Golden State Warriors: 2021 NBA Draft Lottery merely weeks away

In just a few weeks, the Golden State Warriors will learn their position in the 2021 NBA Draft. The results of this upcoming lottery will have riveting implications for the next iteration of the Warriors.

At their best, the Dubs will be able to add two lottery picks in the same draft to go along with their latest top-three pick, James Wiseman. Or, they can flip these assets for something else in an attempt to win now. There is also a possibility they whiff on the Minnesota pick and wind up with only their own late pick.

The 2021 NBA Draft Lottery is going to make or break the Golden State Warriors offseason and this pivotal date is just a few weeks away.

June 22, that is when the Warriors will learn where they stand in the draft. They stand with a roughly 70 percent chance of obtaining Minnesota’s first round pick, so long as it doesn’t beat the odds and land in the top three.

The best, and most realistic scenario, sees the Warriors snagging the fourth overall pick in addition to their own 14th pick. This gives them two very intriguing options: Keep the pick or swing for the fences.

Golden State will have a number of interesting prospects potentially available to them at fourth. One of Jalen Suggs, Jalen Green, Evan Mobley and Jonathan Kuminga is bound to slip to this spot. Will the Warriors feel confident in their ability to rapidly develop another young player with Stephen Curry reaching the back end of his prime?

Thankfully, the Warriors will have a better opportunity to scan the draft pool before making a selection. There will be a more official NBA Draft Combine, including live-scrimmages between prospects. This is a stark contrast to the limited, virtual workouts the Warriors had to do last year due to COVID restrictions.

Either way, a better decision might be using this pick as a sweetener in a trade. Plenty of teams will have the incentive to trade up in this loaded draft class. The Warriors would be foolish to not weigh their options here and test the market, using Andrew Wiggins and others to match salary in any hypothetical deal.

There is growing hype around including Wiseman in a trade, as well. An increasing sense of urgency has been placed on winning a title before it’s too late for the Dubs’ big three. Flipping Wiseman and two lottery picks is the easiest way to revamp this roster over the summer.

And still, none of this matters if the ping pong balls don’t fall their way on June 22nd. There’s a 30 percent chance the Timberwolves retain their own pick and the Warriors get stuck in a less desirable position. Here’s to hoping for a bit of luck.