The Golden State Warriors have 4 picks in next week’s draft. There’s a lot of work to be done, but I would imagine they’re most excited about their lottery pick at number 7. There’s a decent-sized drop-off from Anthony Davis, who will surely be the top pick, to the rest of the field, but there’s still a lot of talent to be picked from the remaining pool of players.
The Warriors already have some pretty decent guys on their team but they had a lot of injury problems this year. If they can stay healthy, there’s a lot of improvement that can be made next season. Adding the number 7 pick to the roster could be a big help, but the Warriors may also be looking at some other options too.
“Per the NBA rumor mill, the Chicago Bulls are entertaining giving up Luol Deng to get into the NBA draft lottery. According to sources, Golden State hasn’t talked with Chicago about Deng yet. But Deng is on the Warriors’ short list of veteran small forwards they’d be interested in.
“Chicago would have to take some of the Warriors’ baggage in return, such as Richard Jefferson or Andris Biedrins, along with the No. 7 pick. The Bulls may get better offers. Trade talks, from the Warriors end, have been fairly slow. But things won’t pick up in earnest anyway until next week, as the June 28 draft nears.”
The Warriors really need a decent small forward. If they wanted to draft one they could hope that Harrison Barnes out of North Carolina falls to them, but if Barnes gets picked up earlier and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist gets drafted with one of the top 6 picks (which he surely will) the top-tier small forwards are gone.
If they made the trade and got Deng from Chicago, he would join Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, David Lee and Andrew Bogut in the Warriors’ starting lineup. It’s not a group that’s going to strike fear into the hearts of opponents, but it’s decent and a big improvement from where they were last year. Assuming they stay healthy, that’s a team that can win a few games.
It’s always tough to trade such a high draft pick for a veteran, but it may be the best option for Golden State if things don’t bounce their way next week. One more storyline to keep an eye on come draft day.
