The Warriors‘ No. 2 pick is “turning into a circus,” according to John Hollinger of The Athletic, who suggests that the team has put out multiple smokescreens while simultaneously engaging in some seemingly genuine internal debate about the choice.
Just days after The San Francisco Chronicle suggested Golden State would likely draft Anthony Edwards if he’s on the board at No. 2 (and if the Dubs keep the pick), ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (video link) provides a conflicting perspective. Appearing on The Jump on Monday, Windhorst said he keeps hearing that James Wiseman will be the Warriors’ guy if they keep their pick and he’s still available.
It has been virtually impossible to tell which way the Warriors are leaning, given all the rumors out there, but Hollinger suspects the club will ultimately keep the pick and select Wiseman with it. As the former Grizzlies executive argues, Wiseman helps Golden State most in the short term and would have the most trade value later.
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- The Warriors will benefit from the tweak the NBA has made to luxury tax penalties for the 2020/21 season, as Anthony Slater of The Athletic writes. The penalties for taxpaying teams will be reduced by the same percentage as a basketball related income (BRI) decrease, which means that if the league falls 25% short of its BRI projection, Golden State’s tax bill would be trimmed by 25%.
- Some rival teams are already annoyed by the Warriors benefiting from another luxury tax anomaly, tweets ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. The club, of course, was able to sign Kevin Durant in 2016 due to an unprecedented cap increase that summer.
- Now that the Warriors are in position to receive a bit of a break on their 2021 tax bill, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area argues that the team should be more inclined to make use its $17MM trade exception to upgrade its roster around Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.
- On a recent episode of his Lowe Post podcast, ESPN’s Zach Lowe said he heard from someone within the league that there’s been buzz about a potential trade involving the Warriors’ No. 2 pick, LaMarcus Aldridge, and the Spurs‘ No. 11 pick (hat tip to HoopsHype). Lowe sounded skeptical about that possibility, and I share that skepticism. But if there’s anything to it, Andrew Wiggins would presumably have to be involved for salary-matching purposes, since Aldridge’s 2020/21 salary ($24MM) won’t fit in Golden State’s trade exception.
If they can turn LMA into the 2nd overall pick. Spurs should do it. They aren’t in contention this year or next. DeRozan should be dealt as well for the highest pick they can recoup. Rebuild, use their cap space in 21 offseason. I mean they’ll have an entirely new team in 21.
The problem is that dumping LMA or DDR would bring in another longer-term, unwanted big contract (say Wiggins) besides a pick. If they are really committed to rebuild, it’s probably wiser to stay put.
What are you doing with the cap space without unwanted contracts anyway? Stars gonna go to rebiulding Spurs? Taking back unwanted contracts along with picks is the best trade for rebiilding teams. Alredige is not going to move Spurs up from 11 to 2 without taking back bad contracts, anyway.
If they draft well… it’s the Spurs so yea… then young quality players + slots enough for 2 Max contracts.
And it depends on the GSW they have 17M + 7M in contracts = LMA 24M. If GSW is willing to go that deep into the tax anything is possible.
Pretty sure you can’t fit partial salary of a player in the trade exception. If LMA is traded Wiggins or 1 of the big 3 has to be included.
What do you mean partial salary? Looney is 5.1M if opted into and Poole is 2.1M team option.
LMA can’t fit into the 17M trade exception.
There was an article on this site in last month that said the Warriors could break the $17.4 million exception up into multiple players
Warriors would be a perfect fit for DeRozan, not so much LMA.
DeMar DeRozan is a terrible crunch-time performer. He can get you 20 but he can’t get you 2.
Aldridge is on the wrong side of 35. No way the Warriors go for it.
2 is the future
11 is not
I’d do Wiggins and 4 Seconds for Aldridge and a candy
The candy alone is worth more than that GSW package.
Wiggins is about to be a superstar, try again.
Agreed Strike Four. Wiggins is staying.
let me know how wiggins turning into a superstar works out
It’s six years now that Wiggins is about to become a superstar. He’d better hurry up.
This is Wiggins last chance to be a impact player. He has been working out hard all offseason to get in his best shape. Wiggins doesn’t need to be the main guy so with little pressure he should succeed.
The GSW are LIGHT YEARS of everyone else, and also cause all other teams and superstars to have LIGHT YEARS on their stats page.
LIGHT YEARS, BABY!!!
The rest of you can “trust the process” or whatever nonsense you think is going to topple this GSW team, but just know that GSW are always LIGHT YEARS ahead of everyone else.
Who knows what they will do, but they do have every option to put a stunning collection of talent the likes the League has never seen on the floor each night. Hmm yeah, I wonder if they will use all of those assets to build the best team….hahhaa ofc they will
Lmao
HoY award goes to you. HWM is not even a close runner-up.
Where’s the lie tho???
Lines 1, 2, 3, 4, etc…
What a compliment, I’m touched. But Strike Four’s comments are so outrageous he’s obviously not being serious.
Blake Griffin and the #7 from Detroit for Wiggins and the #2.
Not Blake Griffin. Luke Kennard. Plus the Pistons throw in Snell for salary purposes and a little bit of Warriors shooting Off the Bench
That’s a terrible trade for gsw. Wiggins has more trade value then Blake right now plus you have them giving up the second pick. Nobody wants Blake he’s injury prone and not playoff reliable
Warriors got Wilkins to make him part if this team. I doubt in the few gms he played. They have their answer. I have to believe, they believe at 24. Wiggins can be a part of a winner in GS. Aldridge is not worth the #2 pick. This is Bogus. Aldridge straight up for Wiggins. Is more reality. Aldridge is a good fit for Warriors. I don’t see this going down. I think you have to give Wiggins a shot. They can always move him during season.
Wiseman should not be passed up. Someone is going to trade up to get him at 1 or 2. I really doubt Warriors pass on him. They have Wiggins, picks, ME to improve team. Wiseman is a generational center. They will regret passing on him.
Generational huh? Looks like we found Wiseman’s agent hanging around hoops rumors. So better than karl anthony towns, Nikola Jokic, Rudy Gobert and Joel Embiid huh? Will he even be better than Vucevic or Valanciunas or capela?
Wiseman is not a generation center he should say a solid center for years to come. I doubt he will be as good as the top 3 listed but I hope he is better than capela.
My gut says they trade down. They need size and someone in the middle, I’d just take wiseman since he’s a big body. Knowing them though they’ll take an unorthodox pick.