The NBA Draft is approaching and it seems the Wolves might use their pick on Obi Toppin. What does this mean for the Golden State Warriors?
The Golden State Warriors will have free range to choose from just about any prospect they want in the 2020 NBA Draft. That is, excluding whoever the Minnesota Timberwolves elect to pick with the No. 1 overall pick. Recent reports seem to suggest the Wolves are interested in Obi Toppin, opening the flood gates for the Warriors to weigh their other options.
Johnathan Wasserman of BleacherReport stated that Toppin is widely respected by front offices across the league. His skill set as a stretch big compliments the space-and-pace era the NBA is currently in – and the Timberwolves are no exception to the Toppin hype train.
"Sources tell B/R the Minnesota Timberwolves are high on Toppin. The question is whether they’d be willing to take him first overall or if they’d only draft the big man out of Dayton in a trade-down scenario."
The big caveat to take note of here is that it’s possible the Wolves will only consider taking Toppin in a potential trade-down scenario, mainly because of Toppin’s limited ceiling as an older prospect. Trading down is something the Wolves have been rumored to be considering. If they do swap picks with someone further in the lottery, it could have a big impact on the Warriors.
For starters, the Wolves will be able to one-up any potential offers the Dubs can make to move back in the order themselves. Swapping picks with a team deeper in the lottery would be a good move for the Warriors – but that would be more difficult to do if the top slotted team is looking to accomplish the same goal.
On a brighter note, the Wolves could end up opening a path for the Warriors to select Anthony Edwards. The Warriors appeared to be high on Edwards before most analysts predicted him to be drafted by Minnesota where he is an obvious fit next to D’Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Edwards could be the versatile two-way threat the Warriors need to replace Andre Iguodala in the long run. Removing Minnesota from the picture could help the Warriors land their ideal guy.
But, what if the Warriors were interested in Toppin themselves? After all, the Dubs are looking to win now – and Toppin is projected as the best candidate to help in that scenario. The Warriors haven’t said much about Toppin but it’s possible they are secretly eyeing him leading up to draft night.
The 2020 NBA Draft is set to take place on November 18. Soon, we will see exactly how things shake out for the Dubs.