Monopoly on future draft picks reiterates Warriors win-now window

Some teams are set up to win now, some are set up to win in the future, and some like the Golden State Warriors are walking a fine balance between the two.

The contentious point of the Warriors direction has again reared its head this offseason, with the Warriors willing to dip their toes into trade discussions for All-Star players, but unwilling to dive right into the point of actually acquiring them.

But if you needed any more proof of the need for Golden State to prioritize Stephen Curry and their current window, just take a look at a recent article from ESPN's Bobby Marks outlining the draft capital held by teams around the league.

A select few teams hold dominance over future drafts, reiterating the Golden State Warriors need to take advantage of the present

It's a worrying sight for many, but particularly those in the Western Conference. Not only do four teams hold control over the next seven drafts with at least 12 first-round picks each, three of those -- the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz -- are in the West.

What's more concerning is the fact the Thunder and Spurs already have their franchise superstar in place, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander already in the MVP conversation and Victor Wembanyama soon to join him, perhaps even by next season. The Jazz also have their own All-Star in Lauri Markkanen who the Warriors tried to pry away unsuccessfully this offseason.

OKC already topped the conference last season and are heavy favorites to do so again next season. By the time Wembanyama hits his prime, it would take some sort of disaster or mismanagement for the Thunder and Spurs not to be running through the West in the late 2020's.

There's certainly teams in more frightening positions than the Warriors who still hold access to six of their seven first-round picks -- they owe a top 20 protected pick to the Washington Wizards in 2030 as part of the Jordan Poole-for-Chris Paul trade.

But how can they possibly compete with the likes of the Thunder or Spurs in a few years once Curry exits his prime? It would take some unbelievable ingenuity from the front office and/or some level of good fortune. Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski are immensely talented young players, but they're not comparable to the depth and level of talent in OKC and San Antonio.

The ironic aspect is that to prioritize this current window, Golden State would have to sacrifice their future draft capital which gives another team greater control on the draft proceedings to come. But Marks' evaluation provides another stark reminder of the problems the Warriors (and others) will run into over the coming years, and why it's paramount that the franchise squeezes everything it can out of itself over the next season or two.