Random Wax: 2023-2024 Donruss Blaster

23-24 Donruss:  NBA draft is tonight!  Teams have dreams of picking futures franchise cornerstones like this guy.  He was drafted 7th in the 2009 NBA Draft behind Hasheem Thabeet (Memphis) and Jonny Flynn (Minnesota).  Yeah, look those guys up.  Had to kick off this post with the slick looking Holo Purple Laser Parallel #/99 Steph Curry.  Curry was 36 this season.  How will a full season of Jimmy Butler as a Warrior work and can Curry keep up his level of greatness at age 37 will be a big storyline next season.

Devin Booker may lose KD as a teammate in the upcoming months, but all indications are he's not looking to leave Phoenix.  Reigning MVP SGA.  Nice pull in this box.  This season's MVP (Shai) was drafted by Charlotte with the 11th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.  He was traded on draft night to the Clippers.

Shai: June 21, 2018: Traded by the Charlotte Hornets to the Los Angeles Clippers for Miles Bridges, a 2020 2nd round draft pick (Vernon Carey Jr. was later selected) and a 2021 2nd round draft pick (Scottie Lewis was later selected). (CHO's 2020 2nd-rd pick from LAC is CLE's pick.)

Needed this Wemby pull in a box that otherwise wasn't big on rookies.  Andre Jackson and his amazing hair was drafted 36th overall in 2023 by Orlando.

Darius Garland had a big year being named an All-Star and was a huge piece of the #1 seed Cavaliers.  Drafted by the Miami Heat in 2011, Bogdanovic didn't play in the league until 2014 after being traded for Norris Cole on draft night

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(Bogdanovic) July 12, 2010: Traded by the Minnesota Timberwolves (as a future 2011 2nd round draft pick) with cash and a 2014 2nd round draft pick (Markel Brown was later selected) to the Miami Heat for Michael Beasley.

June 23, 2011: Drafted by the Miami Heat in the 2nd round (31st pick) of the 2011 NBA Draft.

I like all three of these photos.  Jackson really looks like he's going to throw that down.  Is that Curry underneath him?  Fred VanVleet went undrafted in 2016 and signed with Toronto.

Great X-Pectations isn't a bad looking card as is Magicians.  Need more color on the Bomb Squad cards but it's nice to see a retired great gracing the front.  Trae Young was famously traded for Luka Doncic on draft night.

(Trae Young) June21, 2018 Traded by the Dallas Mavericks with a 2019 1st round draft pick (Cam Reddish was later selected) to the Atlanta Hawks for Luka Dončić. (2019 1st-rd pick is top-5 protected.)

What the Lakers do this offseason is huge.  Can they get enough talent and depth around LeBron and Luka?  That's why GMs get paid the big bucks.  More great pulls from this box which was lots of fun.

BREAKDOWN:

90 – Total Cards

6 – Holo Green Parallels

5 – Rated Rookie

2 - RC

2 – X-Pectations

1 - Magicians

1 – Bomb Squad

1 – Retired Great

1 – Franchise Features

1 – Holo Purple Laser Parallel #/99