With the potential for a major offseason shakeup or major offseason spending spree, the Golden State Warriors will need to use their two NBA Draft picks wisely to find cheap rotation players. Here are their top three options with the 58th pick.
With the Toronto Raptors dismantling the Milwaukee Bucks in six games and reaching their first Finals berth in franchise history, the West-winning Golden State Warriors finally know who they’ll be facing off against in their fifth-straight appearance on the NBA’s largest stage.
Steph Curry (27.4 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 5.6 APG) and Draymond Green (13.6 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 8.2 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.7 BPG) have unequivocally been leading the charge for the shorthanded Warriors, putting together a historically-dominant string of performances in their sweep of the hapless Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals.
With Klay Thompson (19.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.0 APG) somewhat underwhelming relative to the play of the team’s two healthy stars, and with Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins both out nursing injuries, the Warriors have yet to face much resistance as they prepare for their series against Toronto. Whether the Warriors are Durant-less and Cousins-less in the Finals may not matter, as it’s certainly possible that Curry, Green, and Thompson are able to overpower Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors in a seven-game series. They’ve won without them previously, and it could certainly happen again.
But could it happen next year, too, with the potential offseason exodus that’s in store for the Bay Area’s prized gem? The trio of Thompson, Durant, and Cousins — as well as a few ancillary role players such as Kevon Looney, Jonas Jerebko, Quinn Cook, etc. — are all entering the summer months as free agents, with no promise than any of them (and certainly not all) will return. A roster that retains both Thompson and Durant would cost more over $160 million if both re-sign for their respective five-year maxes ($190 million and $221 million), leaving Golden State far over the tax line with several empty roster spots to fill. Only retaining Thompson, the likelier scenario involving the two stars, would still give the Warriors a $120+ million bill, a hefty price for a team that would still need role players to round out the roster.
That’s why the 2019 NBA Draft is so important to a franchise like Golden State. With a summer of spending looming around the corner, finding cheap rotation pieces is not a want but a pure need. The draft gives them a shot at grabbing legitimate role players at inexpensive price points, with the Warriors two draft selections coming in at around $2.5 million — $1,635,300 for the 28th pick, and an estimated $815,605+ for the 58th pick, depending on whatever is negotiated between the player and the team.
Nailing both picks would ideally give the Dubs a pair of young players who could at the very least contribute in a limited manner during the regular season. Outside of Jordan Bell, who only played spot minutes throughout the season and playoffs after seemingly falling out of favor with the coaching staff, the Warriors haven’t managed to find role players with draft picks in the second round, but are certainly hoping that the 2019 NBA Draft will be different.
Opting to select older players with proven resumes and skill sets could be preferable, along with selecting players that are somewhat close to the organization. Historically, it’s quite difficult to find anyone worthy of a rotation spot this late in the second round, but it’s certainly not impossible if scouting and front office personnel do enough homework to find diamonds in the rough.
With that said, here are three players that the Warriors could target with the 58th pick of the 2019 NBA Draft.