No, I was off... the market has definitely changed recently and I'm not as up to date as I thought.

What doesn't change - he'll probably be making 8-12 mil per in his second contract... so that's a wash, no?

The biggest key is getting that 2nd long-term or 3rd short-term contract to end before he's through his prime. If you're 29 or 30 and a FA you can still make quite a bit of money... gotta get to the end of those contracts before he progresses into the 30's, unless you're an elite player (then obviously it won't matter).

They key to making the money is getting that service time started. The whole point of what I was stating is that for a guy like Embiid or Smart... it's not about your slot... or being ready... it's about getting that clock started. They're gonna get drafted high... very high. Start the clock and make your money off of potential. That's the business of it.

As a fan, I agree with everyone else that it sucks to see kids go early that aren't ready... but that's the reality of it, and that's why it's a smart decision on their part. Despite how we as fans want to twist the reasonings towards staying being "smart". It's selfishness on our part to want to believe what we're saying.

Zeke, I would add to that all the ancillary money Wiggins will get. If he gets a shoe deal which is likely, you could be adding another $50M or something to his haul. Embiid will probably get some type of deal as well.

Ya, but honestly... that is so arbitrary. player A may have a shoe deal that pays 50 mil over 4-5 years and player B may have a local advertising deal with a car audio installation shop... That's extremely tough to quantify. But yes, the capacity is there for that.

It is arbitrary and extremely varied but at least in Wiggins' case, it's a no-doubter that he's going to get a big endorsement deal. Getting to the 2nd contract is one part of him leaving but that other big payout is another. Anyone suggesting he come back is literally insane. And irrelevant of course since he's always said he is leaving.

Adam Morrison, Michael Olowokandi, Kwame Brown, Marcus Fizer, Hasheem Thabeet, and Jonny Flynn all agree.

He gone.

The long run track record of NBA draft selections is extremely accurate, and comparing top-10 picks vs later picks bears that out with no dispute. Pointing to the exceptions never disproves the rule.

Still not official yet, but more than likely

Embiid or wiggins

Anyone know what number Turner is going to wear?

I mean, let's face it. They're both leaving.

We can be pleasantly surprised if one of them shocks the world and comes back, but it's probably better to at this point just look to next year without either of them.

Everyone I mentioned was in the top 10, most in the top 5. And I didn’t include foreigners who make up a significant portion of busts. (Darko was taken over Melo, Bosh, and Wade).

You give NBA scouts too much credit, especially considering the small pool compared to football and baseball. Saying Lebron, Rose, Durant, etc were worth a high draft pick isn’t exactly rocket science.

(That is all assuming, of course, that you are a real person and not just a troll)

This is why I’m not sure why people are freaking out so much. I mean it would be great to have Embiid back for his sophomore year, but we have a top 5 guy in the class ready to step in when he leaves.

sophomore embiid > Freshman (still not signed) Myles

Oh I am. They're both gone. I was wondering of there were confirmation on one or the other.