Warriors: Busy trade deadline creates offseason speculation

The Golden State Warriors traded veterans Glenn Robinson III and Alec Burks to Philadelphia, and have begun stockpiling assets for a roster revamping.

The Golden State Warriors made several moves ahead of the NBA trade deadline, most notably sending D’Angelo Russell to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Throughout all the moves they made, they have collected several assets that could signal for a busy offseason ahead.

The Warriors made a move Wednesday night with the Philadelphia 76ers that sent veterans Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III to Philadelphia for three second-round picks in return.

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This move makes sense for both sides as the 76ers were in desperate need of bench scoring and the Warriors received some much-needed draft compensation.

Burks and Robinson were the second and fourth leaders in points per game among healthy players on the roster, and the team will need to find offense elsewhere. Golden State will no doubt see a dip in scoring with them gone and losses will likely continue to pile up.

However, the most significant move for them came hours before Thursday’s deadline, when Golden State sent D’Angelo Russell to the Timberwolves for Andrew Wiggins along with a first and second-round pick.

The team now has an assortment of second-round picks that could grow useful. Second-round picks might not hold much value on their own, but the Warriors have five extra — three from Philadelphia, one from Minnesota, and one from the Dallas Mavericks from the Willie Cauley-Stein trade.

This season has been a vile one for the Warriors, and preparing for the future by collecting draft picks may be the right decision. Russell’s fit with the team was always a question mark, and it looks like the team was impatient to find out.

Golden State now has an extra first-round pick from Minnesota (top-three protected), and a player in Andrew Wiggins who needed a change in scenery.

On paper, Wiggins fits better with Golden State when Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are on the court due to his ability to play the small forward position. It is unclear if the team plans to hold on to Wiggins and integrate him into their lineup once at full strength, but they have options.

They now have an extra first-round pick from the Timberwolves, and with a 15-35 record, it has the potential to become very desirable by other teams as the draft approaches.

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Another aspect of this team being overlooked is where they could land in the draft lottery with their own draft pick. With the worst record in the league at 12-40, the Warriors’ chances of landing the number one overall pick in the draft this year have only increased with the trade.

With an assortment of assets and a valuable piece in Wiggins, the Warriors could possibly look to flip the 24-year-old for another star-level player. Perhaps they keep him, and he thrives in a new role as a third scoring option.

What Golden State plans to do with this variety of draft picks and Wiggins remains up in the air, but speculation is they could look to land star players and leap right back into championship contention.

For now, fans can sit back and watch the newly-acquired Andrew Wiggins play while patiently waiting out this season.

With Curry and Thompson coming back fully healthy next season to potentially form a big three with Wiggins and possessing some high-level draft picks, this team has the potential to be next season’s title favorites.