Today’s NBA teams covet draft capital more than ever before. 

Receiving a bundle of first-round picks in exchange for a star has become the common basis of a blockbuster trade.

Still, as valuable as those picks can be, nothing is more valuable than having control of your own first-round picks. 

Having that control gives you options. If a team owens their own pick, they can choose to tank. When they don’t own it, they can be forced into shortsighted decisions. 

Just look at the Chicago Bulls. The Orlando Magic own their first-round selection this year. If the Bulls owned it, they’d likely have blown up their roster. 

Could they get it back by sending the Magic Zach LaVine?