Assured of a top-five pick in the NBA Draft, assuming no more games are played for non-playoff contenders this season, the Golden State Warriors will have one of the best selection slots — and maybe even the best slot.
Jeff Van Gundy, an ESPN broadcaster and former NBA head coach, thinks the Warriors should trade it.
“(Steph) Curry’s not young,” he said on a Tolbert, Krueger & Brooks Podcast appearance.
“If you could get the right trade for a great player to supplement what you have and boost your chances of winning it all now, I think that’s going to be a very viable option for them.”
Many of the top prospects are guards with high levels of potential including Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball and Killian Hayes. The Warriors showed this past season they don’t need another ball-dominant guard, as they traded point guard D’Angelo Russell for wing Andrew Wiggins.
If the team still thinks along those lines, the focus may be on a player like wing Deni Avdija, power forward Obi Toppin or centers James Wiseman or Onyeka Okongwu.
Or would they prefer to package the pick and Andre Iguodala trade exception for a player who has proven he can be instant-impact?
“Who that is, I don’t know, but I think Bob Myers, he’ll take a good look at everything,” Van Gundy said. “Ultimately, I think there’s going to be a lot of opportunities out there for the Warriors.”
Van Gundy, who complimented the front office while discussing the team, sounded confident the Warriors would be able to come out of the offseason with a meaningful addition, even if they keep the pick.
“I have a feeling that … they’re going to come out with a terrific either player in the draft or a package of players for that draft pick,” Van Gundy said.
“And I think man, they’re going to be hard to deal with next year.”
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