of two that could be in play this season. Here they are:
Potential first-round pick swaps:
Boston Celtics
- Can swap with: Brooklyn Nets
- Protection: None
- If Celtics choose to swap, they’d owe Nets their second-round pick (protected 31-45).
Philadelphia 76ers
- Can swap with: Sacramento Kings
- Protection: 11-30 (can only swap if Kings’ pick falls in top 10)
- If Kings’ pick falls between 11-30, their obligation to Sixers is extinguished.
RealGM’s database of future traded pick details was used in the creation of this post.
Western Notes: Gobert, Durant, Gasol
A lesson from Gordon Hayward‘s free agency three years ago might affect the way the Jazz approach Rudy Gobert, writes Ben Dowsett of Basketball Insiders. Although Hayward and Utah were only a few million dollars apart in extension talks, the Jazz decided to let him become a restricted free agent. He signed an offer sheet with Charlotte that Utah eventually matched, but the shorter contract means the team lost a year of his services. Hayward is now in a position to opt out next summer. Gobert, who is eligible for an extension through October 31st, has a comparatively low cap hold and may be able to help Utah by holding off on extension talks until July. But the Jazz have to be concerned that he might sign an offer sheet before they can line up other free agents.
There’s more news from the Western Conference:
- Clippers coach Doc Rivers says Kevin Durant was intrigued by the team’s offer to make him the focus of its offense, relays Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Rivers adds that the Clippers’ representatives had a good feeling after their meeting with Durant and were disappointed when he chose the Warriors. “The Celtics and us and Oklahoma [City], we all thought we were going to get Kevin Durant,” Rivers said. “I don’t have a problem with that, I really don’t. I think the players have a right. They take the risk of being free agents. A lot of guys could sign early and play it safe. A lot of these guys take a risk because of their health. Durant did that, and when we left the meeting, we thought he was coming to us. When Boston left the meeting, they thought he was coming to them. I think Golden State knew where he was going. Good for them. But you’ve still got to play the game.”
- The Spurs picked up a top 10 center when they signed free agent Pau Gasol, according to A.J. Neuharth-Keusch of USA Today. Gasol is coming off an All-Star season in Chicago where he ranked fifth among centers in scoring, sixth in rebounding, first in assists and fourth in blocks. The Spurs will count on him to help fill the void left by Tim Duncan‘s retirement.
Warriors Missing Rim Protectors
- Things aren’t perfect for the Warriors, even after winning 73 games and signing former MVP Kevin Durant, cautions Monte Poole of CSNBayArea. Coach Steve Kerr is concerned about the defensive dropoff after losing centers Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli. Golden State added Zaza Pachulia in free agency to help compensate for their departure. “The thing that’s different will be a lack of rim protection,” Kerr said. “We had great rim protection from Bogut and Ezeli, and both those guys are gone. Zaza’s a very good defender, but he’s more of a positional guy than a shot blocker.”
Looney Will Be Ready For Training Camp
- Warriors forward Kevon Looney, who underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum on his left hip earlier this year, is on track to make his return to basketball activities by the start of training camp on September 27th, Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle relays (subscription required). “I’m really eager,” Looney said. “I’ve been watching, running and doing drills now for what feels like two years. To be able to get on the court and actually be healthy, I’m really excited for that.”
Damian Jones Showing Progress From Pectoral Injury
- Warriors rookie center Damian Jones is showing progress from a pectoral injury but is unlikely to be healthy enough to participate at the start of training camp, Anthony Slater of the San Jose Mercury News tweets. Jones, who suffered the injury in June, has begun to lift weights, Slater adds. The 7-footer was the 30th overall pick in the draft.
Curry Using Game 7 Loss As Motivation
- Warriors guard Stephen Curry finally made himself watch Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, telling Darren Rovell of ESPN.com that he is using the loss as motivation for the coming season. “I was a little mad at myself and getting back into the grind of working out for next season,” Curry said. “I think it was a good motivator to get back into the gym and keep working. I wasn’t 100%, but who cares? I was playing. I was out there trying to help my team win and that’s all that really matters. I’ve taken advantage of the summer to get right and I still have a little bit of work to go.“
Details On Cash Used In 2016 Draft Trades
As our list of 2016 offseason trades shows, five of the deals agreed upon on draft night this year featured one team sending cash to the other. The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement allows clubs to include cash payments, but only up to a certain amount.
In the 2016/17 league year, teams are allowed to receive a total of $3.5MM in trades, and can also send out $3.5MM in trades. Those limits are separate, so a team that sends $3.5MM in a deal and then later receives $3.5MM doesn’t get a fresh, new slate — that club is capped out for the league year. In 2014/15, the limit for cash sent and received in trades was $3.4MM.
Since the league year ends on June 30, teams that hadn’t taken advantage of those cash allowances earlier in the season will often use remaining cash during the draft to move up or to snag an extra pick. Many of the cash details on those draft-day deals for 2016 were previously reported. For instance, we already knew about the following payments:
- Warriors sent $2.4MM to Bucks to acquire No. 38 overall pick (Patrick McCaw).
- Trail Blazers sent $1.2MM (and a 2019 second-round pick) to Magic to acquire No. 47 overall pick (Jake Layman).
- Cavaliers sent approximately $2.5MM to Hawks to acquire No. 54 overall pick (Kay Felder).
Based on those numbers, it appears the Warriors got a much better deal from the Bucks than the Cavaliers did from the Hawks. Of course, if the Cavs badly wanted Felder, the cost to move into the draft was hardly exorbitant — Atlanta likely asked the Cavs for the maximum amount of money they could send, since Cleveland used over $900K in a separate trade earlier in the year.
In addition to those three swaps, two other draft-night deals featured money changing hands, and Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders has the details on those payments, along with several others from the 2015/16 league year. According to Pincus, these are the details on the other two draft trades involving cash:
- Nets sent $3MM (and the No. 55 overall pick) to Jazz to acquire No. 42 overall pick (Isaiah Whitehead).
- Thunder sent $730K to Nuggets to acquire No. 56 overall pick (Daniel Hamilton).
Once again, one of these deals looks far more favorable than the other, with the Thunder paying a fraction of what the Nets did for a second-round pick. But again, the available players and interested teams essentially set the market for these cash payments.
In the case of the Nets/Jazz deal, Brooklyn clearly wanted to make sure not to miss out on Whitehead, and the team was willing to pay a relatively significant amount to secure him. The Thunder, meanwhile, offered all their available remaining cash to the Nuggets for the 56th pick, and Denver likely had no better offer and no player targeted at that spot — so the Nuggets took what they could get.
Be sure to check out Pincus’ piece at Basketball Insiders for more thorough details of how teams spent and received cash in trades during the 2015/16 league year.
Jason Terry Talks Free Agency Process
Veteran guard Jason Terry recently inked a one-year contract with the Bucks, and while it’s only a minimum-salary deal, it’s fully guaranteed, which is something of a rarity at this point in the NBA offseason. In an interview on SiriusXM NBA Radio (SoundCloud link), Terry admitted that the free agency process can be tough at this late stage in his career (he’ll turn 39 next month). He also identified several of the teams he considered before landing in Milwaukee.
“I had a couple contenders that I was really seriously looking at. Two of them were in the Finals, so that tells you right there who they were,” Terry said, referring to the Cavaliers and Warriors. “I made a call to [Gregg Popovich]. San Antonio’s another one. They were my arch-enemy for eight years when I was in Dallas, but that’s another phone call — if they call, you pick up, there’s just no question about it. … I always thought about going back and trying to finish off where I started in Atlanta. I like what they did. And then I seriously considered Boston, though we did not have a conversation.”
Based on Terry’s comments, it’s not clear how many of those teams he reached out to, and how many reached out to him, so it’s possible that interest wasn’t mutual in all those scenarios. Terry also admitted that while he had some interest in the Lakers, that interest wasn’t reciprocated, since Los Angeles already had a good idea of what its 15-man roster would look like.
“I called my good friend Luke [Walton],” Terry said. “I told him if he needed any help — veteran leadership, in that capacity, with an ability to coach at the end of my deal, then that was something I would be looking forward to. He utterly declined, and I respect him for that.”
Although he’s not the scorer he was early in his career, Terry was still a solid contributor in Houston over the last two seasons, averaging 19.5 MPG in 149 regular-season contests, and averaging 6.5 PPG, 1.7 APG, and 0.8 SPG while shooting 37.5% on three-pointers. In both of his seasons with the Rockets, Terry received a bump in playing time during the postseason.
Elliot Williams Contract Details
- As expected, the one-year deal signed by Elliot Williams with the Warriors earlier this month is a minimum-salary pact. The contract was initially reported as having a “strong” partial guarantee — the amount of that guarantee is $250K, per Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (via Twitter). If Williams earns a spot on Golden State’s opening-night roster, his full salary will become guaranteed.
Morrow Not Bitter Over Durant's Choice
- Thunder shooting guard Anthony Morrow said he understands Kevin Durant‘s decision to leave Oklahoma City to join the Warriors, relays Erik Horne of The Oklahoman. Some teammates have reacted angrily over Durant’s move, but Morrow, in a recent appearance on Sirius XM NBA radio, said he never had any feelings of betrayal. “It’s business,” Morrow said. “It’s basketball. That’s that man’s career. That’s that man’s life and he made his own decision as a man. Hate it or love it, he made his decision.”