Pacers apologize for losing top-5 pick to Clippers + Would Grizzlies trade Ja Morant? | NBA Today

0:00 Well, the draft lottery results are in.

0:01 The Wizards are the first team to finish with the worst record

0:04 and get the number one pick since the lottery odds were flattened in 2019.

0:08 So, look at this.

0:08 The Bulls, the Grizzlies, the Jazz, they are all big winners.

0:12 They rose multiple spots here.

0:14 The Clippers though,

0:15 they got the best possible outcome from the Avisa Zubots trade at number five.

0:19 Their first top five pick, remember,

0:20 since drafting Blake Griffin first overall in 2009.

0:24 So, let's go out to Chicago now and saying hello to our Bobby Mark,

0:27 Sean Farnum, Seth Greenberg joining NBA today live from the combine.

0:32 Let's let's talk about yesterday because a whole lot

0:34 happened and a whole lot's going down this week.

0:36 Bobby, I want to start with you.

0:37 Let's just talk bigger biggest winners and losers

0:39 here of the draft lottery that we saw yesterday.

0:41 What do you think?

0:44 Well, I I think for me the three biggest

0:46 winners were starting certainly starts at Washington at number one.

0:49 The ability to stay at number one.

0:51 They already made the Trey Young trade and Anthony Davis.

0:54 Now you have the choice between AJ Debansa and and Darren Peterson.

0:58 And then of course Utah moving up a couple slots.

1:01 They have basically who Washington doesn't pick here.

1:04 And then Malikica finally at number three.

1:07 It's the Los Angeles Clippers.

1:09 They walked into the draft with two second round picks

1:12 and they left with the fifth pick in the draft.

1:16 A young player now that you compare with Darius Garland, Kawi Leonard.

1:20 Certainly a big night if you are a Clipper fan here.

1:23 See, Bobb's always going with the glass half full.

1:25 He's saying the biggest winners that he saw yesterday and maybe because

1:28 he's feeling like a winner standing next to the two of you, right?

1:30 All right, then I will take what that implies.

1:32 That implies that one of the losers that we

1:34 saw last night was of course the Indiana Pacers.

1:37 Sean, you texted me.

1:38 Woof.

1:38 This is this was tough for Indiana, right?

1:40 And their front office agreed because

1:43 on the other side of the Avita Zubots trade,

1:45 the Pacers president of basketball operations,

1:47 Kevin Pritchard, he posted this on social media.

1:50 He said, "I'm really sorry to all of our fans." He said,

1:53 "I own taking this risk.

1:55 Surprised it came up fifth after this year.

1:58 I thought we were due some luck," he said.

2:00 "But please remember,

2:01 this team deserved a starting center to compete with the best teams next year.

2:05 We have always been resilient." "I'm curious, guys.

2:10 I've never seen accountability like that from a front office

2:13 on social media in the wake of a draft lottery.

2:15 Have you?

2:16 What did you all think of this?

2:20 Well, I I'll just tell you as a Clippers fan, I love that.

2:23 Um, but you know, you think about it for the Pacers perspective though, uh,

2:26 this was a team without Tyresese Hallebertton this year

2:28 that took so many losses and the idea

2:30 of getting a healthy Tyresese Hallebertton back plus

2:32 a potential number one number two type pick.

2:35 Now all of a sudden, because you got Zubac,

2:37 if that would have gone right for them,

2:39 they're in play in the Eastern Conference to get back to the finals

2:42 where they were before Tyrese Hallebertton got hurt in my opinion.

2:47 Right.

2:46 I still wouldn't have done it.

2:49 I'm glad they did.

2:50 Clip city, chip city, baby.

2:52 Let's go.

2:53 Hindsight is 2020 here.

2:54 Coach Malikica, you know this, every trade has a risk,

3:00 whether it be one to 10 and and certainly this Indiana trade

3:04 was a 10 as far as the risk that associates and you got Zubach in the deal,

3:08 but the ability to give up the fifth pick in a draft.

3:11 Certainly, I fell for Kevin Pritchard yesterday.

3:12 I've never seen a post lottery where the president is issuing a uh

3:18 a statement and then doing a mini press conference right after that.

3:21 I felt like I was back working in a front office.

3:22 My heart basically sunk for the man because he had

3:25 to explain why he went out and did that deal.

3:27 Making decisions is not that easy.

3:28 It is not easy.

3:29 Suggestions much easier.

3:32 Yes.

3:31 Let's talk a little bit about this draft

3:33 class that we're looking at though, right?

3:35 Uh Sean, you you see one team as having a big decision to make.

3:39 What is that?

3:41 I think this draft can get really interesting

3:43 potentially at the number three pick with Memphis.

3:46 Uh because this is a a draft that is so talented at the guard position.

3:50 What do they decide to do with John Morant?

3:52 Because if you move John Morant, this is the draft to go get yourself

3:55 a guard and potentially get them in that third spot,

3:58 which therefore would mean that a guy like Camboozer all

4:00 of a sudden could maybe fall to number four with the Chicago Bulls.

4:03 John Moran is interesting because I think if they do move him,

4:06 I like Darius Akuff and the fit of what he would bring to the Memphis Grizzlies,

4:11 pairing him up with said Coward.

4:12 They hit a home run last year when they drafted Cedric Coward.

4:15 Uh and now all of a sudden if you get a young back court and it's

4:18 something you believe you can move forward

4:20 with because regardless of who they pick there,

4:22 Memphis is still miles miles away from being

4:27 at Oklahoma City or the San Antonio Spurs.

4:29 Sean, that sounds good in theory, but like in reality,

4:31 who's going to take on his contract the next three years?

4:34 Well, that's the big question as far as he's

4:36 got two years left on on on his deal.

4:38 He's extension eligible here.

4:39 I think if you're if you're Memphis,

4:41 does it make sense potentially move back in the draft

4:45 if you can get off the John Mor contract?

4:47 Because, as we've talked about it, we've got what,

4:49 seven guards that could go in the top 10?

4:51 So maybe if you move back from 3 to 7 perhaps and maybe pick up something else,

4:56 you will have one of those guards basically staring at you, right?

4:59 And and you had question, Bobby,

5:00 where some of those bigs from Michigan maybe could go if they move back.

5:03 Is that a sort of fit that we could be looking at here?

5:06 All right, Seth, before we let you go, you guys are at the combine.

5:08 You have a lot of talent that you're going to be seeing this week.

5:10 What are you going to be watching most closely?

5:14 You know, for these young people,

5:15 it's the next stage in their basketball careers.

5:17 Think about there are certain things that you go through as a player.

5:20 First is obviously when you sign your letter of intent to play in college,

5:22 your first college game, maybe playing in the NCAA tournament,

5:25 but that journey now ends here at the combine for these young people.

5:29 And I think the big thing is we're going to see tomorrow,

5:32 we're going to see and actually tonight,

5:33 we're going to see incredible groupings in terms of the ability to evaluate

5:37 players on court drills and their and basically their their their skill set.

5:43 But more importantly, there's going to be one grouping,

5:46 that front court grouping, it's gonna have Kellb Wilson in it.

5:50 I think Kellb Wilson's the most undervalued player

5:53 in this draft cuz he was not healthy down the stretch.

5:56 The guy is a genetic freak.

5:58 610.

5:59 Reminds me of Kevin Durant.

6:00 Explosive impacts him offensively, defensively, at the rim, can drive it.

6:04 Love the way he's shooting the ball in his workouts.

6:07 To me, he's plugandplay.

6:09 A guy that can dominate the game on both ends.

6:11 and he's just scratching the surface.

6:14 I really believe he has the highest ceiling

6:17 of any of these talented front court players.

6:19 Well, I'm most looking forward to Malikica is the fact,

6:21 you know, Rich Eisen runs the three/4er court sprint.

6:23 We're going to have Seth do that tomorrow

6:25 and see how he looks in the three/4er sprint.

6:27 Sean, I expect you to be out there with the stopwatch.

6:30 Be unforgiving.

6:31 With a really bad hamstring, I can tell you that.

6:33 Oh gosh.

6:33 And the excuses start already.

6:35 Get the stretching going.

6:35 Seth, Seth, Sean, appreciate it, Bobby.

6:37 We're going to see you a little later in the show,

6:38 but if you want to go run a little shuttle run, we won't be mad in the meantime.

6:41 Hey