RebKell's Junkie Boards

[Stormeo]

Since we're still awaiting Chennedy Carter's decision, this just-for-fun-but-maybe-for-real poll assumes Carter will return to Texas A&M for her senior year and thus will be ineligible for the 2020 Draft (which if ya haven’t heard will still take place!). Otherwise, it seems as though most people have Carter as a lottery pick along with Ionescu, Cox, and Sabally - in which Atlanta would surely take whoever of those four would still be available at #4. But if Atlanta has to pick a different player than the ones listed once the top three picks are all picked, what should the Dream do in that scenario? This poll also assumes Atlanta won't be able to trade up and snag one of the top-three picks.

Basically this poll asks two things simultaneously: who do you consider the BPA in this scenario? And is the BPA good enough for Atlanta to keep if her position is not considered one of need for Atlanta?

I chose to single-out Megan Walker in the poll options since she's currently the 2020 Draft's other early entry after Sabally, in order to get a feel for how the latest addition to the 2020 Draft Pool is perceived as a potential fit for the Dream.


No end date set for this poll.

[Richyyy]

When you're already trying to find minutes for Williams, Hayes and Stricklen on the wing, Walker doesn't seem like the greatest fit. If you genuinely think she's simply the best player left then maybe she falls in the category of 'take the best player available and figure the rest out later', but it wouldn't be ideal.

As always, the problem with 'trade back' or 'trade out' is finding someone who wants to give you value you like in return. I wouldn't be surprised if they just take whoever their favourite is among the various point guard options. Montgomery needs replacing/upgrading at some point, and it's not like any of their current alternatives (Cazorla, Babkina, Jones) is a dead cert to provide it.

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Independent WNBA coverage: http://www.wnbalien.com/

[J-Spoon]

Gauge how much Dallas likes Walker

Walker seems like a good fit in Dallas as a long term investment and they have plenty of assets

If Dallas really likes Walker 5 and 9 for 4 seems possible (with variations of 7 and 9 or 5 and 15 if Dallas wants to squeeze a little more value out of the deal).

either way Dallas still get the #2 pick the #4 pick Walker and a 3rd first round pick, Dallas' huge amount of top 15 picks makes at least two of them expendable anyway so moving up to get Walker seems possible. or do like pick 5 or 7 with a borderline expendable player like Anigwe, Davis, Hill, Gustafson or Mabrey if Atl or Dallas prefers.

Atl can get a PG option with the better of the picks it receives (Harris, Dangerfield or Cooper) and gets a 2nd pick or bench player to play with for the end of its roster.

[Stormeo]

As the maker of this post, I thought the best thing to do in this scenario would be to trade down, which they could do before or after the #4 gets picked. But which remaining player here would be most valuable? That I'm still mightily struggling with. Like J-Spoon said, the Dream would need to find out how much the Wings value Walker. Otherwise, if it's not the Wings, the Lynx are in the same boat as the Dream in needing a PG above anything else, and the Sky don't appear to have enough assets to be able to trade up. After that, it makes no sense to trade that far down. It's pretty much Dallas-wanting-Walker or bust for the Dream.

[J-Spoon]

If Atl thinks it can get away with a no traditional PG line up to start they could just bet on Walker for the future and do something like

Hayes/Montgomery/Cazorla or Babkina
C. Williams/A. Jones or Dietrick
Stricklen/Walker
Johnson/Billings
K. Brown/E. Williams/Coates

you could also keep 3 of the guards not add Coates and go with 4 and a half posts (sometimes Walker in a small ball line up_.

[Shades]

I’m not sure what ATL will do with their guards. Seems like they’re just throwing a bunch of guards together and seeing what happens in camp.

I wasn’t in love with the Stricklen signing for ATL because I figured they could put Johnson at the SF. Like Ogwumike, Johnson’s play is becoming more perimeter with age.

Hayes/Montgomery/(Cazorla or AJones)
CWilliams/Dietrick
Johnson/Stricklen
EWilliams/Billings
Brown/Coates

If you’re a fan of traditional centers, you probably like this post lineup. Since ATL added Coates and then subsequently added Brown, it seems like the direction they might want to head.

They’ll probably end up going three guard starting lineup despite the pickups they made indicating they want to move away from it.

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Nnekalonians 1:14 - Thou shalt not accept that which is not earned

[ClayK]

Trade down? So you get a worse player for a second-round pick or borderline starter?

And for the record, I'm not sold on Carter as a surefire WNBA starter.

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Oṃ Tāre Tuttāre Ture Svāhā

[WNBA 09]

Carter has to declare no later than April 7th according to this ....

https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/28957549/wnba-hold-virtual-televised-draft-april-17

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3-Time WNBA Champion-3-Time National Champion-4-Time Olympic Champion....And Yes DT "We Got Confeti" lol

[RavenDog]

I'd take Walker.

[PickledGinger]

Draft and keep Tya’sha Harris. She might not be as flashy as Carter but she’s a legit 5-10 point guard with excellent leadership skills, All-Defensive potential, and no real weaknesses to her game.

[Randy]

Dream should seriously consider talking Walker anyway (assuming Cox or Sabally aren't still available.) Walker doesn't fill a need but could be a replacement for Hayes, allow her to be traded. Dream don't need Carter any more than they need Walker, but it seems like they will build around C. Williams, so Carter is even less useful.

[WNBA 09]

[Stormeo]

[Stormeo]

There's just so much Atlanta has to figure out with its perimeter. Did the Dream really sign Stricklen to a fairly lucrative deal just to bring her off the bench? Would at least one of C. Williams and Hayes be accepting of becoming a part-time PG? At least benching Montgomery should be easy since she's come off the bench for a good chunk of her career. I definitely do think trading Hayes is still something to float out there - Atlanta's really not in any rush to get rid of her, nor does Hayes appear to be in a rush to leave, so Atlanta could get some interesting pieces... which could solve any perceived roster imbalance.

As it is, Atlanta only has five post players signed. It could be easy to keep those five, but if Carter isn't available, then maybe Collen opts to make Coates or even Billings particularly uncomfortable and add in some talented competition. Heck, Glory Johnson's deal isn't even guaranteed.

[Richyyy]

[Stormeo]

[Richyyy]

Fair point, I temporarily forgot about Hebard. If Carter doesn't declare #4 really could be any of about 10 different people and I wouldn't be particularly surprised.

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Independent WNBA coverage: http://www.wnbalien.com/

[Stormeo]

Although, what I forgot about was that Walker has played PF more than SF if ya look at her entire time at UConn. So it's also not a stretch that the Dream could draft her and do the same thing with her, not unlike how the Lynx have used Napheesa Collier, and before her, Maya Moore (who are also UConn products of course). If Carter isn't available, the Dream should probably just draft Walker, and if they can get a good deal for her, great, but if not, it shouldn't be too weird of a fit imo.

[root_thing]

Even though Walker played a lot PF at UConn, she functioned very differently from Collier or Gabby Williams. Megan spends a lot of time on the perimeter, so she operates like a small forward. Collier and Williams primarily worked in the paint. I will also point out that between Walker's sophomore and junior seasons she dropped 15 lbs. Megan was much quicker this year, but she wasn't as physical. The small ball thing only works if you're really good at the offensive end and you know with certainty that your undersized player will outscore her opponent. I don't think Walker will be that dominant -- at least not early in her career. To me, Megan is a small forward.

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You can always do something else.

[J-Spoon]

My first thought was of Dallas combining two pick for one say something that in practicality looked like

#4 Walker for say #7 Harris, Dangerfield or Cooper and #9 Mompremier, Alarie or Holmes

but then I started to think about what players might be put on the block for #4

one weird one
#4 Walker for J. Young

on one hand seems redundant but on the other hand I could see Atl experimenting with Young at the PG spot and building off her first year rather than taking someone even younger and Laimbeer preferring Walker over Young seems possible, either one is going to have to wait a couple of seasons to be more than Angel's back up but Walker come 2022 seems like a better replacement for Angel than Young, and Young might be a better fit with C. Williams and Hayes as she doesn't need the ball as much.

#4 Walker for G. Williams
same idea Atl experiments with Williams as a full time PG, The Sky get a future 2/3/4 combo of Deshields, Walker and Stevens

#4 Walker for Wheeler (and maybe throw in #14)
Atl gets a true PG sort of a win now move, Indy turns the PG spot over to K. Mitchell full time and adds Walker to a young core of The Mitchell's, Walker, #3 pick Cox or Sabally and McCowan

K. Mitchell, T. Mitchell, Walker, Cox, McCowan

[Stormeo]

[myrtle]

[Shades]

[myrtle]

[J-Spoon]

OK Carter has declared

So who do you like better

Carter vs Walker now and in 3 years

and with both Carter and Walker likely to be available at #4 are there any teams out there who would be willing to trade for the #4 pick and what would they be willing to trade?