2026 NBA Trade Discussion Thread

[NUMBERICA]

I think it suggest how lottery odds work...

What?

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

What?

You can only jump into the top 4, so making it open 5-9 makes it a 50/50 proposition.

The thing that is weird is starting the protections again at 10, but I guess Indy is just safeguarding against other teams getting lucky and out tanking them.

 

[NUMBERICA]

You can only jump into the top 4, so making it open 5-9 makes it a 50/50 proposition.

The thing that is weird is starting the protections again at 10, but I guess Indy is just safeguarding against other teams getting lucky and out tanking them.

Right. I’m referring to the weirdness of having 10-30 being protected.

 

[The Jazz Wonderbra]

I

Could definitely be the case. Although I think I'd still prefer a pick in the 10-13 range in this year's draft over a 2031 pick.

If you believe in the conspiracies then having one of the premier players blow out his Achilles gives you a very likely chance at the top pick. Calling it now beyaches. Just like I did last year after the Luka trade MONTHS before it happened.

 

[tksavis]

Right. I’m referring to the weirdness of having 10-30 being protected.

So what’s the net incentive structure for Indiana then? Either be so bad they’ve got the worst record so they have a 50/50 chance of keeping the pick, or they try to get to the 10th worst record and keep the pick at 10 or below or keep it at 1-4 if they get over lucky?

 

[FalseFlagg K]

Fur what?

an impressive introductory press conference in the offseason

 

[FalseFlagg K]

That better not include this year’s Pacers pick.. they’re dead last currently.

lol why on earth do you think Indiana would've offered a probable top 4 pick this draft for Walker Kessler ?? You've shagged one too many sheep my friend, probably developing Creutzfeld-Jakob disease

 

[NUMBERICA]

So what’s the net incentive structure for Indiana then? Either be so bad they’ve got the worst record so they have a 50/50 chance of keeping the pick, or they try to get to the 10th worst record and keep the pick at 10 or below or keep it at 1-4 if they get over lucky?

1. Get a really good player on a really good contract
2. Have the freedom to play basketball like a normal team
3. Either get the guy they think is underrated later in the draft or land top-4.

 

[SoberasHotRod]

LIstened to the Hoop Collective podcast on the way to work today. First of all there was a difference of opinion on whether the Pacers will try to go for 10 and they wanted clarification on who wanted the 10-30 protections. Then McMahon emphatically said that this was not the same package that was offered to Utah, which I thought was clarifying. In other words someone from the Utah front office specifically told him that they did not get the same offer for Kessler, or in other words Utah's front office wanted it out there that they didn't pass on that deal, or in other words it's very possible that Utah would have taken that deal for Kessler.

The main distinction they made was that Zubac is cost controlled, or in other words Indiana was concerned about how much they were going to have to pay Kessler.

 

[fishonjazz]

LIstened to the Hoop Collective podcast on the way to work today. First of all there was a difference of opinion on whether the Pacers will try to go for 10 and they wanted clarification on who wanted the 10-30 protections. Then McMahon emphatically said that this was not the same package that was offered to Utah, which I thought was clarifying. In other words someone from the Utah front office specifically told him that they did not get the same offer for Kessler, or in other words Utah's front office wanted it out there that they didn't pass on that deal, or in other words it's very possible that Utah would have taken that deal for Kessler.

The main distinction they made was that Zubac is cost controlled, or in other words Indiana was concerned about how much they were going to have to pay Kessler.

Good info. Thanks

Sent from my OPD2203 using Tapatalk

 

[homeytennis]

There was an interesting name on the waiver wire today after the Nets found no takers in trade: Cam Thomas. I saw a blurb in the New York Post that the guy was a total cancer on the Nets the past two season. Still he averaged 24 ppg last season.

 

[underdog]

So what’s the net incentive structure for Indiana then? Either be so bad they’ve got the worst record so they have a 50/50 chance of keeping the pick, or they try to get to the 10th worst record and keep the pick at 10 or below or keep it at 1-4 if they get over lucky?

When the Pacers and the Clippers negotiated those protections for the Pacers' 2026 pick, the Pacers' current position in the standings played a big role obviously. In other words, the protections were based on where the Pacers might finish in the standings and the lottery odds. If the pick lands 5-9, it’ll go to the Clippers, but if it lands 1-4 or 10-30, it’ll stay with Indiana and the Clippers will get an unprotected 2031 pick. Because the Pacers have the third-worst record at the moment, I assume they’ll try to tank as hard as they can to keep that 1-4 pick. Their team did improve, though, so I’m not sure they can, at least not without major shenanigans. That 10-30 protection was to cover something that’s possible but unlikely.