The Warriors have the rights to the number 2 in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Could you consider swapping it away and getting the number 2 from the 2018 draft?
ESPN unveiled a hypothetical deal earlier this week in which Golden State will send the second selection to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Marvin Bagley III and this year’s number 12 overall selection.
Many design analysts believe this class has strong depth, and teams in the mid to late lottery will be able to find some legitimate contributors.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony selected Villanova striker Saddiq Bey as the 12th choice in his latest draft. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 16.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.4 year two assists for the Wildcats, while getting 45.1 percent out of 3-point range on 5.6 tries lap.
“Bey is a competitive, efficient two-way player … he knows how to play a role and win,” writes Givony. “(He) can fit into almost any line-up with his versatility and decision making.”
The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie currently ranks Florida state forward / wing Patrick Williams, who turned 19 this week, at # 12.
“He has a very real upward and instinctual awareness of defense mixed in with a framework that should allow him to take on difficult defense duties,” writes Vecenie. “His frame should allow him to play relatively quickly in the NBA on this end of the floor.”
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But in the end, the warriors will only agree to this deal if they value Bagley’s present and future. The 21-year-old was named First-Team All-Rookie after an average of 14.9 points and 7.6 rebounds. He shot a total of 50.4 percent and 31.3 percent from below.
Bagley accumulated 20 points and 17 rebounds against the Dubs on November 24, 2018 and registered 28 points and 14 rebounds in the Oracle Arena on February 21, 2019.
“He’s obviously been playing well lately and showing why he’s a top draft pick, so they have a good one there,” Warriors superstar Steph Curry said of Bagley after the last appearance.
The Duke product’s 2019-20 campaign was unfortunately derailed due to injury when he broke his right thumb on opening night and missed the next 22 games. He returned to the mission on December 11th, but had to pause for a few weeks from late December due to a sprained left foot.
After appearing in four games in mid-January, the foot injury put him back on the shelf for the next two months. There was a possibility that Bagley would fit in the Orlando bladder, but he sprained his right foot during practice on July 19 before the seeding games began and was expelled for the remainder of the season.
So there is a chance the Warriors may avoid Bagley simply because of the injury history. But if that’s not the case, could the 6-foot-11 left become the franchise’s starting center? Can he and Draymond Green thrive in the forecourt together? Could he be counted on to switch defensively to guards on the edge while holding down against some of the bulkier big men?
“I was like 230 pounds (pounds) and it went down as the season went on, but since we’ve come back I’ve been at 240 and I feel great,” Bagley told reporters in early July. “I feel strong, I still feel fast, I still feel like I can do what I do but gain some muscle.”
As mentioned earlier, the Arizona native showed the ability to stretch the floor as a beginner but only went 4:22 from the deep last season.
“I was very focused on my shot along with the other parts of my game,” said Bagley. “It’s gotten a lot better. I still have a lot to do and I’m looking forward to building on it.”
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Another variable is that Vlade Divac – the man who designed Bagley – is no longer the general manager of Sacramento. Is it possible that Joe Dumars – the interim executive vice president of basketball operations – is not a fan of Bagley and has a desire to trade with him? Does Dumars have the power to make that decision or will the next GM be in charge?
Bagley is under team control for the next two seasons and Sacramento owner Vivek Ranadive could be so quick to refuse to part with him.
In conclusion, it is entirely possible that the Golden State front office is 100 percent not interested in Bagley. Or maybe that hypothetical trade becomes a possibility, but only after the warriors first explore other possibilities.
Let the speculation go on.
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