Koby Altman: Brooklyn Nets pick “never untouchable”

The Cleveland Cavaliers will always be open to trading the Brooklyn Nets pick.

It would appear that the Cleveland Cavaliers are always willing to move the Brooklyn Nets first-round draft pick, it just has to be the right deal. According to Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman, who appeared on Cleveland’s Talking Heads on 92.3 The Fan, the pick is “never untouchable”.

#Cavs GM Koby Altman on @923TheFan re: keeping Nets' draft pick: "It's really important. It's never untouchable, just really didn't have something that would transform us."
— Keith Britton (@KeithBritton86) February 13, 2018

The draft pick, which is to be conveyed to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Draft, has a chance to be in the top-five of overall picks. The Nets currently have one of the seven worst records in the NBA and, according to Basketball Reference’s pre-lottery projections, will have the fourth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Hence why the pick is so heavily valued by the Cavs and sought after by others.

In his radio interview, Altman spoke candidly about the franchise’s brow-raising trades made before Thursday’s trade deadline. Essentially, he made trades that he felt would reset the mood in the locker room and transform an aged, injury-depleted roster with personnel who were serious defensive liabilities into a younger, faster team more capable of competing on the defensive end.

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If the new group’s 121-99 thumping of the Boston Celtics is any indication of their potential — a game in which they held the Celtics to 40.4 percent shooting from the field and 26.3 percent from three-point range — Altman did everything he set out to do. However, while the Cleveland Cavaliers look like world-beaters right now, they could always upgrade a position or two.

Especially with a pick expected to get them a potential franchise cornerstone like Marvin Bagley (Duke University), Luka Doncic (Real Madrid) or Jaren Jackson Jr. (Michigan State University). Then again, they could opt to package the pick and a combination of personnel to make a run at Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Paul George (via sign-and-trade) or San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard in the offseason should they become available.

A draft night trade wouldn’t be surprising either, should the Cavs see the opportunity to move back in the draft and pick up a ready-made player along the way.

During the 2017 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls traded Jimmy Butler and the 16th overall pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Zach Lavine, Kris Dunn and the 7th overall pick. The trade, initially viewed as highway robbery by the Timberwolves, turned out to be a trade that worked out perfectly for both sides.

A similar situation could take place between the Cavs and Thunder (or Spurs) on draft night. George and Leonard (when healthy) are two of the best two-way players in the NBA. They would take the Cavs over-the-top if paired with LeBron James, becoming the Scottie Pippen to their Michael Jordan.

Considering that the six-time NBA champion Pippen, a Hall of Famer, has seven All-NBA selection, seven All-Star selections, ten All-Defensive Team selections, a steals title and an All-Star Game MVP to his name, that’s not a slight at all.