The Warriors have two lottery picks in this year’s draft but need to walk a delicate line between planning for the future and winning now. Here’s who they need to avoid.
One hand, the Warriors find themselves in an enviable position, holding the No. 7 and No. 14 picks in tonight’s NBA Draft. However, they are in a complicated situation, needing to stay competitive and make the most of what’s left of Steph Curry’s prime without desperately mortgaging their future.
In addition, while they’d like to make a trade, the highest-profile trade targets who are likely to be available — Damian Lillard, Kyle Lowry, Bradley Beal — are all backcourt players who duplicate skills that Curry and Klay Thompson offer without really giving the Warriors’ more than depth in key areas. Assuming they keep both picks the Warriors need to be very careful then to target players who can help them right away but still offer something for the future.
3. The Warriors should beware of Davion Mitchell
Mitchell may be an attractive candidate for the Warriors at the No. 14 pick given his competitiveness, championship pedigree and NBA-ready skill set. However, he’s also a much more divisive prospect than he looks at first glance. No player had a bigger difference between where he was ranked on The Athletic’s consensus media Big Board and where he ranked on a consensus Big Board from the scouts of NBA Draft Twitter. You’ll find the same disconnect on a consensus Big Board built from publicly available statistical projection models, where Mitchell ranks as the 52nd-best prospect in this class.
All that should raise legitimate questions about his long-term upside and in the short term it’s not clear he offers more value than someone like Jordan Poole. Mitchell might have a great NBA career but he’s not worth the risk for the Warriors.