The Golden State Warriors Are Desperate to Trade the No. 2 Pick

The Warriors Don’t Want the No. 2 Pick

The 2020 NBA Draft is going to be a strange one. There’s almost consensus on who the top ten picks will be, but it’s anyone’s guess as to how the order will ultimately shake out. As unclear as this year’s draft is, one thing is evident. The Golden State Warriors really want to trade the No. 2 pick.

If you’ve heard the reports coming out of the Warriors pre-draft workouts, they are nothing but positive. Rave reviews. They were “blown away” by Deni Avdija. James Wiseman and Anthony Edwards were “beasts” in their workouts. The Golden State Warriors are “for sure” considering taking Obi Toppin.

Weird that the Warriors are trying to inflate the draft stock of every prospect who could conceivably be selected second overall. Golden State may have been impressed with all the players who have come to work out for them. However, it’s more likely that they want to make their first-round pick seem way more valuable than it is for trade discussions.

This kind of thing is nothing new. Celtics general manager (GM) Danny Ainge famously tricked the Sixers into trading up for Markelle Fultz when Ainge wanted Jayson Tatum the whole time. Warriors GM Bob Myers should take that as a lesson in subtlety.

The Warriors have been telegraphing their desire to trade out of No. 2 since June. The way they’re going about this doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Other teams are conducting their own pre-draft workouts. If a prospect like Avdija isn’t as good as the Warriors said in their evaluation, it’s not like other teams won’t find that out for themselves.

Other NBA Teams Better Not Be Fooled By This

This is like that scene from ‘The Office’ where they have the white elephant gift exchange. Michael Scott has zero interest in the oven mitts that Phyllis made, so he starts bragging about how great they are to get someone else to trade for them. Other NBA teams better make the correct read here and stay away from that Warriors pick. That’s especially true given that it will probably come attached to Andrew Wiggins’ massive contract.

Are we still at the point where people would trade for Andrew Wiggins? I’m sure the New York Knicks would fall for something like this. Other NBA front offices can’t be that dumb. Plus, if the Warriors are this high on every prospect they’ve seen so far, that communicates they also have no idea who to take. Golden State is the brain trust of the NBA. If they don’t know who to take at No. 2, no other team should think they know enough to trade up for it.

Overall, this is a lame attempt by Bob Myers to reload the Warriors dynasty by trading two assets that no one should want. Someone tell the Golden State Warriors that no one wants their pick.

***