Why Jeff Van Gundy believes Warriors trading draft pick great option

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To trade the high draft pick or not to the trade the high draft pick.

That is the question the Warriors' front office will have to answer once the 2020 NBA Draft Lottery finally happens and the franchise knows exactly where it's slated to pick.

NBA TV analyst Jeff Van Gundy admittedly doesn't watch much college basketball and isn't well-versed on this year's crop of draft prospects. So it's understandable why the former head coach spoke more passionately about the concept of the Warriors trading the selection.

"If you're Golden State -- (general manager) Bob Myers does such a great job, Steve Kerr is a terrific coach and they have the right best players because they're all in for the team -- but (Steph) Curry's not young," he said Tuesday on KNBR 680. "So if you could get the right trade for a great player to supplement what you have and boost your chances of winning it all now -- I think that's gonna be a very viable option for them. 

"Who that is -- I don't know."

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Steph -- who will turn 33 years old next March -- has two more years remaining on his contract ($43 million in 2020-21 and nearly $46 million in 2021-22).

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Klay Thompson will be 31 in February and is coming off an ACL tear, while Draymond Green will turn 31 in March.

So one school of thought is to go "all in" during this window of opportunity. The other perspective is to restock the cupboard with a couple young lottery picks who can take the baton and lead the franchise into its next iteration.

Fortunately for the Warriors, they have multiple paths to choose from.

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"Ultimately, I think there are gonna be a lot of opportunities out there," Van Gundy said. "They had to withstand this season, but I have a feeling after they get through this, they're gonna come out with a terrific player in the draft or a package of players for that draft pick."

Don't forget that the Warriors will be able to improve the roster through two other mechanisms -- the taxpayer mid-level exception and a $17.2 million traded player exception from when they were forced to trade Andre Iguodala to the Memphis Grizzlies last summer.

"Man, they're gonna be hard to deal with next year," Van Gundy declared.

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