Commentary: Seeing through the Warriors’ NBA Draft smokescreens,
We’ve been talking, in earnest, about the 2020 NBA Draft for nearly a year now.
No, seriously, when Stephen Curry broke his hand on Oct. 30, 2019, I wrote what we were all thinking in the aftermath: the Warriors need to tank the season, pick up a high draft pick, and add a highlevel, cost- effective, generation-gapping talent to the mix.
They did that, but the pick is yet to be made. The NBA Draft isn’t until Nov. 18.
Yeah, some things happened over the last year.
So who is the high-level, cost- effective, generationgapping talent theWarriors are poised to take?
After all, they’ve had almost a year to scout, you’d expect them to have a favorite by now.
But given the current landscape of, well, everything, I’m starting to suspect that all the lightyears-ahead plans schemed over the last year around this draft capital and the Dubs’ post-gap-year second act will fail to come to reality. This isn’t to say they won’t be the right, most-prudent moves for Golden State — only to say that they will underwhelm compared to expectations.
The air quality around Chase Center has not dissipated since the summer, as the Warriors have put out smokescreen after smokescreen to hide their true intentions.
Every week a new player, every week more confusion.
I don’t think theWarriors have a favorite prospect at No. 2 overall. And if they do have a favorite prospect, they’re not keen to take him that early in the draft.
Mid-lottery talents in bad drafts always rile up the fan base, right?
Now, we have some idea of who Golden State doesn’t like — the plumes around LaMelo Ball weren’t particularly thick. James Wiseman week wasn’t performed with particular gusto.
And it’s been evident for a while that with this draft class proving so underwhelming, Golden State’s top goal is to trade the No. 2 pick as part of a package to land another top player to pair with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. This need is particularly increased with the new expectation that theWarriors will not use the $17 million-plus trade exception that came with the Andre Iguodala trade, a by-product of the Dubs’ cash influx going from “all” to “next to nothing” amid the pandemic. Another blow to the big offseason so many saw in the cards. The new direction was first reported by Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
The problemwith trading the pick is that it requires another team to be a party to it. Does Golden State want tomove this pick — which they stunk so hard for — for a mid-range role player? Is the player they select capable of turning into a valuable trade asset in themonths to come?
Is there even a star out there worthy of going allin for at themoment? Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t force a trade out of Milwaukee this summer and such a trade is exceptionally unlikely. Bradley Beal is a name that’s been tossed around, but there’s no evidence Washington has put himon the trading block. Is Victor Oladipo, who has asked to be traded out of Indiana, a good enough player to move the needle?
Remember, if the Warriors made a big trade, they would be all-in on the next few seasons.
That might not seem like a problem ... until the bill comes due at the end of Curry’s prime.
A lot of weight has been put on this pick by the team, fans, and the media — when you think about something this often, it’s going to take on some heft in your mind.
But given the landscape — I’m not expecting typical NBA summer chaos this fall — I’m starting to think the Warriors take the least exciting path this offseason. A solid, no-frills signing or two, maybe a trade for a depth player, and a roll of the dice with the draft pick (most likely as part of a trade down that brings in another depth player).
Why? Well, because the Warriors think that they’re not far off from the top teams in theNBA; that their core four — which includesWiggins— needs another starter-caliber wing, some depth on the bench, and a backup point guard to contend for an NBA title. They’re probably right. The smokescreens will continue — at least for another few weeks, and amid that, expectations about the Warriors, rife with assets and keen on breaking the league once again, will continue to be high.
But when that smoke settles, I think that we’ll be looking at a rock-solid team, capable of doing everything it wants to do, but one thatwon’t be expected by everyone to do it.
It’s a reminder of how successful the Warriors have been in recent years that such a fate would prove to be a disappointment.