What's at Stake for Golden State Warriors in 2015 NBA Draft?
Without the necessary assets to make a sizable move up in the 2015 NBA draft, the Golden State Warriors will need to do the best they can with the No. 30 overall pick.
That’s easier said than done, of course. And the amount of uncertainty surrounding the team’s roster heading into the offseason only complicates the matter further.
Does Leandro Barbosa re-sign, or is he forced to leave due to the amount of money Golden State will have to pay Draymond Green in restricted free agency?
Do team owner Joe Lacob and general manager Bob Myers pick up Marreese Speights’ $3.8 million team option?
And what does the front office decide to do with David Lee? Paying him about $15.4 million next season to play less than 20 minutes a night isn’t very economical.
These are all questions that can’t be answered with 100 percent confidence prior to the draft. But bringing back Green no matter what the cost is something the Dubs already plan on doing.
Green will almost surely command the max on the open market, and even if you don’t think he’s the caliber player who deserves a contract of that magnitude, someone will offer it to him.
A jack-of-all-trades forward who can guard anyone from point guards to centers is a player that every team would love to have. Add in the fact that he placed second in Defensive Player of the Year voting and his inclusion on the All-Defense first team and a max contract doesn’t seem so ridiculous after all.
“I really think he’s going to be a max player,” ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy said on a Golden State vs. Cleveland Cavaliers broadcast back in January (h/t Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN). “How many guys defend, rebound, pass and make 3s? That combination, you just don’t see.”
Lacob also vaguely hinted in an interview with Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News he plans on bringing his talented power forward back:
"“I’m not allowed per NBA rule as you know to make certain statements about who we’re going to sign or how hard we’re going to try to sign that person.
What I will say is, he was born to be a Warrior. And we love him. I certainly think today as we look at our team, he’s part of our core and can’t imagine it being otherwise.”
"
If Green is indeed re-signed, what is to be made of the reserve guard and wing rotations?
Barbosa, who may or may not be back, as well as Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston will be at least 30 years old by the time the 2015-16 campaign tips off.
And even though they’re all still capable of performing at a high level, the Warriors might have to prepare themselves for any unforeseen declines in their respective games.
Of the three, Iguodala would probably be the most difficult to replace, as there really aren’t many versatile swingmen to be had this late in the draft. There are a couple of solid, four-year floor generals who might still be around when the Warriors are on the clock.
Utah’s Delon Wright immediately comes to mind. At 6’6”, Wright has the size to play at either the point or 2-guard. But at just 181 pounds, the 23-year old will have to put on some weight before he can effectively defend opposing wings.
Measurables aside, Wright’s ability to both handle and shoot the ball (35.6 percent from beyond the arc in 2014-15) should allow him to seamlessly fit into what Steve Kerr asks of his players on the offensive end.
However, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman has Golden State taking a shooting guard in UNLV Runnin’ Rebels freshman Rashad Vaughn with its selection.
Vaughn, a 6’5” 2-guard, shot 38.3 percent from long range this past season, knocking down 2.3 triples per night.
Given Barbosa’s and Justin Holiday’s ventures into free agency, there could be a big void behind Klay Thompson, and Vaughn makes sense to fill it.
“The Warriors don’t have a reliable backup 2-guard under contract for next season,” Wasserman penned. “They could ultimately groom Vaughn as their next sixth man.”
Both are capable options, but Wright’s skill set would allow the Warriors to kill two birds with one stone, acting as a safety valve behind Livingston and also spelling Thompson.
Should Speights be the one to leave town, though, the team would be wise to take a chance on Syracuse’s Chris McCullough.
Despite tearing his ACL in January, the 20-year old power forward wouldn’t be forced to rush back into action. Lee could bide his time at the 4 off the bench until McCullough is ready to go.
He only played in 16 games before succumbing to the knee injury so his sample size for statistics is admittedly small. But at 6’10”, 220 pounds McCullough has proven that he has a solid scoring touch (47.6 percent field-goal shooting) and a knack for protecting the rim (2.1 blocks per game).
Myers clearly has a number of directions he could go in. And the organization will be counting on him to make the correct decision.
Prospect statistics courtesy of Sports-Reference.com. Salary information courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.
Tim MacLean is a Featured Columnist for the Golden State Warriors. Follow him on Twitter.
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