How the NBA’s new CBA turned future draft picks into the most valuable asset in the league again

Howdy, folks. Welcome back to Layup Lines. Let’s talk about what we saw in the NBA Draft on Thursday.

Actually, you know what? Let’s talk about what we didn’t see. There were very few major trades that came across the ticker during the draft on Thursday.

Teams are hoarding their draft picks again and it’s all because of the league’s new collective bargaining agreement.

There weren’t any major players moved during the draft. Most of the picks that were exchanged were just swaps to move a couple of picks up or down. Teams were also very keen on simply acquiring future first-round picks and second-round picks to, once again, bolster their asset cupboards.

It was so strange to watch. Considering that parity is at an all-time high in the NBA, you’d think that teams would be more willing to go for the gusto and trade for talent that would help them win championships. But, honestly, we didn’t really see any of that. The closest we got to it was Damian Lillard trade rumors that went out with a whimper.

And, sure, there were a couple of moves ahead of the draft that saw title contenders adding pieces. I’m talking Chris Paul to the Warriors and Kristaps Porzignis to the Celtics. But in those deals, the picks given up were way out. The Celtics, in particular, didn’t actually give up any picks — they got two back instead.

Rewind back to as recently as last offseason and teams were ready and willing to throw picks into deals just to make something shake. Look at the Dejounte Murray trade, for example. The Hawks forfeited three first-round picks and a pick swap for a player who was named an All-Star just one time in his career.

Teams just aren’t willing to sacrifice draft picks anymore for immediate gain anymore. Moves like that can’t exist in this new NBA. The draft has always been important, but now these picks are worth a premium. Why? Because of the league’s new collective bargaining agreement.

The players agreed to a new CBA that introduced more draconian penalties for teams like the Warriors, Clippers and more who love to go deep into the luxury tax to retain their talent and keep their rosters competitive. Once teams pass a certain point in spending, they’ll lose access to key roster-building tools. The NBA will revoke their taxpayer mid-level exception, they’ll be barred from signing players on the buyout market during the season and they aren’t able to trade for more money than they send out. They’re also unable to trade draft picks seven years out.

Simply put contending teams are going to have a hard time building out their roster on the margins. One surefire way to do it, though, is through the draft. Draft picks are cheap, team-friendly contracts that keep good players with teams in the long term.

Sure, It’s hard to trust rookies to make plays on contending teams, but given the current landscape of the NBA teams aren’t going to have any choice. They won’t be able to afford more ready-made players in free agency as they’ll run up against that tax threshold quickly.

It’s why a team like the Nuggets — that’s about to get very expensive very soon — traded their way into the first round of the draft in the middle of the NBA Finals. And that’s why so many teams were keen on actually making their draft picks in the 2023 NBA Draft instead of moving off of them. We’re back to the days of teams treating draft picks like gold.

This might not last forever. Teams are still figuring out how to navigate the current landscape and, surely, someone will find a loophole. But until they do? You can expect more teams to hoard the remaining draft picks they have. It’s just good for business.

I’ve seen a lot of fantastic things come across my screen here at For The Win. But I’m trying to think of something better than the Nikola Jokic All-Stars of the NBA Draft and, well, I’ve got nothing.

What are the Nikola Jokic All-Stars, you ask? A player who was drafted in the middle of a commercial break on TV like Jokic was with the infamous Taco Bell commercial.

My guy Blake Schuster will plug you in.

“Not only was Nikola Jokic — a now two-time MVP, NBA champion and NBA Finals MVP — drafted by the Denver Nuggets, but the Quesarito appeared on the menu at Taco Bells everywhere. And in one of the most magical moments in fast food/basketball history, the two icons overlapped with the league announcing Jokic’s selection during a commercial for the quesadilla-burrito hybrid and linked them forever.

Perhaps the next Jokic — or Quesarito — is among them. There’s certainly the potential for a sponsorship deal if any of these players become All-Stars. So to memorialize the biggest night of their lives, we humbly present the 2023 Nikola Jokic All-Taco Bell Team.“

You need to tap into this.

— Our draft guru Bryan Kalbrosky is tracking where the top undrafted free agents are going.

— Mikal Bridges on what his next step in Brooklyn is going to look like.

— NBA bettors are livid with Shams Charania for moving the line on the No. 2 overall pick with a tweet. Our Prince Grimes has more.

— Here’s Kalbrosky again on why Cam Whitmore fell so far in the NBA Draft.

Enjoy the weekend, folks.