It can be a bit difficult to keep up with the ever-shifting landscape that is the NBA Draft Lottery. A process that was already confusing has become more convoluted due to various changes to the system and other circumstances such as pick protections which might have you wondering exactly what is going on with the Golden State Warriors‘ draft status.
The NBA Draft can be confusing. That is why we are taking an updated look at where the Golden State Warriors currently stand with their two picks.
The goal is to make this as simple as possible. For starters, the Dubs have two potential picks in the upcoming draft. Here is where they stand:
- 2021 First Round Via Minnesota (Top-Three Protected)
- 2021 First Round (Top-20 Protected)
Let us go over the protections on each pick. The Minnesota pick was acquired in the trade for Andrew Wiggins. In short, the Timberwolves placed top-three protection to ensure that they wouldn’t miss out on potentially winning the lottery. This means that if the Wolves secure a place in the top three, they keep their pick. Any result outside of the top-three would mean the Warriors obtain the rights to this pick.
Next, the Warriors have their own first round pick — which will only translate to OKC as part of the Kelly Oubre Jr. trade if they fall out of the top-20 in the draft order. It looks like the Dubs won’t have to worry about this as they sit in 17th with only two games remaining. They’ll miss the lottery but maintain a late first round pick regardless.
Back to the Minnesota pick. Since the Wolves are 6-4 over their last ten games, they have climbed the standings to hold only the sixth-best odds of winning the lottery. This is a double-edged sword for the Dubs as it increases their chance of actually getting the pick, but drops them further in the order.
As of now, Minnesota has a 30 percent chance of picking in the top-three (retaining their selection) and a more than 50 percent chance of falling outside the top-five (transferring the pick to Golden State). There is just a 20 percent chance the pick is either fourth or sixth in the order — zero chance of landing at fifth.
Depending on how you view the situation, this could be seen as both positive and negative. The Dubs have a greater likelihood of landing a lottery pick but are more likely to fall deeper into the back half of the lottery. Of course, with three games remaining, the Wolves could gain more leverage in the lottery before the season is over.
For the moment, the Dubs seem as if they’ll have two picks in the 2021 NBA Draft. Whether or not they choose to use those picks for themselves or in a potential trade is yet to be seen.