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We still don’t know when the 2020 NBA Draft will occur, but the rumors are already beginning to fly.
The Golden State Warriors hold the second overall pick and are one of the teams who are at the center of all the talk. General manager Bob Myers is reportedly exploring every option as he looks to get the Dubs back into championship contention next season.
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps spoke with several league executives to get some inside information on what the Warriors are looking to do with the selection. Bontemps says the general feeling around the league is that Golden State will do everything it can to deal the pick and looked at some possible targets:
“The most gettable name might wind up being New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday, but he turned 30 in June and can hit free agency in 2021. Celtics guard Marcus Smart was mentioned as another good fit, yet it’s hard to see Boston being willing to move him. While a Beal deal isn’t available now, collecting pieces to acquire him before next season’s trade deadline was among the most popular suggestions.
“That’s the argument for drafting the guy with the broadest appeal and [the Warriors] trying to position themselves to trade for Beal later,” an Eastern Conference executive said.
Barring a trade, Wiseman was the predicted pick.
“I think Wiseman fits better than people think,” a Western Conference executive said. “I think [the pick is] more likely to be traded, but I don’t hate Wiseman there.”
That is a lot to digest. Jrue Holiday is a very good player who would bring some scoring punch to the Dubs. The former All-Star averaged 19.1 points and 6.7 assists for the New Orleans Pelicans last season and had a 3.9 win share, tied for fourth-highest on the team. Holiday is 30 years old and is due just over $51 million over the next two years.
Holiday would come off the bench behind Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson but would give the Warriors some serious pop from the second unit. Head coach Steve Kerr could tinker his lineup to close out games and have Holiday on the floor alongside the Splash Brothers, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins.
Marcus Smart is an intriguing option. A ferocious on-ball defender, who ranks 16th in the NBA in defensive win shares, Smart can contribute on both ends of the floor. He averaged 12.9 points while shooting 34.7% from the 3-point line during the regular season, and would fit as the perfect bench piece. Golden State would be able to take on Smart’s contract with ease, with it averaging out to roughly $14 million for the next two years by using the $17.2 million trade exception from the Andre Iguodala deal.
Bradley Beal is a walking bucket, but as Bontemps mentions, he’s not available. The Warriors could take the best player available with the No. 2 pick and hope the prospect shows enough that the Washington Wizards will be enticed to make a deal during the 2020-21 season. That will depend on how the Wizards play with Beal and the returning John Wall.
The James Wiseman prediction is interesting. The Dubs have a clear need at center and could take the Memphis product, who is viewed as the best big man available. Myers could look to add a center via free agency, with several veterans expected to be available.
Who do you think would be a better fit out of Holiday and Smart?
On to some links:
What will happen if the Minnesota Timberwolves take LaMelo Ball No. 1? NBC Bay Area’s Drew Shiller breaks down how it would affect the Warriors.
Speaking of Ball, it looks like several media outlets think he could be a fit with Golden State. Fansided’s Nathan Bieghle writes about the consensus in mock drafts is that Lonzo’s younger brother will end up in the Bay Area.
From around the NBA
Former two-time MVP Steve Nash is back in the league. The former Dub’s consultant is joining Kevin Durant in Brooklyn as head coach of the Nets. (NBA.com)