What this NBA trade deadline revealed: A disguised tanking strategy

numbers in Cylinders were 3, 5 and 2. All less. Teams with the worst records and, therefore, the highest odds in the annual NBA Draft Lottery are usually given lower combinations.

Number one to go.

Justin Zanik, General Manager of utah jazzLeaning on his elbows, studying his flip card with all the numbers given to his team.

Will Dawkins, General Manager of washington wizardsHe folded his hands under the table and looked ahead.

Hornets co-owner Rick Schnall put on his glasses and placed a pencil next to the numbers he needed.

They all sat close to each other, stoic – that’s what etiquette demanded – but it’s the kind of moment that changes the course of billion-dollar businesses. The three teams with the highest points difference, none of whom had any luck in the first three draws last May night.

This was the last chance to move forward. NBA vice president Matt Doria pulled the next number from the machine.

11.

“Charlotte Hornets.”

Schnall took off his glasses and leaned back, the weight falling from his shoulders. Dawkins offered a handshake. Zanik looked away and gave a flat smile. Schnall responded with a sympathetic shrug.

And that could be the difference between getting that player and Con KnuppelWho the Hornets took at No. 4 with that lottery result and who is, and who is not, among the favorites for Rookie of the Year.

It’s also the difference between an immediate return and attempting the NBA’s emerging tanking trend: the flip.

KNUEPPEL IS HAVING Had one of the greatest rookie shooting seasons in league history, shooting 42% on eight 3-point attempts per game (Steph Curry shot 43% on five as a rookie).

Although the Hornets have been building this roster for years – they’ve had four top-six selections in the last six drafts – Knueppel’s arrival has brought about a turnaround that has them on their longest winning streak (nine) in more than two decades.

And at the trade deadline, Charlotte made an aggressive deal for the guard kobi white Part of what it hopes is a real push into the postseason.

Meanwhile, Jazz got drafted ace belly At No. 5 and taken by the Wizards trey johnson At number 6. His teams are very high on his future, and in a season or two from now, he could give Knuppel a run for his money in terms of impact. However, at this point, no one has allowed such a pivot.

Instead, the Wizards and Jazz are leading the way in this new era hybrid: actively tanking while hedging — and trading for stars between seasons immersed in their affairs — so they can make a quick turnaround next season. Reverted.

“How can you blame them?” A general manager from the Eastern Conference said. “Last year the difference between getting and missing the top four was huge. And this year, we all know that being in the top four and missing out [on the top four] It’s very big.”

Wizards trade for multitime All-Stars trey young And anthony davisThe two players are expected to help them return to the playoffs for the first time in five years next season.

Young returned from quad injury and played in five of six games atlanta hawks In December. But after being traded to Washington, he has not played for six weeks and there is no timetable for his return.

When Davis suffered a hand injury last month, dallas mavericks issued a news release stating that he was expected to be absent for six weeks. After trading for him last week, Dawkins told reporters in Washington that Davis would return to Dallas for rehabilitation and that his return timetable could be closer to 10 weeks.

All of this, of course, puts the Wizards in position to get the highest draft pick this year (with the caveat that their pick will be converted). new York Knicks if it falls out of the top eight) but then immediately move toward contention next season when Davis and Young will, in theory, be healthy.

“You might think your fans are the hardest to respond to when you’re rebuilding,” said one longtime league executive. “But it’s really your boss. And owners want to know when the rebuild will end, and it’s clear that some of these teams have a deadline.”

The Jazz, for their part, appear to be in the same position as they hope to make their shift from tanking to the playoffs as soon as possible.

Utah’s pick is also top-eight protected, and is the living embodiment of what a few spots in the Jazz lottery can mean. The team’s coaches and front office praised Bailey’s future, but he was not invited to participate in the league’s Rising Stars Game at All-Star Weekend, despite former Duke roommates and top-four picks. cooper flag And Knueppel is in the spotlight.

The Jazz, like the Wizards, made a big splash at the trade deadline as they shocked the league by trading jaren jackson jr. in draft-pick-heavy deal with memphis grizzlies.

In his first game with the team on Saturday, Jackson scored 22 points in just 25 minutes. And then he was ejected in the fourth quarter of an eventual three-point loss in Orlando.

His new teammate, Lauri Markkanen, recently missed seven consecutive games due to illness and was regularly removed from the lineup at the end of close games. Markkanen scored 27 points in 27 minutes against the Magic and sat next to Jackson on the fourth spot – a scenario that will likely be repeated going forward.

An Eastern Conference head coach said, “Trey and AD plus a top five pick in this draft, or Jaren and Markkanen plus a top five pick and you have something that could be special.” “There are no studs from this draft and you have teams that are at the bottom that could probably get to the middle.”

Based on their actions, it seems other teams are planning a similar strategy. There are teams in this category Brooklyn Nets And Indiana Pacers.

nets did Something phenomenal this season, acquiring and using five first-round picks and routinely playing the youngest lineup in the league (the Wizards had a starting lineup with an average age of 20.6 years at one point).

Without control over their first-round selection for the next several years, the Nets are highly incentivized to acquire as high a selection as possible, and then immediately catapult themselves into relevance. That’s a strong reason why Brooklyn remained ahead Michael Porter Jr.., in the middle of a career season and somewhat in demand, at the trade deadline.

He is needed for the flip, which the Nets hope to do by aggressively using the approximately $50 million of cap space they have this summer. The Pacers are hoping for the same, except they’re a few years ahead: a quick bounce back next season when the star point guard Tyrese Haliburton Returns from torn Achilles.

And Indiana took a step in that direction by setting up a new franchise center ivica zubac From LA Clippers On deadline.

After playing 15 of 16 possible games before being included in the trade, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle announced that Zubac would miss some upcoming games to take care of ankle soreness, which was not previously on the injury report. He has also recently become a father.

There are also other teams that could benefit from short-term losses with stars sitting out with uncertain injury timelines, such as milwaukee bucks with giannis antetokounmpo and with the dallas mavericks kyrie irving.

“You know what the irony is?” a Western Conference executive asked. “Charlotte immediately trades for White in hopes of using him, and they find out he’s actually injured. And you have Utah, Indy and Washington trading for players and finding ways to keep them out.”

In fact, when the Hornets put White through a physical last week he was diagnosed with a previously undisclosed calf injury, which forced an amendment to the trade, with Charlotte removing the second-round pick from the deal with the Bulls.

Needless to say, there is some irritation within the league, even if the flip strategy has some intellectual merit. Sources said the topic of these long-range non-competitive maneuvers was raised at a recent NBA competition committee meeting.

But no meaningful rule change to address this route will prevent it from happening this season.

And tanking is likely to be more pronounced and perhaps more widespread.

Which raises some philosophical questions about the overall direction of the league.

A team president said, “You’ve heard about Icarus and what happens when you fly too close to the Sun.” “I think some teams are in danger of flying too close to the ground.”