Golden State Warriors: Moving up in NBA Draft is not worth the price

Lately, there has been some talk of the Golden State Warriors potentially moving up in the 2021 NBA Draft to add another top prospect to their stash and solidify their core for the future. But, the cost of moving up and hindering their ability to win in the present is not worth the price.

The Golden State Warriors should not take the risk of trading up in the 2021 NBA Draft and restricting their current core.

Let’s start with why and how the Warriors would move up in the draft, to begin with. It should be as simple as explaining that highly coveted prospects such as Jalen Green, Evan Mobley, Jalen Suggs and of course, Cade Cunningham, all have the superstar potential needed to carry the next generation of Dubs’ basketball.

With that being said, who would consider a trade with the Dubs? The Detroit Pistons have reportedly been keeping their options open at No. 1 while the Cleveland Cavaliers are shopping Collin Sexton (and likely the third pick) to avoid giving Sexton the max this summer. Furthermore, the Toronto Raptors are showing interest in flipping Pascal Siakam and the fourth overall pick for assets in return.

This is where the Dubs step in as one of the few teams capable of making a package worthy of obtaining anything. The varying combinations of Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman, Jordan Poole, Kelly Oubre, Eric Paschall and their two lottery picks this summer are enough for Golden State to pitch an offer to any of the aforementioned teams.

But, do those teams have anything interesting enough for the Dubs to pull the trigger? I’m not sure.

Trading with Detroit

Moving from top to bottom, a swap with the Pistons is the most ideal fit for Golden State. It really shouldn’t bother them if they lose Wiseman, Wiggins and every pick they have for the next 10 years — an opportunity to add Cunningham is worth it.

However, I’d disregard all of the rumors surrounding Detroit trading their pick. I mean, seriously. Even the most incompetent franchises in league history wouldn’t be foolish enough to punt on a hyper-versatile combo forward with zero weaknesses in his game at the age of 19.

Trading with Cleveland

This one is a little more realistic and still enticing. Sexton just posted 24.3 points per game on efficient shooting splits of 48/37/82. He’s a promising young scorer and made notable improvements as a playmaker this season. Young Bull would undoubtedly kill it as a backup guard to Stephen Curry.

Yet, with his weaknesses as a defender and the fact that he’s likely looking for a big payday following the end of his rookie contract, the Dubs really shouldn’t invest too much stock in him. That is to say, Sexton might not want to stay in Golden State even if he makes a positive impact on the team next season.

Trading with Toronto

Finally, we get to our last scenario with the Raptors, where flipping Wiggins and two lottery picks for Siakam and the chance to draft Suggs emerges. This one actually feels pretty good until you factor in the likelihood of Toronto asking for Wiseman to make the rest of this deal work.

On the surface, giving up a player who just struggled in his rookie season for a slight upgrade at forward and a young star like Suggs seems like a win. However, it’s much too early to give up on Wiseman and the Dubs would ultimately be better with Wiggins spacing the floor as a catch-and-shoot threat as opposed to Siakam.

Overall, the Dubs just don’t have an ideal trading partner to move up in the draft. They won’t receive fair value in return and it makes more sense for them to look elsewhere in trades or simply hold onto the picks for themselves.