Golden Gate Sports
Fansided

The Warriors must take advantage of their projected high draft pick

By Justin Fried

Warriors (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
Warriors (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Golden State Warriors will be given a rare opportunity this offseason with a projected high draft pick. Instead of trading it, they must take advantage of this situation.

The Golden State Warriors will, in all likelihood, find themselves in a very unique situation next June. Typically, the NBA Draft isn’t a time for Warriors fans to get excited.

But this year, things are expected to be different.

For the first time in years, the Warriors are going to have a very high pick in the upcoming draft. For context’s sake, the Warriors haven’t selected inside the top-28 picks since 2012. And they haven’t had a top-5 pick since 2002.

Barring any unforeseen turnarounds, expect both of those streaks to be broken before long.

But the Warriors are in a much different situation than most teams that typically find themselves picking this high in the draft. The Warriors may be bad now, but it isn’t exactly due to a lack of talent on the roster.

That talent is simply sidelined with injuries.

More from Golden State Warriors

The Warriors will get healthy again and the trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green will reunite once more. Simply put, the Warriors may be down now, but they’re certainly not out.

For that reason, the Warriors will have a very interesting decision to make regarding their first-round draft pick this season. As expected, there’s already been chatter about the team potentially flipping the pick in a package for another superstar.

Some have even thrown around the far-fetched idea of trading for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, that would obviously require more than just the pick with a combination of D’Angelo Russell, perhaps Kevon Looney, and then some.

Instead, there remains a much more beneficial option for the team. And it’s much simpler than trying to construct a trade.

Just stay put and make a selection.

It’s been a long time since the Warriors have had the opportunity to make a premium selection in the NBA Draft. And even though this year’s class isn’t expected to be as strong as in recent years, they should still have the ability to make a great pick.

One player, in particular, that seems like an obvious early target is Memphis center James Wiseman.

It’s been decades since the Warriors have had a truly dominant center — no DeMarcus Cousins does not count — and Wiseman projects as a player who could be just that. The 18-year-old has a massive 7-foot-5 wingspan and is an exceptional athlete for his size.

He’s Nikola Vucevic but with more athleticism.

More from Golden Gate Sports

Kevon Looney is great, but it’s hard to trust him to stay healthy for a full season given his injury struggles. On top of that, he’s also proven very valuable for the team when coming off the bench in a closer role.

If the Warriors could land the Memphis star next year, we could start to imagine a lineup of Curry, Thompson, Eric Paschall, Green, and Wiseman that will take the floor for the next few seasons. And that’s not even including Russell whose fate is still undetermined.

And if not Wiseman, there are still a few other players to target, although they wouldn’t be nearly as good of a fit.

Either way, the Warriors would be foolish to pass up on the opportunity to make a premium selection for the first time in years unless they could get a huge haul in return.

Next. Warriors: Steve Kerr and Draymond Green focused on development. dark

This season may be a lost cause, but the future of Warriors basketball still looks very exciting.

Home/Golden State Warriors