Golden State Warriors should hold on to NBA Draft pick for themselves

The Golden State Warriors have plenty of reasons to trade their NBA Draft pick but it might be best to hold on to it for themselves.

Sources around the league seem committed to the idea that the Golden State Warriors will look to trade their upcoming NBA Draft pick. With an already solid core that is ready to win a championship now – why would the franchise waste its time on a developing rookie?

It’s easy to see why trading the No. 2 selection makes too much sense for the Dubs. Swapping this young talent for a more established player that can help secure another title sounds like a better idea than taking a chance on a rookie that may never pan out in the league.

However, the Warriors would be better off using this pick for themselves in November. This is for a few different reasons. Firstly, most of the Warriors’ top trade targets won’t be available until next season. Players like Bradley Beal, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Zach Lavine and Marcus Smart are stuck with their current teams for the foreseeable future. This means if the Warriors pull off a deal before draft night – it would likely be one that isn’t worth it.

Instead, the Dubs would rather use the No. 2 pick to select a player that can help them throughout the season. Eventually, that player could then be involved in trade talks at the deadline – but at the worst, he would become a core piece to the Warriors bench unit.

ESPN’s Tim Bontemps mentioned this strategy an article recently and we have looked at three prospects who will hold the highest trade value later in the season. Still, the Warriors could genuinely look to take a prospect for themselves.

There is nothing wrong with drafting a prospect the front office believes can one day become a star and stashing him behind Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. In time, any prospect with real potential could develop into a quality contributor behind veterans like that.