NBA Trade Rumors: Warriors Must Secure Lottery Pick in Deal with Jazz

The 2012 NBA draft class is loaded with talent, and the Golden State Warriors are trying their damnedest to make sure they aren't left out of the mix.

According to Marc Stein of ESPN, the Warriors are talking to the Utah Jazz in an attempt to secure their 2012 lottery pick, which is top-seven protected. After agreeing to send the pick to New Jersey, which then sent it to Utah, the Warriors won a recent coin toss that gave them the seventh-best lottery odds, and a 72 percent chance at keeping the pick.

But, according to Stein, Golden State still isn't comfortable with that number.

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[T]he Warriors, sources say, are prepared to sacrifice a trade asset or two before Wednesday's lottery to make a deal with Utah that would wipe out the stipulations in place for the 28 percent possibility that the pick falls outside of the top seven.

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Stein went on to say that Golden State doesn't want to include current players, preferring instead to send future draft considerations to Utah and perhaps loosen the restrictions on Golden State's 2013 (top-seven protected) and '14 picks (top-six protected).

Either way, this is a smart move by the Warriors front office.

They made a mistake by trading the pick to the Nets in the first place, and given the unusually deep and talented nature of this draft class, they can't afford to miss out on the lottery.

The Warriors have a promising (though oft-injured) backcourt of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, but the sharp-shooting young duo needs help up front.

With an incoming rookie class that includes small forwards Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Harrison Barnes and Perry Jones III, as well as big men Anthony Davis, Thomas Robinson, Jared Sullinger and Andre Drummond, the Warriors need to do everything they can to stay in the lottery.

The future of the franchise is hanging in the balance, and they didn't do all that tanking just to ship their pick to Utah.

Golden State must do whatever it can to get this deal done.