In what is generally considered to be one of the weakest NBA draft classes in recent memory, countless teams high in the lottery have been shopping their pick, and the Bobcats appear to be no exception. Charlotte can feel a little slighted by the fact that they had the second-worst record in the league, but both Cleveland and Washington jumped ahead of them in the lottery, moving the Bobcats down to pick No. 4.
If the Bobcats keep the pick, there's no telling who they might take. But they don't want to keep the pick, and a trade might be open for them with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves are reportedly looking to trade up to draft Indiana shooting guard Victor Oladipo, expected to be a sure-fire top-five pick.
There's a good chance Oladipo will still be around at pick four, and perhaps the Bobcats and Wolves could swing a deal. But there's also an excellent chance that Oladipo goes to Orlando at second overall, which makes the Bobcats' fourth pick meaningless to Minnesota.
Still, with tens of millions of dollars in free cap space and even more than that in expiring contracts (think Ben Gordon), the Bobcats could conceivably sent their fourth pick this year and a few expiring players in exchange for a good young players or future picks.
While Ben Gordon and the obscene $12.4 million dollars he is due next year doesn't sound good on the surface, another team could unload a similar (but longer) contract on the Bobcats, and then have and additional $12.4 million in cap space when Gordon's contract expires after next season. Obviously this isn't great for the Bobcats, but they are currently one of the few teams under the cap and could afford to take on such a contract in exchange for youth and picks.
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