Golden State Warriors: 3 Options for No. 28 NBA Draft pick
By Tony Pesta
Golden State Warriors can trade the pick
The Golden State Warriors might be able to sprint to an NBA championship this season due to their phenomenal core of star players. Still, with the possibility for names like Kevon Looney, Otto Porter, Andre Iguodala, Nemanja Bjelica, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damion Lee and Gary Payton II all with an opportunity to change teams this summer — it could be useful to trade the pick and ensure some experienced players remain on the roster.
Doing so will be tricky. Not because a late first round pick is difficult to move — but because the Warriors do not have much financial wiggle room to match salary with any players they could target.
That is unless a sign-and-trade is negotiated with one of the above-mentioned players who could enter free agency this summer. While sign-and-trades are also tricky, it’s worth mentioning the Warriors have pulled them off before. Most notably, a sign-and-trade involving Kevin Durant for D’Angelo Russell, which led to Andrew Wiggins and eventually Jonathan Kumigna winding up on the roster.
There is no telling what players will be on the market or if the Warriors will be able to make a deal work financially. Yet, the incentive to trade this pick is arguably high enough for them to monitor things closely.