Golden State Warriors’ NBA Draft intentions becoming clear

What will the Golden State Warriors do on NBA Draft night? That is the question we’ve been asking since… well, since last year when the Dubs notched the No. 2 overall pick. This time, they’ll be selecting a bit farther back in the order — but questions still remain.

The Warriors have every incentive to trade their two picks. With a championship window that is slowly but surely closing, the franchise has to be feeling pressure to surround Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green with enough firepower to win one more title. Right?

Pretty much. As far as we can tell, every report points to the Warriors doing one of two things: Keeping the picks for themselves — or making the hail mary play for another star. I can’t imagine anything in between happens.

It is becoming clear that unless the Golden State Warriors can get a star in return — they’ll be holding onto their 2021 NBA Draft picks.

According to Connor Letourneau, ‘Plan A’ for the Warriors is packaging both picks in a deal for a high-caliber player. It’s safe to assume, plan be is simply utilizing the picks for themselves. But, which one will it be?

Unfortunately, I can’t answer that. Frankly, I don’t think the Warriors themselves know which path they will choose just yet. At this stage, everyone is weighing their options.

Some obvious trade targets include Pascal Siakam, Damian Lillard and Ben Simmons. On the other hand, NBA Draft prospects like Jalen Johnson, Davion Mitchell, Josh Giddey and Scottie Barnes are all intriguing enough in their own right. Whatever the Warriors choose to do — they’ll be gaining some helpful assets regardless.

One thing has become clear, however, the Warriors won’t be settling for anything less than a star in exchange for their picks. That means fringe targets like Collin Sexton, Marcus Smart or even a pick swap is off the table for Golden State. If they swing, they’ll be swinging for the fences.