A Couple Theories About Golden State and the Second Overall Pick

I'd like to get this out of the way very quickly so we don't have to think about it anymore. Do the Knicks deserve the second overall pick more than the Warriors? Yes. Is it funny to me that instead of the Knicks getting moving up or staying at their most likely pick they moved down and the greatest team of the last 10 years which also happens to be one of the greatest teams ever created got the second overall pick 1 year removed from playing the in NBA finals? Yes. The Knicks have been getting their ass blasted for so long (The blasting is partially their fault and partially not). This isn't about the flaming dog shit on the doorstep of the NBA that is Knicks, it's about a franchise that is equal parts smart and lucky.

An all-time team rarely goes to the finals then gets a top-three pick the next year and it's even rarer that this team still has 2.5 superstars who were integral to their success under contract for the 2021 season. The Bulls got the first overall pick after winning the 1998 championship but the 1999 and the 1998 Bulls were not the same teams. They were essentially gutted after that championship. The Warriors did lose Durant but it's not even close, the Warriors are still the Warriors without Durant.

The question now is what they do with it. They could obviously use it in the draft but this draft isn't as clear cut as previous drafts where there is an established number 1 pick like Zion last year. The players that most mock drafts have Golden State taking are wither James Wiseman or LaMelo Ball, both of these guys are a high risk-high reward.

LaMelo has amazing playmaking ability but is weak on defence and has trouble with shot selection. Oh, and he has the weird Ball shooting mechanics like Lonzo. Golden State has developed high offensive IQ guards with weak defensive games before, see Steph Curry. LaMelo also has natural gifts closer to Big Smokey (That's a nickname for Klay Thompson on Basketball-Reference. I know someone may have at some point called him that but they should edit out the bad ones. Curry has Threezus which is objectively not good. Imagine Stan Van Gundy said "Big Smokey and Threezus are really heating up today" and not getting fired.). LaMelo is 6' 7" with a 6' 10" wingspan while Klay is 6' 6" with a 6' 9" wingspan. I don't think Golden State would have a problem developing LaMelo into an All-NBA playmaker who's a decent scoring threat and serviceable on defence.

James Wiseman, on the other hand, would fill a slot they may think they need filling. He stands 7' 1" with a 7' 6" wingspan but is an athletic glass cleaner. His high risk comes from the fact that he only played 3 games in college leaving teams little proof that he can guard the rim at a higher level than high school ball. I know the league is going small but bigs who can protect the rim and grab rebounds will always be valuable. Golden State is also used to athletic 7 foot big men, see Green Room (Nice one Basketball-Reference!), Kevin Durant. Golden State can definitely turn Wiseman into a stretch 5 that can catch lobs and go 2/5 from three while also grabbing boards and being a threat in the paint.

Then there is the possibility of trading the pick but the real question is, what for? There are some rumours about Giannis going to Golden State but I'd like to see how the playoffs go for the Bucks and I think the salary cap could hurt the possibility of that happening and on a purely selfish note I would not enjoy that one bit. If Giannis goes to Golden State we need Bernie Sanders to become the NBA Commissioner because the top 1% (Golden State) is taking all the superstars and destroying good middle-class teams like the Bucks There's also the possibility of a Golden State-76er's trade because god only knows the 76er's need to do something and it seems like that something is getting rid of the Brett Brown, Elton Brand, and splitting up Embiid and Simmons... or none of the above, I'm not sure how much I care. To me, it seems like Embiid is the heart of the 76er's and that Simmons is the one leaving if they're getting split up. Trading for Simmons would be interesting because they could slot him in as a small forward and without giving up size or defence essentially run three guards. Depending on the trade package that Golden State offers alongside Curry-Thompson-Simmons they could run Wiggins/Draymond-Looney/Paschall/Chriss. Getting the contract situation figured out between these two teams is a problem as they both are around $150 million for total salaries for next season.

I'm sure that there are other trades the Warriors can make but if I put myself in the, probably size 15, shoes of Bob Myers my untouchables would be Steph and Klay and look for trades that involve Wiggins or Draymond and not entertain any offers unless I was getting back a big body with defensive capabilities. If not, I would probably draft Wiseman to give them the ability to go bigger and protect the interior and give them an edge on the glass. If they want to stay small there are a couple wings with who could be developed into good 3&D players like Avdija, Okoro, and Vassell.

The Warriors are in an amazing place going into the 2021 season, hopefully, they don't fuck it too hard.