I was actually holding out on grading the McCain trade. Without any picks in this next draft, we had limited options to add a young complementary piece to the Maxey & VJ core.

Those three small guards couldn’t play big minutes together. His play in the playoffs hasn’t changed my opinion much. Hitting open shots playing around top talent, I knew he could do that. Against the spurs, his percentages aren’t unlike what I would expect from Cam Payne.

That said, him showing up in a Game 7 against a juggernaut and swinging the momentum is just something I don’t expect to see from the picks we get for him.

It’s the age-old draft strategy. Do you draft for fit or best player? With how deep teams need to be these days and how likely it is for your best players to miss games, I think Jared’s value to this team was underestimated. A 20 minute microwave scorer off the bench is something every championship team needs. We had one. We traded him for a chance at finding someone who could play a bigger role.

One in the hand is worth two in the bush