The Golden State Warriors will head into draft night with the 11th pick under their control.
However, if the Warriors’ aim is to continue building a contending team around Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, Mike Dunleavy and Joe Lacob would be wise to shop the pick to see what teams are offering in a trade.
A draft day trade is precisely what Bleacher Report did in their latest mock draft, too. According to Zach Buckley, the Warriors could facilitate a move that would send Kawhi Leonard to the Bay Area in return for the 11th pick and salary matching.
Buckley’s proposed trade would look like this:
Golden State Warriors Get: Kawhi Leonard, Derrick Jones Jr.
LA Clippers Get: No. 11 pick (with the Clippers taking Aday Mara), Jimmy Butler, Brandin Podziemski
“A deal like this probably wouldn’t get done in advance, because L.A.’s interest might hinge on how the draft board looks,” Buckley wrote. “But if Mara makes it to here—which might largely come down to whether the Hawks take him at No. 8—the Clippers could feel compelled to act.”
Buckley continued.
“…As for the Warriors, Leonard wouldn’t make them any younger or less vulnerable to the injury bug, but he could be the co-star Stephen Curry needs and wouldn’t blow up the trade budget because of his considerable availability issues. Throw in Jones to make this group more athletic and active defensively on the perimeter, and they might be convinced to bypass this shot at adding young talent in an effort to give Curry another crack or two at high-level competition.”
Warriors Go Different Way, Target LeBron James
If the Warriors are more inclined to keep their draft pick and add some cost-controlled talent, then they may look to the free agency market to upgrade the current roster.
According to Keith Smith of Spotrac, one way the Warriors could make a meaningful addition is by positioning the team to have access to the full non-taxpayer Mid Level Exception (NTMLE). Should the Warriors find themselves with a full MLE to play with, Smith noted there may be a road to enticing LeBron James to the Bay Area.
“If the Warriors can maneuver to have the NTMLE to sign a player, keep an eye on the team making a play for someone like LeBron James,” Smith wrote. “There’s been a lot of buzz about James and Golden State for a while now. It would require the NBA’s all-time leading scorer to take a massive pay cut, but it’s a path he may be ready to consider, if he wants to leave the Los Angeles Lakers.”
Of course, there would need to be some roster shuffling in order to open up the full MLE. Nevertheless, if the Warriors love the idea of pairing Curry with LeBron, there is a potential path.
Warriors Need To Improve
The only certainty the Warriors currently have, as we inch toward the offseason, is that they must improve during the summer. If the aim is truly to give Curry every chance of success before he eventually retires, the front office has some work to do.
Does that mean acquiring LeBron or trading for Kawhi? Not necessarily. However, it’s those types of swings that will either make or break the final years of Curry’s tenure with the franchise.
It’s going to be fascinating to see how this all plays out, both this summer and in the years to come.
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