I just feel because of the development time of guys where we could draft in our spots, we will be trading those picks. I guess the best you could hope for,, would be to hold the pick and see who drops, but have tales predetermined based on if we want to trade the pick. Probably too much for a potential trade partner to want to wait. Of course the opposite is true, if someone becomes available we could really use, you jump on trading that pick.
I believe your view of rookies is outdated. Look at what Lively has done for Dallas this year in his rookie season. He wasn't a top 5 pick, I believe he was #12 overall. Rookies contribute regularly in the league. It doesn't take 3-4 years for a guy to start contributing, especially role players. We should be capable of finding someone who is better than a minimum signing that can play some minutes here and there. We don't need a star to start, we need a role player who can play 15 minutes or more.