Decide whether said deal is worthy of the pick
Now, it’s decision time. After they’ve played the field for a trade that includes potentially a lesser deal that’d bring in an Aaron Gordon-type player that’d fit under their $17.2 million trade exception, the Warriors must decide what to do with their future.
While this may influence the remainder of their offseason, it doesn’t necessarily have to. The understanding is simple — if Joel Embiid is worth his cost, you pay the price. It’s going to be tough to find a player not named Giannis Antetokounmpo that’s worth the cost.
Players like Victor Oladipo and Beal won’t be. Center Myles Turner is a name that does come to mind, but even then he may not make them clear title favorites, so trading the pick wouldn’t make much sense.
While it’d be great to have a perfect game plan already mapped out, the Warriors may not have a gauge in what their pick is valued at quite yet. Nobody knows the premium teams may pay for their 2021 pick either.
The gut feeling is that they end up keeping the pick and letting the exception be wasted as not too many players would be the quintessential fit for this franchise. Expecting that, let’s continue with our master game plan.