Warriors could begin holding group workouts in September

The Golden State Warriors haven’t played an NBA game in more than five months, but they will finally have the opportunity to hold voluntary group workouts in September. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reports that the league and the NBA Players Association have reached a deal for the eight teams who weren’t a part of the restart to begin holding team training sessions next month.

As part of the agreement, the eight squads will be able to bring in five players from their G League affiliates to round out the rosters. Each of the teams will be confined to their home markets from Sept. 14 through Oct. 6.

In phase 1, the Dubs would be able to bring in their players for COVID-19 testing and individual workouts from Sept. 14-20. If all of the players test negative, the Warriors will be cleared for voluntary group sessions —including 5-on-5 scrimmages— from Sept. 21 to Oct. 6.

Golden State’s best players, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, would benefit from this. Curry only played in five games this season, while Thompson was sidelined for the entire year as he recovered from a torn ACL.

The good news is that players will be in their home markets, and will only have to be away from their families for three weeks, if they choose to participate. Curry has been vocal about how much he misses playing while the 22 teams participated in Orlando, Florida.

It would also be a good opportunity for the Warriors’ younger players. Guys like Eric Paschall, Marquese Chriss and Jordan Poole are still refining their games, so having the chance to get some work in with the coaching staff will be beneficial to their development.

Meanwhile, it appears the league is entering the final planning stages of holding a virtual draft combine. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski says the NBA will allow draft prospects to attend selected regional team facilities through September in preparation for the Oct. 16 draft.

The NBA cancelled the original combine, which was set for May in Chicago. The league has allowed teams to conduct virtual interviews, something Golden State’s vice president of basketball operations Kirk Lacob said the team has done a lot of over the past few months (h/t NBC Bay Area):

“We can do RingCentral video interviews with players. That’s been great actually. That has been really great, We’ve gone through — on man — over 100 players, maybe, at this point.”

Not being able to prospects workout in person will be challenging for the Warriors’ management, and scouts. But, with the pandemic still wreaking havoc around the world, this was the expected outcome.

We will find out where Golden State’s pick lands in the top five during the NBA Draft Lottery on Thursday.