Originally Posted by
Pelicanidae
Agreed.
The Thunder drafted Durant, Westbrook, and Harden. Yes, they made the error of paying Ibaka instead of keeping Harden, but they still drafted that core. That's championship material.
Golden State drafted Curry, Klay, and Draymond. Yes, they added Durant after, but they still went to 2 consecutive finals and won a ring without him, just with that drafted core.
Spurs, obviously, drafted Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. The Spurs won 5 rings off the back of those drafting choices.
It is possible for teams, even small market teams, to draft up championship level cores. They just need to scout properly, do their due diligence, and have a smart front office and solid player development. Yes, there is a question of whether we have the personnel to do that, but the fact is that it's a place we should start.