Smokescreen SZN: Separating fact, fiction in Warriors rumors
The Warriors want to keep everyone guessing, but a look at Golden State's mentions in the rumor mill should help you separate fact from fiction leading into draft night.
Nearly five months after it originally was scheduled, the 2020 NBA Draft is just over a week away. The Warriors, who hold the No. 2 overall pick, will make a franchise-altering selection on Nov. 18, 146 days after the draft's original date.
Add a few more zeroes after the amount of days, and you'll still (approximately) finish far short of the number of rumors surrounding Golden State's plans. Smokescreen season has lasted well beyond its early summer expiration date, with the Warriors' future at the center of it.
We're here to help you wade through the smoke. The Warriors want to keep everyone guessing, but a look at Golden State's mentions in the rumor mill should help you separate fact from fiction leading into draft night.
Dreams rarely match reality, as evidenced by teams' reported hesitance to accept the No. 2 pick in exchange for a star player. ESPN's Zach Lowe reported last week that the Philadelphia 76ers won't swap Ben Simmons for the Warriors' pick, and neither will the Phoenix Suns deal Devin Booker nor will the Washington Wizards flip Bradley Beal for the selection.
If All-NBA players aged 27 and under won't be made available for the No. 2 pick, then trading it for an aging star like Jrue Holliday (30) or LaMarcus Aldridge (35) and a pick, as have been speculated or rumored, might be more realistic options. "Realistic" doesn't mean "better" for a team with three stars (Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green) on the wrong side of 30.
Don't hold your breath on the Warriors ending the other piece of all-encompassing speculation by flipping the No. 2 pick to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of a package for Giannis Antetokounmpo. ESPN's Ramona Shelburne told "Damon, Ratto & Kolsky" last month the Warriors would have the most appealing deal for the Bucks, but Lowe reported last week Milwaukee isn't trading the reigning MVP barring a "drastic" change of heart.
The Warriors very well could trade the No. 2 pick, but most of the buzz isn't centered around them doing so for a star.
Although the Warriors' recent reported preference is to hang on to the No. 2 pick, continued links to players further down media draft boards seemingly make trading down a legitimate possibility.
They already interviewed Tyrese Haliburton (No. 6 overall in NBC Sports Bay Area's latest mock draft), and reportedly are "high on" and were "blown away" by Deni Avdija (No. 5) after meeting with him in person. Golden State reportedly also has interest in Devin Vassell (No. 10 in our mock), and Steve Kerr spoke with coach Jay Wright about Villanova's Saddiq Bey (No. 16).
Perhaps the Warriors' rumored interest in these players reflects them doing their due diligence ahead of the draft, but their reported scouting of mid-to-late lottery prospects can't exactly be ignored, either. Coupled with Golden State's mixed signals about some of the draft's top prospects, the possibility of trading down should be taken seriously.
The youngest Ball topped our latest mock draft and most front offices reportedly expect him to go No. 1, which is par for the rollercoaster course that has been his time in the Warriors' rumor mill.
In April, the Warriors reportedly weren't high on Ball. Last week, Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman reported Warriors ownership could push for Ball if the guard is available at No. 2. Over the intervening seven months, the Warriors reportedly preferred Avdija and Haliburton to Ball ... and also virtually met with him while some members of the organization told The Athletic's Marcus Thompson that Ball is "super talented."
Ball seems to be emerging as the potential No. 1 pick, so perhaps the Warriors are trying to keep teams guessing in the event he slips to No. 2. The case can be made to draft or trade him, so mission accomplished in that regard.
Curry thinks the Warriors could use some size. Kerr does, too. If general manager Bob Myers agrees, Memphis big man James Wiseman figures to be the selection if he's available and the Warriors hang on to their pick.
Wiseman's the best big man available, with draft analysts, other NBA talking heads and, reportedly, rival executives believing he's the Warriors' best option. That makes it all the more interesting that the San Francisco Chronicle's Connor Letourneau reported last week, citing multiple league sources, that the Warriors were unsure where Wiseman belonged on their draft board.
Pushing back against a prevailing narrative could give lottery rivals some uncertainty, but the Warriors' reported lack of clarity on Wiseman is made all the more striking in comparison to the wisdom -- or lack thereof -- of the crowd. Is Wiseman to fetch as NBA circles are to Gretchen Wieners? If you know the answer before Nov. 18, you might have ESPN or something.
If two is a coincidence, then three is a trend. Like Ball and Wiseman, there has been some inconsistency in the Warriors' reported interest in Anthony Edwards.
Sure, you could take solace in the fact that his siblings appeared on Dell and Sonya Curry's podcast, the Warriors had scouts at his games and Draymond Green attended his pro day. But, you could also throw cold water by pointing to Wasserman's reporting in September that Golden State was "unlikely" to pick Edwards.
Still, there's a lot more out there to indicate the Warriors are big fans of the 19-year-old. Letourneau reported in April that the Warriors "likely" would select Edwards if they landed the No. 1 pick, and he reported last week they'll pick Edwards if he's available at No. 2. Marcus Thompson reported last month that Edwards impressed the Warriors in his workout, and the Georgia guard is betting partner PointsBet's odds-on selection for Golden State at No. 2.
NBC Sports Bay Area's James Ham wrote in September that Edwards could be a perfect fit for the Warriors, and Ham has him going to the Warriors in our latest mock. Our own Alex Didion is buying stock in the Warriors' persistent links to Edwards, too, and Monte Poole wrote all the way back in March that the Warriors would have the patience to develop Edwards' abundant talent.
Even with the aforementioned mixed messages, the Warriors' interest in Edwards seems to have a lot fewer caveats than theirs in other top prospects. Maybe that's just what the Warriors want teams to believe. You can't rule that out during the unprecedentedly long lead-up to the draft, but Golden State's consistently clear intrigue with Edwards nonetheless stands out.
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