Warriors GM plans to select two picks
As Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers began the final week of the predraft process Monday, he received a handful of phone calls from rival general managers to discuss trade ideas that have not come up in prior conversations.
Holding the Nos. 7 and 14 picks in Thursday’s NBA Draft, Golden State is open to trading one or both picks for the right return. As of now, however, Myers expects to make both selections.
“As of 2 o’clock today, yeah (that’s the plan),” Myers said during Monday’s conference call with reporters before adding a caveat. “But here’s the problem with that question — at 2:45, that can change.”
As Myers suggests, things can change quickly in the NBA. As organizations prepare for Thursday, Myers and other decision-makers will make more calls. New deals for new players will be discussed and new opportunities will be weighed. Between now and
Thursday, the Warriors will finalize their big board and draft plans and consider all possibilities for how to use their picks.
To trade them, Myers said, “It would have to be something material. I don’t think we would move them for something marginal.”
The biggest names have been widely circulated: Portland’s Damian Lillard, Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons and Washington’s Bradley Beal.
Lillard and Simmons appear to be long shots. Lillard because he has not requested a trade and likely won’t before Thursday’s draft. Simmons because, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported, the Warriors simply aren’t interested and prefer to wait instead for Beal’s decision.
There’s a growing belief in the NBA that if Beal decides to request a trade from the Wizards, he would do so before the draft. Certainly, Beal represents the sort of “material” return worth parting with two lottery picks. As the Athletic’s Marcus Thompson reported last week, Beal is atop Golden State’s wish list.
The reason why is obvious: Beal, who finished second behind only Stephen Curry in scoring last season at 31.3 points per game, would give Golden State another All-Star and the offensive firepower unrivaled by any team outside of Brooklyn. A team with Curry, Beal, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green would have the talent to vault to the top rung of the Western Conference.
Such a player would likely cost both picks and forward Andrew Wiggins for salary-matching purposes. Golden State could also include second-year center James Wiseman, its 2026 first-round pick and pick swaps. It might have to given the price Beal is likely to demand in a bidding war.
Other teams that figure to get in on Beal include the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers. Toronto’s package of the No. 4 pick and Pascal Siakam is an enticing return that would give Washington a premium pick and All-Star caliber player that Golden State can’t match. If the Wizards prefer to build around Ben Simmons as opposed to a rookie, a deal with Philadelphia makes sense. Or Beal, who can become a free agent after the season, could exercise his leverage and navigate his way to Boston to play with his close friend Jayson Tatum or to Miami so he can play in South Beach with a team one year removed from the Finals.
Beal has yet to make his intentions known but, as Monday’s trade between the Grizzlies and Pelicans proved that saw Memphis move up from No. 17 to No. 10, deals can coalesce quickly.
This is where Golden State finds itself just days away before the draft. The front office has completed all predraft workouts and interviews. Now it’s about narrowing down options.
Should the Warriors make the selection at No. 7, G League Ignite’s Jonathan Kuminga or UConn’s James Bouknight appear to be atop their board, while Arkansas’ Moses Moody and Michigan’s Franz Wagner could factor in.
At 14, they could opt for an immediate contributor such as Baylors’ Davion Mitchell, Oregon’s Chris Duarte or Virginia’s Trey Murphy III, or take a swing on someone like Duke’s Jalen Johnson or Stanford’s Ziaire Williams.
“We would like whoever we take to be supplemental and to be playable,” Myers said. But he did not rule out selecting more of a project either. “I don’t know that our window is just one year.”
Though the Warriors are prepared to use both picks if the All-Star splash isn’t available, the right veteran role player could convince them to make a move. What would Utah want for Joe Ingles? Would Memphis part with Kyle Anderson to move up again? Are those players worth moving down or out of the draft for?
So far, league sources say the Warriors haven’t received an offer they like enough to part with either pick but talks are ramping up.
“Decisions are made much closer to deadlines than ever before,” Myers said. “A lot of real offers don’t come in until right before.”
This is crunch time. Over the next few days, the Warriors will shape their strategy and determine what players they want to draft and which players they’d be willing to trade for. Lines will be drawn, phone calls will be made and, come Thursday, someone will be picking at Nos. 7 and 14.