Warriors interviewed Hayes, who would love to play with Steph

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It’s hard to imagine a more wide-open NBA draft than the 2020 edition. Anthony Edwards still is the odds on favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick, although there now are rumors that the Minnesota Timberwolves could draft LaMelo Ball instead. 

Standing at No. 2, the Warriors are going to have a number of different directions to go in. 

On Monday morning, the league began opening Zoom calls up to media members as part of the draft process. One of the first players to sit in the hot seat was Killian Hayes, a 6-foot-5 French/American point guard who plays professionally in Ulm, Germany.

The versatile guard revealed he has talked with the Warriors and has an idea of where he will fall in the draft.

“I’ve spoken to the Golden State Warriors and my agent tells me I’m between two and 10, two and eight,” Hayes said.

After speaking with the Warriors, Hayes admitted to thinking about the potential for playing with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Not only does he like their style of play, but he also likes the energy he sees from the former champs.

RELATED: 2020 NBA mock draft 17.0: Projecting first-round picks after lottery

“Playing with them would be real fun,” Hayes said of potentially playing with the Warriors. “You can see when they play the game, they always have fun on the court.”

It didn’t sound like Hayes has a promise from any team at this point, but just the fact that he’s already had a conversation with the Warriors is a positive for the 19-year-old.

“We never know what can happen, they could have interest, but at the end of the day, we won’t know until draft night,” Hayes said.

Like most of the prospects, Hayes hasn’t played five-on-five since March. He’s been working out and getting stronger with a focus on improving his range from the outside.

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According to Hayes, his trainer has shown him tapes of Steve Nash in preparation for the draft and he’s also focused on watching veteran point guard Goran Dragic throughout the playoffs.

Hayes is a left-handed player with excellent court vision who can score at all three levels. There are some small concerns about his overall quickness, but working with an NBA training staff may be able to help.

It’s unlikely that Hayes drops below pick No. 10 at this point and he would make a nice addition for a team like Golden State, especially if they found a way to move down a few spots on draft night and collect another asset.

He doesn't have the brand name of LaMelo Ball, but he very well could end up being the best point guard in the 2020 NBA Draft. 

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