Do the Golden State Warriors trade the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft or do they keep it? Well, someone very close to Steph Curry thinks the Golden State Warriors should definitely take Anthony Edwards if he is still on the board.
What the Golden State Warriors will do with the #2 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft seems to be the “million-dollar question” no NBA insiders or fans can seem to answer, but Steph Curry’s personal trainer, Brandon Payne, may have the answer to the big question.
Payne was recently on the “WarriorsWorld” Podcast and believes there is one clear-cut choice for the Warriors if he is still on the board.
"“The guy that really stands out to me is Anthony Edwards. I think Anthony Edwards is outstanding. I think he’s a guy that can do a lot of good things. I think he’s a guy that can score and defend from Day 1… So with that No. 2 pick, if he’s there, I think that’s your call, unless you’re looking to make a trade.”"
Anthony Edwards would be a rookie who would come into the Warriors organization and look like a player with two or three years of NBA experience. That is how good he is and how good he can be in the Warriors’ system.
The high-flying, athletic wing averaged 19.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.8 APG and shot 40.2% from the floor in 32 games with Georgia last season where he was named the 2019-20 SEC Freshman of the Year. The former Georgia guard’s shooting numbers can be a yellow flag for some as 40.2% from the floor and 29.4% from three-point range can be quite concerning. Granted Edwards was shooting an average of 15.8 shots a game, he was really Georgia’s only NBA caliber prospect and was being relied upon too heavily.
With the Warriors, Edwards will not be tasked with being the go-to guy and will have an abundance of talent around him, letting him settle in and get back to the athletic, transition-killer type player he was at the high school level.
The two biggest areas the Warriors need to improve upon from year’s past are getting more athletic on the wing and solidifying their center position with a rim protector. When you look at the 2020 draft class, there are no proven rim protectors that teams can be comfortable with from Day 1, but there are a few wings who can fill this deadly athletic mold on the wing the Warriors desperately need.
Of course, the Warriors could still trade the #2 overall pick for an all-star caliber player, but passing up on the opportunity to draft Anthony Edwards may be out of the question for Bob Myers. When you can add a player like Edwards to the Warriors, who are already in championship contention, you cannot swing-and-miss on an opportunity like this. The rich are only getting richer in this scenario.
Anthony Edwards is definitely the top overall talent in this draft class and if the Timberwolves, or whoever winds up with the first pick, passes on the opportunity to take him, then the Warriors must pull the trigger and welcome Anthony Edwards to the Golden State dynasty!