The Golden State Warriors weren’t big winners in this year’s NBA Draft Lottery, but that doesn’t mean the franchise came away empty handed.
Far from it. Though the most likely outcome came to fruition, the result is that Golden State has two lottery picks in the upcoming NBA Draft. The Warriors have their own pick at No. 14 and also walked away with the Timberwolves’ selection, which represents the final piece of the Andrew Wiggins/D’Angelo Russell trade.
Two lottery selections is hard to sneeze at, but as I mentioned, the Warriors still weren’t big winners. Though the depth of quality players in the upcoming draft appears better than early reports suggested, this is still a top-heavy draft board, with the top four or five players considered can’t-miss prospects.
The chances of the Timberwolves’ selection landing at No. 4 were solid, too, but Golden State didn’t hit. That would have been a huge win for the Warriors. (Minnesota’s pick was top-three protected.)
So while Golden State is outside of the top five, general manager Bob Myers has two selections to play with. Perhaps he’ll pursue a trade, which seems likely considering that superstars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green made it well known they want more experience on the club, not more prospects.
With Golden State paying excessive luxury tax already, however, rookies might be the route Myers takes to fill the roster. We’ll know what Myers and team owner Joe Lacob decide on soon enough.
Bonus info: Turns out this is the first time the Warriors franchise has owned two lottery picks since the NBA Draft Lottery started in 1985.
Bay Area Sports Hub 