If Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey wants to buy into the 2016 NBA draft he's going to have to open up Paul Allen's checkbook to do it. ESPN's Marc Stein reports that the going cash rate for second rounders will be at least $3 million tonight.
Hearing that we shouldn't be surprised if high second-round picks in tonight's NBA Draft fetch the full $3 million in trades tonight
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 23, 2016
Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski previously reported that the Blazers are interested in moving into the draft, so it does seem possible, if not likely, that Olshey will be aggressive about using his remaining cash tonight. The Blazers also have a history of purchasing picks on draft night - most recently they acquired the rights to Daniel Diez last June.
Second round picks do not carry a guaranteed salary, making them more appealing than late-first round picks in previous drafts. However, that logic may be changing this year. With the quickly rising salary cap, the relative cost of late first round picks has plummeted; players drafted in the late-20s will be locked into bargain basement contracts for multiple seasons. Second round picks, on the other hand, can become free agents as soon as their second season, and may demand higher salaries than their first round counterparts. The effect, if any, that this development will have on the draft pick market has yet to be seen.