The Warriors hope to bring back the core of their very expensive roster next season, which could make it difficult to integrate a rookie into the fold.
Due to the added salary and a lack of available playing time on a championship-contending team, there have been rumors that the Warriors could look to trade their first-round pick, slotted at No. 28 in Thursday’s NBA draft, for a future asset.
But Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers explained that money will not be a factor in whether the Dubs make their pick or trade it, saying that he will trust his staff to make the decision that’s best for the organization.
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“Got to lean on your staff. Got to lean on the people that have been doing it the whole year,” Myers told reporters Wednesday in his pre-draft media availability.
“I don't think the money is going to be a factor as far as whether we trade out or keep the pick. It'll be if it makes sense, so it won't really be a money decision. We've got like 15, 20 people up on the ninth floor right now watching film and getting the draft order and getting our board aligned."
The Warriors have had success picking late in the first round, notably Jordan Poole at No. 28 in 2019 and Kevon Looney at No. 30 in 2015. But they’ve also had a few misses, most notoriously Jacob Evans at No. 28 in 2018, whose career never got off the ground.
“So we'll be ready,” Myers continued. “Like I said, we've been in this position before. But you get a guy like Poole, it shows you how valuable is it to get it right. We don't get it right every time. We have had some guys that haven't worked out."
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Various mock drafts have pegged the Warriors to Wake Forest forward Jake LaRavia, Milwaukee forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Serbia forward Nikola Jovic if they keep the pick. If Myers indeed doesn’t make a trade, it’s clear that he and the Dubs’ front office will prioritize taking the best player available.
“I think we'll go best player is usually what we fall back on. But I think the league is pretty wing heavy and we've seen that position have a lot of value. But we haven't narrowed it down. If a point guard or a big makes the most sense, we'll do that,” Myers said.
“That's the disadvantage of having the draft before free agency. We don't know. That lends itself to saying let's take the best player. If we find that we're unbalanced at a position, then let's try to recover in free agency."
The draft is set to take place on Thursday at 5 p.m. from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. We’ll see then what Myers and the Warriors decide to do when they’re on the clock.