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These articles take you through my thoughts on all different aspects of front office work, starting with the salary cap and cap management, then moving onto scouting and the draft, and lastly addressing trades.

Note that articles with a next to them were only available to subscribers when they were published. Want to read them? You can get lifetime access to the entire archive of these close to 200 articles for just $50. Simply click the button below.

Salary Cap

  1. Making Sense of the Cap
    July 2, 2018
    Why are the rules around NBA free agents and trades so complex? Understanding the what and why of all the terms thrown around this time of year.
  2. Cornered Market
    July 12, 2017
    Why don’t the Thunder sign big money free agents? Because the market isn’t what it seems. How max and rookie contracts distort the free agency market and alter the NBA landscape.
  3. The Worldwide Leader and the Cap Jump
    May 3, 2017
    How do the ESPN layoffs connect to the NBA’s changing financial landscape, and what might they mean for the future of the league?
  4. Missing Mirotic
    January 31, 2018
    An explanation of the rules that have held up the Nikola Mirotic trade, with a discussion of what this tells us about the Pelicans' offseason plans and how they got to this point.

Draft

  1. Everything You Wanted To Know About the Draft (But Never Had Anyone to Ask), Part 1
    June 20, 2018
    What is the draft like inside a team? I answer subscriber questions. Part 2 coming Thursday.
  2. Everything You Wanted To Know About the Draft (But Never Had Anyone to Ask), Part 2
    June 21, 2018
    Answering questions about draft strategy.
  3. A Roll of the Dice, Part 1
    June 20, 2017
    On Bill Simmons' podcast, Malcolm Gladwell said that he doesn't believe there's "any great predictability" to the draft. Why he’s right - and why he’s wrong. The first in a three part series about the draft.
  4. Working Out Workouts
    May 30, 2017
    Draft workouts can be a powerful evaluation tool - but they also are uniquely dangerous.
  5. The Combine's Context
    May 17, 2018
    As NBA teams descend on Chicago for the Draft Combine, they’ll get a rare look at prospects. But as they gather information, it’s critical that they also recognize the limitations of what they learn.
  6. "You F*** Up Sometimes"
    November 2, 2017
    Something to think about as scouting season gets underway: we all make mistakes in the draft. We shouldn't run from them, but learn from them.
  7. "You F*** Up Sometimes": Additional Thoughts
    November 6, 2017
    Some further thoughts following my article on Anthony Bennett, Archie Goodwin and draft mistakes: discussing the importance of process, whether I was really wrong, and group dynamics.
  8. The Michael Porter Mystery
    June 14, 2018
    Michael Porter Jr. played only 53 minutes in college. Evaluating Porter's draft prospects requires digging into his play at other levels, and grappling with the right way to think about prospects like him.
  9. Red Flagged
    June 25, 2018
    Michael Porter Jr.'s slide in the draft reveals a blind spot in team draft process: the right way to think about injury risk.
  10. The Clairvoyance Test
    December 20, 2017
    A discussion of Luka Doncic reveals the importance of precise definitions and testable statements.
  11. Midseason Draft Review: Luka Doncic
    January 11, 2018
    Learn even a little bit about Luka Doncic, and it’s easy to believe in his future superstardom. But dig deeper, and there is plenty to study and discuss.
  12. Midseason Draft Review: Deandre Ayton
    January 17, 2018
    There aren't many questions about Deandre Ayton's physical ability. But does he have the basketball instincts to use that athleticism properly?

Trades

  1. Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the Trade Deadline (But Didn’t Have Anyone to Ask)
    February 8, 2018
    What is the trade deadline like inside a team? I go through the questions posed by subscribers and lay it all out for you.
  2. Possibility vs. Certainty
    February 12, 2019
    In my experience, NBA executives tend to fall into two different camps. It's a distinction that explains a lot about the moves made at this trade deadline.
  3. Trade Deadline: Additional Thoughts
    February 15, 2019
    Why the Sixers' trade for Tobias Harris had as much to do with JJ Redick as Harris, the important distinction between basketball value and market value, and more.