The Warriors may prefer to trade down, but they got a close look at two players who will be high on their draft board if they keep the No. 2 pick, writes Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. During a recent trip to Atlanta and Miami, Golden State officials got to work out Anthony Edwards and James Wiseman, who were both described as “beasts.”
Wiseman showed off exceptional skills for a big man and his interview also impressed the delegation, which was made up of owner Joe Lacob, general manager Bob Myers, head coach Steve Kerr and director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini. Edwards’ athleticism and “freakishness” stood out during his session.
Golden State seems content with either player, regardless of what Minnesota does with the No. 1 pick. If the Wolves opt for LaMelo Ball, the Warriors would be faced with a difficult choice. They plan to be back in title contention next season and need someone who can contribute right away.
Edwards doesn’t seem like a perfect fit with most of the perimeter minutes ticketed for Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins, and Thompson isn’t convinced that Edwards’ offensive game is refined enough to handle coming off the bench. Golden State has expressed a desire to add size this offseason, and Kerr is reluctant to use a three-guard lineup.
Wiseman has a chance to be a starter right away at center and may have the skills to develop into a perimeter big man like Anthony Davis. Wiseman could instantly be the shot blocker that Kerr is looking for, plus he can set screens, catch lobs and run the floor — basic skills that don’t take long to learn. However, there are questions about Wiseman after his short stint at Memphis, such as whether he is coachable and how quickly he can adapt to the read-and-react system that Golden State uses.
The Warriors also worked out Deni Avdija this week and are expected to meet with other prospects in case they move down in the draft. If they keep the No. 2 pick, Thompson believes it will come down to a choice of Edwards, Wiseman or Ball.
I thought Anthony Edwards bit the farm in Top Gun…
I suppose I mixed up “bought the farm” with “bit the dust.” There is no excuse!
You gave us two for the price of one. Good deal.
Wolves have declared that they want #1 pick to be a good 3-point shooter and great defender. Who is that guy?
I don’t believe that Wolves know how to use #1 to draft a top 5 player next month.
Warriors have to trade out the pick for a rookie contract.
Everyone is awesome! Lol dubs have been solid not letting the media know who we’re leaning towards got me wondering as well, if we stay at 2 I feel like we gotta go with the upside of Wiseman but if we trade down to collect assets I feel like Deni, Haliburton, Williams or Vassell would all be impactful role players for our next window of contention. Wish we had the #1 tho since I think a perfect trade down would be the Cavs trading up for LaMelo since I think he would work with Sexton way better than Garland who looks like a 6th man role player more than a starting guard, and in exchange we’d get their pick plus Nance Jr. who fits under our TPE and I think could blossom on our team in the Iggy role.
If GSW pick Ball that means a trade will be coming very soon. GSW problem is they do not know what the Wolves will do with their pick. You know Towns will go crazy if the Wolves do not bring in a top player with their #1 pick.
Worst case would be
Warriors get 8th pick and Mitchell Robinson
Knicks get 2nd pick, 48, 51.
Warriors arent doing that, lol
I doubt the Ws do that as they will soon realize they have to trade Andrew Wiggins and his salary in order to compete. Covid-19 won’t allow them to make full use of Chase Center.
Using the #2 to trade Wiggins for Myles Turner and TJ Warren is the best thing. What I hope they do is able to keep Minny’s 2021 pick (top 3 protected).
Pacers aren’t doing that trade. Wiggins is awful.
Wiggins is not awful. He is vastly overpaid, but he is a very good player. Maybe not the superstar he was supposed to be when he was drafted #1, but he is far from awful. He is probably in the top 75-100 players in the league, which is hardly embarrassing and definitely not “awful.”
No he’s awful. Don’t let the volume scoring fool you. He’s lazy on the defensive end and inefficient on the offensive end. He also doesn’t make anyone around him better as a passer. If it wasn’t for the sweetner(Twolves 2021 first round pick) even the Warriors wouldn’t have taken him.
SFrush@, it sounds like you’re describing Anthony Edwards
Robinson is worth more than 2 second rounders and the difference in the 2nd and 8th pick in what is considered a weak draft isn’t much
Please let the Warriors take Wiseman.
A rockets fan wants another team to draft a player, weird…or the dictionary definition of “rent-free”?
I’d be mad too If I were in his shoes. The Rockets best basketball is behind them and they’re inching closer to a rebuild.
3 championships in 5 years and the #2 pick in a crappy draft (but still #2 pick). Just watch whenever there is a Warriors post, dude posts.
Definition of rent free.
Look, HWMVP clearly loves the rockets. We love Gsw. But he isn’t an A-hole about it. Why are some of you. He promotes his team like we promote ours. Him saying gsw to please draft wiseman is cuz he thinks that would be a bad move for gsw and therefore better for his rockets. I agree with him on that.
The dude posts legit comments. Just because gsw fans don’t like the comments doesnt mean they’re bad comments.
I welcome his input. I’m not a fan of harden nor Westbrook. He is. Many many fans are. Why do we try to degrade his fan ness.
I wouldn’t care if all he did was talk good about the Rockets. But whenever theres a Warrior post, he’s here. I’m just calling out that they’re living in his head.
I don’t even mind his take on Wiseman. He’s entitled to it. It’s just funny that he’s again focused on what the Warriors are doing.
I’m not hearing any “clear” love of the Rockets, mostly just dislike for certain other teams & players, repeated ad nauseum. But a poster who only shows for articles on one team would not be able to discern that.
wrong. he is an A-hole about it.
Okongwu is the perfect player for GS.
I prefer Wiseman, but you are right about Okongwu. He could turn out to be a Bam Adebayo type.
He already is that type, but that level?— Bam took a few years to get going.
Exactly, it will take time for the youngsters to find their way in the league. The potential is there.
People make that mistake it seems like every other year. They drafted guy way too high because he’s just like so-and-so. There’s no way the guy from USC is as good as Bam.
And even if he does turn out like Bam, Bam wasn’t picked until the mid 1st round. Picking him at 2 would b a massive overdraft.
Wiseman is a good fit. He can give them mins now. He makes them deeper. Plus he is the future. And will learn to win from their greatest players. He will with time become a great 2way player. If they go with Edwards then I see them trading Wiggins. Edwards can give them bench scoring. Makes them deeper and is the future at SG. They both make sense. Warriors will have more than a few players. Who will sign minimum to ring chase. They also have the ME and TE to use. If they don’t draft Wiseman. Then they will find a C in FA. Gasol, Howard, Ibaka, Whiteside, Cousins, Woods. They are out there.
If they’re not sold on another player, and there are no character concerns, they should pick Wiseman. The measurables and pre-college resume are elite. He’s now a year removed, but most of the better players in this draft have short resumes for a whole host of reasons.
Wouldn’t be surprised if they do as KnickerbockerAl says and grab Wiseman, use the ME and TE and move Wiggins to free up space to build out the bench with a 6th man and someone like Ibaka. What they won’t do is anything that precludes them from making other deals for next offseason’s FA’s.
This is what I think.
If Wolves take Ball, Warriors select Edwards
If Wolves take Edwards, Warriors select Wiseman
If Wolves take Wiseman, Warriors select Edwards
I still think Deni is their pick. Of course if Edwards is available, I would try to pick up an asset from the Hornets to swap spots so they could get him. If they didn’t bite, maybe the Hawks would. I know both southeast teams love Edwards and he would probably help attendance for both. Swapping with the Hawks would likely cost them Deni, but they could still get a good player at 6. Or they could always trade out of the 6 as well.
Deni doesn’t shoot it well enough to be the number 2 pick. He does everything else very well. He’ll probably be selected 6 or so.
The Golden State Warriors will be trading the number 2 pick in this year’s draft. End of story. Whoever they take it will be for another team. There’s no chance they keep the player. You might want to write that down.
I agree that is the best route for them to go, but the problem is that in order to trade someone, you have to have someone willing to meet your price. If Edwards falls to 2, I think they could get the price they want just because teams that would ant him are also drafting near the top. If it is Wiseman or Ball, I’m not as sure people will be willing to pay a fair price for the 2 pick. I guess the Knicks could be willing to jump for Ball just because they are the Knicks. I honestly don’t know of any teams that are so in love with Wiseman that they would jump up to get him. He is a good prospect and could end up as the best player in the draft, but I am not reading about a lot of buzz for him surrounding specific teams.
I finally figured out who Anthony Edwards is. Nick Young. 6-5, heavy, defense is suspect, volume shooter and scorer, very gifted, shoot around 40%. There you go that’s your comparison. I don’t think the Warriors want any of the young guys even if it does help their future. They will trade out of the #2 spot. How it happens remains to be seen and I look forward to draft day a little more this year than any other year. This is almost going back to the Chris Webber Anfernee Hardaway trade days as far as anticipation.
I agree completely. I watched Anthony Edwards play in the two games Georgia played Kentucky and a couple of other games on the SEC Network and I didn’t really see what all the fuss was about. He was a pretty good player, but didn’t seem much better than 100 other good players I watched last season.
Not to pick scabs, but with the Warriors draft history, I don’t blame you for not looking forward to draft day much.
But yeah you’re right it’ll be interesting what Minnesota does. I don’t think anybody knows yet even the Wolves LOL. I can’t wait till draft day it’s going to be awesome.
No way the Warriors pass up on Wiseman. This guy is way too talented at 7-1 with 7-6 wingspan who is a combination between David Robinson and Chris Bosh. He is a tremendous athlete and is exactly what they need to contend with AD and Jokic in the west.
I don’t like drafting centers with question marks. Too much at risk. There’s effort questions and compatibility questions. You’re not going to blow the number two pick on a guy with “potential.”
Expecting him to compare to one of the best centers in the history of basketball when he has only played 3 college games is just silly. There have been lots of 7’1″ guys with large wingspans, but a very small percentage of them even came close to the Admiral.
Former NBA Coach Sam Mitchell saw Wiseman play 25 times in high school and mentioned he had the body type of Robinson and the quickness of Bosh. This is not a comparison, but just a type. I watched Wiseman play in McDonald’s Classic and he sure looked like he will be future NBA all star who was absolutely dominant. Wiseman will not be able to stop AD and Jokic but can put up more resistance than anyone on the Warriors. It will be very difficult to add a high priced quality veteran in trade or free agency since they are up against the luxury tax and doubt they will pass up Wiseman for a middle of the road veteran. That will be a big mistake, in my opinion. Nobody knows what will happen, but would love see Wiseman in GSW in whom his college coach Penny Hardaway says his upside is major.
Nobody stops Anthony Davis one-on-one. You have to double-team him and get the ball out of his hands. Then hopefully 40% Shooters like kcp we’ll have to beat you. That’s not happening. Bottom line you can’t wait three or four years for James Wiseman to become a player. I see too much Hassan Whiteside or Benoit Benjamin.
You are right, nobody is stopping AD. Wiseman will be the most athletic guy on the court in most games can guard bigs on the perimeter in addition to blocking shot. We are looking at a 7-1 lefty who can easily shoot the mid range, catch lobs and will be slamming on folks often. The narrative about drafting centers is overblown. Teams need to draft athletic bigs that can do multiple things instead of hanging around the basket. His complete game on offense will take time for sure, but day 1 he will give the Warrior defensive a presence they need alongside Draymond.
He’s 19 years old. It’s going to take two or three years just to understand how to play NBA defense. Athlete or not it takes a while for a rookie to get acclimated. Warriors won’t wait for that. Absolutely guarantee James Wiseman is NOT on the floor for the 2021 Golden State Warriors in the playoffs.
I believe the Warriors will draft Wiseman who will be able contribute right away. It’s not like he needs to play 40 minutes especially when there’s Marquis Chris, Looney, Draymond and maybe Howard or Serge Ibaka will be on board. Wiseman has the potential to turn into an all star down the road and just can see them passing up this guy. If they don’t draft him, he will be doing damage for another team.
Either way I look forward to seeing how it will play out. Good discussion.
Since Lebron, I mean Pelinka got AD, the other WEST teams should be shoring up their frontline really fast.
AD with the PELICANS are easy pickings ……… However, AD with Lebron is a nightmare to defend.
Wiseman should be an obvious choice for the WARRIORS. They need his length and mobility to sl0w-down AD some.
Injuries are slowly creeping up on Steph, Klay and Draymond – they need a guy to develop, as they age …… like Kawhi was to the SPURS big 3. Wiseman should fit he bill.
There’s no way James Wiseman comes in and guards Anthony Davis right away. It’s going to take him two or three years to learn how to play NBA defense. Being physically able to do it at 19 years old is not enough.
Against the Warriors in the playoffs next year AD will get his 30 points. It’s the other guys that WON’T beat you. You double-team Davis and he kicks it out to green or Pope and see what happens. We’ll see if the Lakers are even to keep both guys next year.
Golden State Warriors NBA Draft: James Wiseman emerging as clear choice
by Tony Pesta
link to bluemanhoop.com
I disagree 100%. The goal of the Warriors is to win NOW. The best way to win NOW is to add another star. You won’t get that with the second pick alone but when you pair it with next year’s number one and/or the Minnesota number one and/or the 17 million trade exception and/or Andrew Wiggins, maybe you can get someone to help you in the fourth quarter of a playoff game. There’s no way a rookie can do that.. and Steph Curry is 32 years old. Let that sink in.
Your points are valid and it really makes a lot of sense. Is there a trade partner willing send a star to the Warriors? It maybe tough because these GM’s have not forgotten all the misery experienced from losing to GSW. I like the idea of trying to sign Serge Ibaka, add Wiseman and a healthy squad coming back, who knows it could be enough to get it done. Steph and Klay are going to wreak havoc on the league this year.
That’s the big question. Who? The only guy I can think of you could probably pry away and that I would love to have is James Harden. Talk about a star who can shoot it I’d love him on the Warriors. You tell me who you want.. you can have them (outside of the top three.)
But other than him, who else is a star and who else is available. Miami scored big-time with Jimmy Butler but now who can you grab? I know WHAT the Warriors need to do but I don’t know HOW they’re going to do it.
The key with Miami getting Jimmy Butler is that he was kind of a star, but he took the next step up with Miami. That’s what you need to look for. It’s the best combination of cost and ability. You’re not getting James Harden for what the Warriors can offer, but you could get someone like Oladipo or Turner or Oubre or LeVert and hope they make the next step up. It’s a gamble, but GS doesn’t really have anything much other than the 2 in a perceived weak draft. If they want less of a gamble, trading Wiggins for Tobias Harris or Chris Paul or some other big contract might b the best bet.
Yup, good points.