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First-Round Draft Picks Could Be For Sale This Year Due To Coronavirus
First-round draft picks are among the most valuable assets for NBA teams.
In recent years, teams have become more and more hesitant to include such first-rounders in any form of trade, let alone sell them.
As usual this comes with some exceptions. In the 2019 NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons sold their 30th pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who went on to select Kevin Porter Jr. More famously, in 2013, the Denver Nuggets sold their 27th pick to the Utah Jazz, who then drafted one of the leagues’ best defenders, in Rudy Gobert.
But due to the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, some team owners, whose other businesses were also affected, could sell their draft picks of a draft that isn’t considered to be one of the better ones, in return for some much needed dinero.
As they face what some expect to be tens of millions per franchise in losses next season, some teams might have to slash payroll, perhaps trading players or electing not to aggressively pursue free agents. Others might offload draft picks.
“I suspect first-round picks will be for sale in this draft,” one team executive said. “We haven’t really seen that in a decade.”
