Pope of Basketball.

Summary

In mid-June, Clippers manager Neil-Olshi proposed trading the fifth overall draft pick for Bucks' point guard Stephen-Curry. While there was potential to select DeMarcus-Cousins or Paul-George, Yang Rui believed Curry was a game-changer due to his impressive rookie stats. Despite concerns about defense with Curry and Ellis, pairing Curry with a traditional shooting guard was seen as a solution. The Bucks targeted Wesley-Johnson for their draft pick, recognizing his offensive and defensive capabilities. If they missed Johnson, they planned to select a big man and trade Bargnani, who was viewed as soft. The Bucks management agreed to trade Curry for the first and second-round draft picks from the Clippers. On draft day, the Clippers selected Wesley-Johnson with the fifth pick, while the Bucks acquired Larry Sanders with their first-round pick. The Bucks aimed to strengthen their defense for the next season. Yang Rui noted that the Thunder selected Eric Bledsoe, who he believed would struggle for playing time, adding him to his "steal list" for potential future signings.

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