Let the NBA Draft Picks Wear the Hats of Teams They're Actually Playing For
Through 11 picks in the NBA Draft, five players have been picked who are in all likelihood going to be traded from the teams that officially picked them: De’Andre Hunter, Jarrett Culver, Jaxson Hayes, Cam Reddish, and Cameron Johnson.
What’s especially silly about this is that they have had to go through the charade of wearing the wrong hat while they’re interviewed on television, as it’s acknowledged in the conversation that they’ll be playing elsewhere. For example, De’Andre Hunter had to wear a Lakers hat, when we know that he is ultimately getting traded to the Hawks (by way of the Pelicans from the Anthony Davis deal).
A lot of people have noticed that this is profoundly silly:
Text from NFL coach: “Gotta get the NBA to change the ‘trade rules’ so they don’t keep sending these kids up there with wrong hats on - embarrassing.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 21, 2019
Someday the NBA will say "Remember when these picks were traded but we made them act like they weren't and wear the wrong cap?"
— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) June 21, 2019
How does this happen in 2019? #NBADraft
How many of these proposed trades have ever fallen apart? Just let them wear the proposed hat not the actual pick hat. Presentation would be so much better.
— Cody Stoots (@Cody_Stoots) June 21, 2019
Hey, NBA, this whole pretending like traded picks haven't been traded thing is MORONIC. Let these kids wear the hats of the teams they're going to.
— Ryan Phillips (@RumorsandRants) June 21, 2019
You have to think the NBA will revisit the timing of the draft and the start of free agency with half these guys wearing a hat from one team and talking about playing for another.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) June 21, 2019
Making these dudes wear hats from teams that traded them is one of the dumbest Sports traditions
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) June 21, 2019
The NBA is generally a sensible league about dumb optics like this, and they should either go with no hats in these situations or, better yet, allow the players to wear the hats of the teams we all know they’ll actually be playing for.