The Golden State Warriors are reportedly considering a multitude of different prospects ahead of this month's NBA draft, making it harder to ignore the possibility of the front office trading for a second first-round pick.
Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints has linked the Warriors to a host of draft prospects, suggesting the Warriors should seriously consider acquiring another pick to have two swings at a loaded class.
Warriors should be looking at having two first-round picks
Siegel mentioned Cameron Carr, Aday Mara and Brayden Burries as players the Warriors are looking at just over two weeks from the draft, but also listed a range of other players which adds no real clarity to who Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the front office could possibly take later in the month.
"Along with Carr and Mara, Burries, Hannes Steinbach, and Yaxel Lendeborg are other names commonly brought up as targets for the Warriors around the league. Ament and Flemings are among the two players Golden State would give serious consideration to if they fell out of the top 10. Speaking of Lendeborg, he has a scheduled upcoming workout for the Warriors," Siegel wrote.
Golden State won't ultimately know what they can do and who will be available until they're on the clock with the 11th pick, but if there are multiple prospects they're enamored by, it could make some sense to either trade down or give up a future pick to acquire a second selection.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have the 12th and 17th picks and may be looking to use just one of those selections, while the Charlotte Hornets also hold the 15th and 18th picks as another potential trade partner.
Warriors could build post Stephen Curry era with multiple picks
Trading into a second first-round pick could be beneficial for Golden State on a number of fronts, starting with building a post Stephen Curry era that looks far more optimistic than what it does right now after the franchise whiffed on three lottery picks across 2020 and 2021.
In the short-term though, some of these mid-lottery/first-round prospects could still be more impactful to next season's hopes than the alternative of chasing more experienced, veteran minimum players in free agency.
The Warriors have the future assets to pull off such a trade, but it remains to be seen whether they're bold enough to consider such a move given the increased risk that seemingly now comes with the flatting of lottery odds moving forward.
Add us as a preferred source on Google