After perhaps the greatest 5 year stretch in the modern NBA’s history, the Golden State Warriors are no longer the kings of basketball. With the departure of Kevin Durant and long-term injuries to Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, the Warriors own one of the worst records in the NBA and have no intentions to make a playoff push. However, there have been a few silver linings in an otherwise forgetful season thus far: the emergence of young players like Eric Paschall and of course, the high chances of getting a top pick in next year’s draft. The parallels to the 1996-97 San Antonio Spurs are striking, as their own superstar David Robinson was injured leading to them receiving the first pick of the draft. They selected Tim Duncan and the rest is history. With Duncan on board, the Spurs went on to win 5 Championships and made the playoffs a record 22 consecutive times.
With their presumably top 3 pick in the upcoming draft, the Warriors will have many options to improve their roster. If they are looking to lengthen their current dynasty by a decade, they will likely use their pick to select a player who will not contribute right away, but can be the star once age gets the better of Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green.
Option 1:
Draft James Wiseman
James Wiseman is seen as many to be the top player in the upcoming draft. The talented center would be the starting center for the Warriors, filling the position that has been the Warriors’ one weakness over the past 5 years. While he likely wouldn’t make a huge impact right away, he has the potential to become the Warriors’ franchise player.
Starting Lineup: Steph Curry, D’Angelo Russell, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, James Wiseman
Option 2:
Trade Russell for DeAndre Ayton and draft Anthony Edwards
The next option involves trading D’Angelo Russell, who is thought to have been acquired by the Warriors with intentions to trade him later. The Suns wouldn’t have too hard of a time parting with Ayton, as Russell and Devin Booker have said they want to play together and the Suns are likely looking to appease their young superstar. Ayton would play center leaving a hole at shooting guard. To fill it, the Warriors can draft Anthony Edwards out of Georgia, another consensus top 3 pick.
Starting Lineup: Stephen Curry, Anthony Edwards, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, DeAndre Ayton
Option 3:
Trade First Round pick and Russell for Andre Drummond
While this option puts less emphasis on the future, it does have a better chance of winning the championship in the next few years while the Curry, Drummond, Green and Thompson are all in their respective primes. As stated before, the Warriors lone weakness is at center and what better fix to that than to add the best rebounder in the NBA. He is also an elite defender, having placed either 1st or 3rd in Defensive Rating and Defensive Win Shares in each of the last three seasons. Drummond is still on the younger side so the Pistons will likely have a high asking price for him. But if the Warriors match it, they will no doubt be among the favorites to win the Finals during the next few years.
Starting Lineup: Stephen Curry, Glenn Robinson, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Drummond
With all this flexibility for next summer, the Warriors can make many moves in flipping their disaster season into a championship contender. And with the potential to supplement their championship core with even more talent, the rest of the association will no doubt be on the look out for the return of Golden Dynasty.
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