The Golden State Warriors are tasked with the ultimate restoration process during this blitz of a NBA offseason.  The league’s latest dynasty is coming off a season full of injuries and young, inexperienced players running the show.  But they enter the delayed 2020-21 season with a secret genius-like presence.  The Warriors are there, but nobody really knows what they’re up to or what to expect from them, and because of that, they quietly fade away until they re-emerge.

If the Warriors are to manifest with their past force, moves must be made over the next week.  Their struggles last season resulted in the No. 2 overall pick – a blessing in any draft but this one – and an extra 2021 first rounder from Minnesota due to the D’Angelo Russell trade.  They still have most of their cornerstones from the past five years in Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, all of whom should be healthy and ready to go for December’s tip-off, but the fringes are rough.  Andrew Wiggins still doesn’t feel like a quality player nor a tradeable asset, and the only other mildly intriguing pieces are Kevon Looney and Eric Paschall, who was massively underrated in the 2019 Draft, had a great rookie and has some Green-like elements to him.

It’s tough for Golden State to bank on having 2014-2016-like success this season.  While that team lacked Kevin Durant next to its three stars, they had quality veterans around Curry, Thompson and Green and took the league by storm.  No one was qualified to defend or catch up with them yet.  Green was a much more potent offensive player.  Everyone was younger and just entering their primes.

Now, Thompson hasn’t played basketball in a year and a half, Curry is coming off an injury-ravaged year and Green has regressed on at least one end of the court.  The Warriors are still scary, but they may not pack the same punch that they used to.

The No. 2 overall pick doesn’t do a great job of improving the Warriors roster this year.  It’s no secret or surprise that Golden State has been linked to trade downs or outs.  To get someone who can really help, they’ll likely have to reach or make a monumental move.

Options for the latter exist.  LaMelo Ball – if Minnesota is smart – should be here for other teams Wednesday night.  The Hornets could move up a spot and guarantee themselves Ball, even though they have two other point guards on the roster (Neither really have the ceiling of Ball, though).  The Knicks or Pistons could as well, as those are two teams who should be coveting the brother of Lonzo.  But just like they did with Minnesota, neither team really offers Golden State players that make up for the lost value of dropping from the No. 2 pick.  The Pistons would need to convince Golden State that Blake Griffin (and his contract, and his medical history, and his poor defense) is worth it for them.  Detroit has zero other veteran assets on their team worth the pick swap.  The Knicks truly have nothing that should intrigue Golden State in a trade down.  Charlotte’s options are limited too, and it wouldn’t make much sense for the Warriors to move down just a single spot.  

Moving farther down the lottery and draft, New Orleans has Jrue Holiday – who’s been reported to be a trade candidate this offseason.  Golden State has been linked to him, though the fit between him and Curry seems a little awkward in the backcourt.  Holiday’s a good defender and good shooter, but it leaves the Warriors a bit stubby defensively, and Curry off-the-ball could limit his impact.  Golden State has to consider whether the redundancy in a Curry-Holiday backcourt is more valuable than whoever they take at No. 2 overall.  Holiday would add guaranteed competency, unlike a draft pick, but the fit feels a bit too wonky.  Additionally, this would mean the Pelicans have their eyes on someone high in the draft.  It could be Ball, as they could use a true point guard of the future (Lonzo is likely not it).  The players New Orleans could use are similar to Golden State (wings, minus point guard), making this type of deal tough to sell to the Pelicans.  What wing would be reasonable to take at No. 2 overall?

The Magic represent some intriguing possibilities.  Markelle Fultz has come along nicely after flaming out in Philadelphia, but he’ll never be the best player in his 2017 draft class as expected and shouldn’t be counted on as Orlando’s franchise player.  Ball could be a target of their’s.  Aaron Gordon would be beautiful to watch on Golden State while switching everything and knocking down three-pointers.  There might be some overlap with him and Green, though the two can protect the rim by committee.  Orlando giving up just Gordon and their own pick (No. 15) for No. 2 overall might be pretty enticing.  Golden State could still add an extra wing at No. 15 too.

Aside from that, the Warriors outlook for a trade down is bleak.  Milwaukee could use a point guard, though they’re still trying to compete with Giannis Antentokounmpo, so moving critical pieces of their title pursuit in 2020-21 (like Khris Middleton or Brook Lopez) wouldn’t be an option.  Donte DiVencenzo is the Bucks only moveable asset that would work for Golden State (Eric Bledsoe is a stay-away) – a deal with him and Ersan Ilyasova (who feels like the perfect Warrior) would give Golden State two quality players but still feel underwhelming.

Golden State could pivot away from trade downs and look to move out of their pick all together.  The stars who remain available on the trade market include just Holiday and Bradley Beal, though Beal doesn’t seem likely to go anywhere unless the offer for the Wizards is ridiculous.  Russell Westbrook and James Harden are wanting out of Houston, but Westbrook is the hardest no ever for the Dubs and a Harden deal seems counter-intuitive.  For kicks though: The Warriors could send Green, No. 2 overall and the 2021 Minnesota first rounder as the base of what would be a ridiculous array of picks on top of likely Eric Paschall and Kevon Looney in exchange for Harden.  It seems crazy that Golden State would move one of Thompson, Curry or Green, but the first two aren’t going anywhere regardless of what the fit is.  

That simply isn’t happening, but it likely needed to be addressed given Harden’s apparent availability.  Beal would be intriguing, though the Warriors would need to pay up in addition to No. 2 overall and the future Minnesota pick – would Washington do those two assets on top of Paschall and Looney?

The problem is that Washington has no reason to rebuild with John Wall’s contract purely unmovable, hence their insistency on keeping Beal.  Golden State would have to really sweeten a deal, which could be worth it considering their slot in this draft.

Boston has been rumored to be wanting to move up higher into the lottery.  It’s unclear who their target is, or if he would make sense at No. 2 overall.  Golden State could take back Gordon Hayward and an assortment of Boston’s three first rounders, which they’re looking to move due to a roster crunch.  That would be a king’s ransom for Golden State, as they’d get a solid veteran in Hayward in addition to other picks to help fill out the roster.  This isn’t a great draft, but the players most likely not to bust lie in the exact spots where Boston is picking, giving the Warriors a good prospectus in this potential yet unlikely move.

It’s likely none of these deals come to fruition though.  A team wanting to trade down means another has to come up, and in this draft, that’s risky given the lack of sure-fire bets and potential stars at the top.  The Warriors are going to be force to settle here, but their decision may be a bit tougher than reaching for whoever they think might be the best available.

No. 2, Golden State Warriors: Deni Avdija, Israel

USC’s Onyeka Okongwu has a good case for being the pick here.  Even with the Warriors depth of Kevon Looney and Eric Paschall at center, Okongwu would bring a nifty new style of basketball to the Warriors.

Golden State’s signing of DeMarcus Cousins in the summer of 2018 let it be known that they coveted a true big man.  It was the final iteration of their ridiculous offense. 

Okongwu wouldn’t necessarily be like Boogie, though.  He’d be a switchy, rim protecting big who has a soft touch, would be a deadly lob threat and offer sets Golden State never dreamed possible thanks to his intuitive passing.  

But drafting Okongwu would limit minutes for Looney, who showed he’s able to play big playoff minutes in 2019.  It would also hinder Paschall’s development and reduce potential crunch-time play for him.

At the end of the day, the Warriors can afford to whiff on this pick.  They’re going to be fine with the talent they currently have, and are going to be spending in free agency to fill out the rest of the roster regardless.  This pick is a luxury, and Golden State should take a swing.

That swing is Deni Avdija, who brings an interesting array of skills to the table.  He’s somewhere along the lines of Nicholas Batum, Danilo Gallinari and Bogdan Bogdanović.  Not to make solely international comparison, but he’s got a little sprinkle of each in his game, and a couple of concerning issues.

First, the good.  Avdija is a dynamic player offensively.  He’s able to ball-handle and pass, which allows him to get to the rim with a variety of spins and moves.  He’s not fast, but moves fluidly enough to get by defenders driving.  His passing is where the comparisons to Batum and Bogdanovic come in, as both players suffice as secondary play-makers in the NBA today.  

Avdija could do a lot for Golden State in terms of diversifying their offense.  As a secondary play-maker, Avdija could turn Curry and Thompson into lethal off-the-ball, catch-and-shoot weapons.  Golden State would also have someone they could plant at the elbow and run the offense through, similar to how Denver does with Nikola Jokic.  Avdija’s ability to move offensively makes him a weapon as a cutter, and his finishing is excellent.  

The bad, unfortunately, makes him a questionable fit in the league today.  The bounciness offensively doesn’t translate defensively – Avdija’s feet are slow, making him a tough switch onto anyone but bigger fours.  It’s a shame considering his weight and wingspan would allow him to really be a two-way force, but foot speed is not something that’s generally worked on and improved.  Avdija’s shooting is extremely questionable, as he’s used to having the ball in his hands and not shooting jumpers.  His free throw percentages are also horrible, ridding of any hope that a jump-shot could be developed down the line.  

The combination of bad, non-switchable defense and poor shooting does not seem like a mix of skills Golden State would want on their roster, considering they were the group that made them a mainstay in the league.  Golden State did just trade for Andrew Wiggins though, and he does neither of those things particularly well.  Additionally, if any team is going to figure out how a player can overcome those issues and still be productive, it would be the Warriors.