Golden State Warriors can be title contender without 2020 first-round pick
The Golden State Warriors have a guaranteed top-five first-round pick, but they don’t necessarily need it to return to Finals contention.
It’s been a tough season for the Golden State Warriors.
For suffering through their 15-50 record, the team will be graced with a guaranteed top-five pick. With a few other silver linings, the Warriors should be able to return a team that mimics the 2015-2016 Warriors’ roster.
They’ll have Andrew Wiggins who will act in the Harrison Barnes-like role. They’ll have their Big 3 back in action as well. Those four will compose the bulk of the team’s offensive output.
Aside from those four, the team will have Kevon Looney, Eric Paschall, and Jordan Poole. Those seven will all contribute heavily. It’ll be on them to win or lose, both throughout the season and well into the postseason.
Whoever the team takes with their first-round pick, they may not be the difference-maker between losing and winning the 2021 NBA Finals. James Wiseman, Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, and a few others have all been linked to Golden State.
While the lottery will determine the team’s official spot, the Warriors should look into trading back in the draft, or, better yet, they should trade for another first-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, one deemed to have far more potential.
They could use the additional draft capital in case they want to make an offseason run at Giannis Antetokounmpo or Bradley Beal.
Securing a superstar seems a bit unrealistic, but finding a team to move up several picks to possibly bring in a guard like LaMelo Ball doesn’t. The team clearly finds more value in the 2021 NBA Draft, one reason they would’ve asked for Minnesota’s 2021 pick instead of their 2020 one.
The Warriors have a few holes. They could use help in their backcourt, and the second unit isn’t overly stable. However, they have a $17.2 million trade exception and a mid-level exception to work with.
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Both of those will give them what they need without giving up assets that they don’t have to. That’s why the best move Golden State could make this offseason is to trade their first-round pick for a team’s 2021 first-round pick.