2022 NBA Draft: #37 Jaden Hardy (6' 3", 6' 9" WS) to DAL | two 2nds to SAC

[KillerLeft]

I spend my days neck-deep in the P&L reports for a Fortune 500 company. In a scenario where "we want X. We have 2 options to get it, option 1) we pay $3Million for it now, option 2) we pay 'future considerations' now, and if we want more X in the future we can always pay $3Million then", corporate executives are going to go with option 2 100 times out of 100. It's Balance Sheet Management 101.

Yes, I have absolutely no issue with this logic and completely agree. 

What I'm saying is that I believe there is a 0% chance Cuban will ever again write a $2 million check for a draft pick (he used to do it often) because:

A) he's on record as being really ashamed that he lost $100 million on the Mavs during his first decade owning the team.

B) he's on record saying he didn't think the owners got the job done to his satisfaction during the 2011 negotiations, and this will be the very first time since then that he has ever paid any luxury tax. How much he'll pay remains to be seen, and my bet is that it will be the smallest amount of tax he thinks he can get away with (the idea that he has a ceiling in mind for his Brunson offer is the only thing that gives me any worry there). I believe that when the 2011 CBA happened he made a decision to do business in a new way that doesn't allow for throwing money around, even when it might make a little sense. 

C) It doesn't appear that he thinks very much of draft picks to begin with - he hasn't for a LONG time. Now, you can convince me that Harrison and other new blood might be attempting to change that thinking, but I don't think the organization's approach (for which Cuban is the bottom line) is going to do a 180º turn overnight. 

I'm not saying that the wrong decision (2 2nds instead of 1 pick+$2 million) was made, I'm simply saying that everyone thrilled with this effort to get into the 2nd might just be kicking their disappointment can down the road without realizing it. People who place a high value on that future 2nd (the extra one) shouldn't assume, imo, that the situation will be fixed with cash just because it can be.