The Warriors set a record by paying $3.5 million for a draft pick, buying the Bulls’ No. 38 pick and using it on Jordan Bell this year.
That eclipsed the $3 million spent by each the Thunder in 2010 (to the Hawks for the No. 31 pick, Tibor Pleiss) and Nets in 2016 (to move up 13 spots for Isaiah Whitehead).
So did the Clippers’ purchase of the No. 39 pick (Jawun Evans) from the 76ers this year.
Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders:
Meanwhile, the Clippers paying $3.2 million for the Evans pick (39th) to Philadelphia @BBallInsiders
— Eric Pincus (@EricPincus) July 26, 2017
The Clippers also paid the Bucks $2 million for the No. 48 pick (Sindarius Thornwell).
I rated Evans a low first-rounder due to his speed and drive-and-kick game, so getting him in the second round is good value. I’m not as keen on Thornwell, who’s already 22 and built so much of his success at South Carolina on being more physical than younger opponents.
But the more swings the Clippers take on young players, the more likely they are to find long-term contributors. More power to owner Steve Ballmer for greenlighting this expenditure.
Importantly, as players acquired through the draft, Evans and Thornwell will count for the luxury tax at their actual salaries. Players signed otherwise, even if their actual salaries are lower, count at at least the two-years-experience minimum.
Under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams can spend $5.1 million in cash this season. That amount will increase (or decrease) in proportion with the salary cap in coming years. So, expect the previous record for draft-pick purchase price – $3 million – to fall again and again.
There’s just more leeway now for the NBA’s haves to separate themselves from the have-nots.