Tom Haberstroh analyzes what the Warriors could do with the top pick in the NBA draft and believes a trade with the Toronto Raptors for Pascal Siakam would be a “dream scenario.”
The Warriors will pick in the NBA draft lottery for the first time since they selected Harrison Barnes No. 7 overall in the 2012 draft. With Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Co. healthy, however, Golden State might be better off trading its top draft pick this year.
And that's exactly what NBC Sports' Tom Haberstroh believes the Warriors will do.
"I think the Golden State Warriors are gonna trade that pick, especially if it lands at No. 1," Haberstroh told NBC Sports Bay Area. "That's gonna create the most value for them."
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The Warriors soon will find out where they pick in the 2020 draft. The draft lottery will be held Aug. 20, and Golden State has a 14 percent chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick. There's a 13.4 percent chance of the Warriors picking at No. 2, 12.7 percent chance of No. 3, 12 percent chance of No. 4 and a 47.9 percent chance of dropping to No. 5.
While the San Francisco Chronicle's Connor Letourneau recently reported the Warriors believe Georgia shooting guard Anthony Edwards can contribute right away and be a future face of the franchise, this draft isn't full of surefire stars. The Warriors are in win-now mode with their core back to full health right now, and they might have their eyes on a current star instead of a possible future one.
"Look, they said they weren't going to trade D'Angelo Russell before, and a couple months later they ended up trading D'Angelo Russell," Haberstroh said. "... I suspect that they will get on the phone with just about every team in the league just to survey the landscape and see what kind of value they can get, and also pair potentially Andrew Wiggins' big contract to make the salaries work for a star."
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The Warriors acquired Wiggins this season when they sent Russell to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Over 12 games with the Warriors, Wiggins averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Steve Kerr has had nothing but good things to say about Wiggins since the former top draft pick joined his squad, but perhaps general manager Bob Myers believes Wiggins could be a trade piece for an even better fit.
Wiggins, 25, isn't a free agent until after the 2022-23 season. He signed a five-year, $147.7 million contract extension with Minnesota in October 2017. So, who could the Warriors target with a trade package of Wiggins and their top pick?
Haberstroh thinks they should look to Canada for answers.
"I would look at first for Bob Myers, the GM of the Golden State Warriors, to give a call to the Toronto Raptors for potentially Pascal Siakam, because I think the Golden State Warriors need to upgrade defensively and get a guy who can replace Andre Iguodala, a guy who is very versatile, can play multiple positions defensively and there's just not a lot of guys out there who can do the things that Andre Iguodala did for the championship Warriors," Haberstroh said.
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If Siakam is too much to ask for, which he likely is -- Haberstroh admitted he thinks the Raptors "are not gonna give him up" -- his second option is a 22-year-old forward who recently tore his ACL in the Orlando bubble.
"The other name I would look at is Jonathan Isaac," Haberstroh said. "Before he tore his ACL in the bubble games, I thought Jonathan Isaac was a perfect complement to what Draymond Green, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson bring to this Golden State Warriors team."
Siakam would be Haberstroh's dream choice for the Warriors, with Isaac as their plan B. From until the draft on Oct. 16, Myers and the rest of the Warriors' front office will have a lot of decisions to make.