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Thu Jun 26, 2008 3:23 pm EDT

Seattle moves down in this Draft, up in another

By Kelly Dwyer

Seattle GM Sam Presti has pulled off another masterstroke.

It may not be the most exciting news SuperSonics fans will hear all day, but Presti just sent the fourth pick in tonight's NBA Draft to the Los Angeles Clippers for the seventh pick, and Los Angeles' first round draft pick next year.

We don't know the protection stipulations Los Angeles likely put on the pick that they sent to Seattle, but even with the addition of whoever the Clips would take with that fourth pick (Jerryd Bayless? Brook Lopez?), there's no way in hell a healthy Clipper team actually makes the playoffs in 2008-09. This is a lottery pick.

A lot of things would have to go really, really wrong for the Lakers, Hornets, Spurs, Mavericks, Suns, Jazz, Nuggets, Trail Blazers, Rockets and Kings for the Clippers to even sniff the postseason. Seattle just gave themselves a chance at a high lottery pick next year (or the next, depending on the protection the Clippers include), all for the price of moving down three spots in this year's Draft.

Down at seven, who knows who Presti is after? He can afford to take a chance, because with Kevin Durant still just 19 and three first-round picks coming Seattle's way in 2009, it's obvious that the SuperSonics are intelligently going nice and slowly with this rebuilding process.

UPDATE: ESPN's Ric Bucher is reporting that the deal is off should O.J. Mayo, somehow, drop to the fourth spot in tonight's Draft. If it does go down, then the Clippers are rumored to be after Indiana's Eric Gordon. Sounds about right.

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19 Comments

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  1. michael c
    1. Posted by michael c Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:51 pm EDT

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    KD is the clips pick next year unprotected? i mean, elgin baylor cant be that dumb to leave it completely unprotected, can he?
  2. Jon L
    2. Posted by Jon L Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:40 pm EDT

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    Here's a question that may be way off-base. Could Seattle's stockpiling of picks also be so that in case Durant doesn't like OK, they still have enough young talent to keep the locals excited about the team?
  3. khandor
    3. Posted by khandor Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:50 pm EDT

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    Early returns, thus far, indicate that Sam Presti has been well-groomed in the way of Air Force One (aka the San Antonio Spurs) and has embarked on a slow but steady journey towards the upper echelon of the League ... unlike, say, Bryan Colangelo, who was unable to sustain his initial voyage in the Valley of The Sun and, after capitalizing at first on the ideal situation set up for him in Toronto by interim GM, Wayne Embry, now appears to be operating without a stable plan for gradual growth with the Raptors' franchise heading into the foreseeable future.
    Kudos to Presti for robbing the Clippers' blind!
  4. michael c
    4. Posted by michael c Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:51 pm EDT

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    nevermind, just caught your "we dont know protection stipulations" yet line. im an idiot
  5. zrotohero
    5. Posted by zrotohero Thu Sep 03, 2009 11:02 pm EDT

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    Wow. Jefferson for Yi? strance coincidence considering Lebron James has been vocal about expanding his marketing more into china.
  6. Imran Q
    6. Posted by Imran Q Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:23 pm EDT

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    they already said on espnews that the pick would be protected so calm down the clips are getting a good deal
  7. Bill D
    7. Posted by Bill D Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:23 pm EDT

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    Great move, next years first round pick will probally be about 20th. Not a good move for Seattle. With a healthy team and the right draft pick the Clippers could be in a playoff battle spot. Seattle will be a bottom feeder.
  8. KD
    8. Posted by KD Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:52 pm EDT

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    Protected to what?
    Even if it's top-ten protected next year, that's still getting a good, live body just for moving three spots down.
  9. antonio banderas
    9. Posted by antonio banderas Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:30 pm EDT

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    The Clips are getting a good deal? Compare these two starting lineups for the 2009-2010 season, and tell me about a good deal.
    Seattle
    PG Jrue Holiday
    SG Eric Gordon
    SF Kevin Durant
    PF Greg Monroe
    C ?
    LAC
    PG ?
    SG ?
    SF Maggette?
    PF Beasley/Thornton
    C Brand?
    Seattle is going to have two very high picks next year, in a draft that may even be more stacked than this one, and a high enough pick this year. Los Angeles may trade Brand and the #4 to Miami for Beasley and lose Maggette to free agency. Or, they take Bayless. Either way, they lose next year's pick and have a completely unsettled situation. Seattle? Not so much.
  10. mark i
    10. Posted by mark i Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:08 pm EDT

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    Jon L: Close. This is to ensure the Sonics don't have a young exciting player alongside Durant this year since the Sonics will still be playing in Seattle. With absolutely no reason to come to Key Arena other than seeing a 20-win team and Durant, the fans will stay away and ownership will be able to plead poverty if they aren't allowed to go to OK City. Then, when they move in 2009, they'll conveniently have two top ten picks ready to establish OK City.
    Essentially the plot of "Major League," except it's not funny and there will be no miracle playoff push and the evil owner wins.
  11. He-man
    11. Posted by He-man Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:25 pm EDT

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    hahahaha que rico obviously does not know anything about basketball. the knicks havent been exciting since the turn of the millenium, maybe even further back.
    bad move for the clips. as a clips fan, I hope this is just more BS that ric bucher continues to blow up everyones a$$. at the 7, gordon, bayless, or westbrook (atleast one of em) should be available cause we all know the Knicks are gonna eff it up and take the Italian with the #6 pick. Sit tight on the 7 and take one of em there. No need to move up.
    Livingston, Westbrook/Gordon/Bayless, Thornton, Brand, Kaman... it aint that nice, but it aint that bad either
  12. Envigado
    12. Posted by Envigado Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:24 pm EDT

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    Uh, KD... I'm gonna go ahead and assume you meant "Warriors" when you wrote "Kings".
    The Clippers will easily be in the lottery the next two years. Typical... they should top it off by trading Elton Brand to the Warriors for Pietrus and Chris Gatling's game-worn head bands.
  13. Erik O.
    13. Posted by Erik O. Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:17 pm EDT

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    "There's no way in hell a healthy Clipper team will make the Playoffs in 2008-'09"
    That statement would have been more acceptable if you hadn't gone on to include the Rockets, Queens, and Nuggets among some of the NBA's best teams. Of those three teams, only the Rockets have any true potential of making the Playoffs next year; the Queens have no shot, and the Nuggets once again find themselves in turmoil in more ways than one. So it's stupid to automatically assume that those two "prestigious" clubs are a lock to even be in the race next year.
    Assuming Brand and Maggette are still with the team, and Livingston comes back in top shape, there's no reason to think that the Clippers wouldn't at least be battling for the 8th seed next season; especially when they have young talent like Al Thornton combined with whoever they decide to pick tonight. They know what they want, they know what they need, and they're going to address that as best they can tonight. Give them a break; there's a lot of teams out there (Seattle being one of them) that are a hell of a lot worse than the Clippers are.
  14. Imran Q
    14. Posted by Imran Q Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:23 pm EDT

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    espn says the deal is off on sportcenter
  15. Ed
    15. Posted by Ed Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:00 pm EDT

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    i loled @ "only the knicks are exciting to watch"
  16. BIG-DRMR
    16. Posted by BIG-DRMR Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:19 pm EDT

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    Antonia banvergas
    U 4got c. kaman starter-(sf thorton,part-time pf n da nba)
    GO CLIPPS!
  17. Aditya
    17. Posted by Aditya Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:36 pm EDT

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    Bayless
    Maggette
    Thornton
    Brand
    Kaman
    That lineup goes deep into the playoffs if Bayless plays well. thats 5 scoring options with a decent bench that can play small with Kaman on the bench and pretty damn big with Kaman on the floor and Corey Maggette as the 2 guard. all the Clippers need is one point guard this is a good trade
  18. Logan H
    18. Posted by Logan H Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:50 pm EDT

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    Another brilliant move by Sam Presti. Stock Piling picks for upcoming stacked drafts including this one is a great way to rebuild a franchise (10 percent of the players (6 of 60) picked tonight will be by the Sonics barring a trade of picks). Three first round picks next season with a draft class full of talent, two of which will likely be in the top 10 sounds like Presti made a favorable deal with the Clips to me. They have 14 picks in the next 3 drafts including tonight, at least 6, perhaps 7 of which are first rounders (not sure if they have one or two first rounders in 2010). Not to mention the fact that they had two top 5 picks last year (which went on to become two of the four rookies to average double figures in scoring in 07-08). They are building this team the right way. It takes several years to build a team, and they will have cap room, plus a core of solid young talent when it is all said and done. They will be competing for championships for years down the road. Just give them two or three more years before they are a contender. I'm hoping the trial that ends today (over the arena lease disupte) will result in two more seasons in the Key. That should buy the city some time to figure out how to build a new arena, or force that Oklahoman deush to sell to local investors. Please God. Keep hope alive for my Supersonics.
  19. BIG-DRMR
    19. Posted by BIG-DRMR Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:19 pm EDT

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    #21 nice lineup
    just add a back-up C/PF like c. wilcox used 2 do!

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