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Give the Warriors brass this much: they want to win, and they're willing to put their money where their mouth is.
The Warriors sent $2.4 million in cash considerations to the Milwaukee Bucks to select shooting guard Patrick McCaw with the 38th pick of the NBA Draft.
McCaw is a multi-threat scoring wing with loads of athleticism, and he's got a lot in common with the Warriors all-star shooting guard. They've got nearly identical height and wingspan, and they even share an agent in Bill Duffy. But while Klay was a refined product with the size to challenge NBA defenders, McCaw is very much a work-in-progress across the board.
On the positive side, he's got a terrific vertical leap, took a whopping 5.7 three pointers per game, and he played well through a tough season for the Runnin' Rebels that saw their head coach fired midseason. But at just 180 pounds, we shouldn't expect him to go skying over big men for put back dunks anytime soon.
Still, scoring a 3-and-D wing with legitimate NBA chops this late in the draft is reason to cheer. You'd think the rest of the NBA would know about hoarding these guys by now, right?
Scouts are eager to see where McCaw's development takes him on the defensive side. He's already a straight-up bandit with an obnoxious 2.4 steals per game in college. With a 6'10" wingspan and lateral quickness, he could be a scary proposition in a few years. Especially as he learns from Ron Adams and Andre Iguodala (while practicing against Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson every day...what could be better!?).
It may be a few years before McCaw can be a consistent offensive contributor, but look for him to earn minutes as a rookie, taking Klay's role in checking quality guards for a few minutes at a time.
UNLV’s Patrick McCaw goes No. 38 to Warriors (via Bucks). Talented point wing — exactly the sort of skills the Warriors covet.
— Chad Ford (@chadfordinsider) June 24, 2016
Eye popping number for McCaw: 2.4 stls per game. Throw in 36% 3PT shot, 5 rebs and nearly 4 asts. Versatile wing, type of player GSW loves
— LetsGoWarriors (@LetsGoWarriors) June 24, 2016
Patrick McCaw to Golden State. No risk pick. Long, athletic, defends, can pass and shoot. Raw skills/physically. DX: https://t.co/pHHxdtxLKW
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 24, 2016
2016 #NBADraft Sleeper: Patrick McCaw https://t.co/FH8n4RzvNz -- @EricLab2910 via @HoopsHabit
— HoopsHabit (@HoopsHabit) June 14, 2016
Bob Myers says he expects McCaw to make the team. Says #Warriors had him higher than 30 on their board. pic.twitter.com/GWpATAd4os
— Casey Pratt (@CaseyPrattABC7) June 24, 2016
Elsewhere in the association
When a second round pick swap is the biggest story of the second round, you know it was a ho-hum second round. The Los Angeles Clippers sent the 33rd pick to the New Orleans Pelicans in return for the 39th and 40th selection. They used the picks to select international point guard prospect David Michineau, and Warriors pre-draft favorite (and all-time great name bearer) Diamond Stone, a wide-bodied center out of Maryland.
Michineau may have been a bit of a reach, as evidenced by this sterling draft prospect score. But Diamond Stone was solid value for this point in the draft, and gives the Clippers another big man to trot out behind DeAndre Jordan. He's a little short for the position, but he's got production on a good college squad, and he's got upside.
The biggest story of the draft? None of the first-tier championship contenders did anything drastic to improve themselves, aside from Oklahoma City. The Thunder made a bold trade to get younger at SG and C, clear cap space and (perhaps) re-tool a bit for the future. The Spurs stood pat at 29 and selected point guard Dejounte Murray, an athletic one-and-done from Washington. Perhaps you could argue that the move was bold, in that the Spurs picked a player who wouldn't be stashed in Europe for a year...
It's strange that a team like the Cavaliers or Clippers, with deep-pocketed owners and needs on the roster, wouldn't be able to match the kind of $2.4 cash offer the Warriors made to get Patrick McCaw. It's stranger still, because the last time we saw this happen may have been 2013 when the Warriors and Thunder did it (in a giant trade machine-breaking deal that involved a lot of cash, Andre Roberson and Nemanja Nedovic).
As they say, their loss is our gain.
Damian Jones to miss Las Vegas summer league for pectoral surgery
The only downer on an otherwise terrific night was the revelation that first round center Damian Jones recently had pectoral surgery. The draft prospect suffered the injury last week, Tuesday, while working on the bench press #NBAbody. He will miss summer league, and likely won't be ready for the start of training camp, either. You can read up more at Yahoo! or CBS Sports.
EDIT: the Cleveland Cavaliers bought the rights to the 54th pick late last night, Oakland University's Kay Felder. They paid $2.4 million for the 5'9" point guard, which given recent (ahem) precedent, seems like a spectacular overpay. But then again, they were willing to pay up in order to improve the team, and it isn't like that money has to come from the fans. Good for them.