The Golden State Warriors are entering Sunday's draft lottery with the 11th-best odds at the number one overall pick, just as the Dallas Mavericks did before sensationally jumping up to land Cooper Flagg 12 months ago.
The Mavericks defying the odds to get the number one pick certainly drew plenty of controversy, having shockingly traded franchise superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers just months earlier.
If the league wants more controversy, headlines and wild conspiracy theories, their best option might be to hand the Warriors the top pick according to Tom Haberstroh of Yahoo Sports.
Warriors landing first pick could be the next NBA controversy
Speaking recently on The Kevin O'Connor Show, Haberstroh made a compelling case as to why Golden State should get the first overall pick if the result isn't all about luck.
"Because you've got the Chase Center, you've got Steph, you've got Joe Lacob, and you know the ratings are sky high every time the Golden State Warriors are on national TV," Haberstroh said. "And you got Amazon Prime, NBC, and ESPN all clamoring to juice their ratings and their stats and draw the biggest audience as possible. And what better way to do that than to give the richest, most valuable franchise in the NBA the number one overall pick in a Cam Boozer or AJ Dybansta draft."
Haberstroh certainly has a point, but in the wake of the Mavericks jumping to number one last year, and the Atlanta Hawks doing so as well with the 10th-best odds in 2024, it might simply be too controversial for something similar to happen in a third-straight year.
Of course, this is the draft lottery though. Anything could potentially happen, including the Warriors jumping all the way up the draft order despite holding just a 2% chance of doing so after finishing 10th in the Western Conference this season.
Warriors should be praying for a top four pick
Landing the first overall pick is incredibly far-fetched, but the Warriors should be hoping they can rise into the top four at the lottery. In a draft that has four standout prospects, that would give them access to one of those players which could in turn completely change the future of the franchise.
Because of the value in the four prospects -- Dybansta, Boozer, Darryn Peterson and Caleb Wilson -- Golden State would also generate significantly more trade opportunities if they truly want to prioritize the remaining years with Stephen Curry.
While still highly unlikely, the 9.4% chance of a top four pick is more realistic than the NBA handing the Warriors the top pick despite the very valid reasons that Haberstroh lays out.
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