Report: Anthony Edwards Would 'Likely' Be Warriors' No. 1 Pick in 2020 NBA Draft

The Golden State Warriors reportedly have their sights set on Georgia Bulldogs guard Anthony Edwards if they own the first selection in the 2020 NBA draft.

According to Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle: "If the Warriors land the No. 1 pick in the draft, they'll be open to trading it. But if Golden State doesn't receive a worthy offer, it would likely take Edwards with the top selection, according to a league source."

The Warriors will have a backup plan in place, however, with Letourneau noting the team would "take a hard look" at Maccabi Tel Aviv wing Deni Avdija if its pick falls in the Nos. 2-5 range.

"Some teams believe the Warriors could end up having Avdija No. 2 on their big board behind Edwards," Letourneau added.

Edwards will be a popular projection to be picked No. 1 overall no matter which team lands the selection.

In his March 19 mock draft, B/R's Jonathan Wasserman projected Edwards as the top overall pick to the Dubs: "He's the popular answer for best prospect in the draft, but he should also fit coach Steve Kerr's system, given his shot-making and interchangeability between positions."

Wasserman added the freshman has been "distinguishing himself with advanced shot-creation, distance pull-ups, streak scoring and ball-screen playmaking."

The Athletic's Sam Vecenie also projected Edwards to be the top overall pick (to the Minnesota Timberwolves) in his March 19 mock, though he added "evaluators are all over the place in terms of who they have as the top prospect."

What the Warriors do with their first-round pick will be fascinating. The team has a window to win in the short term with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins, and developing a young prospect and letting him take his lumps on a team with championship aspirations could represent conflicting interests.

But Golden State will have fantastic capital to trade for a star player if it chooses to go that route with this pick, its top-three-protected 2021 selection from the Timberwolves and Wiggins. Some combination of those assets could get the attention of a team such as the Washington Wizards if Bradley Beal decides he wants to go to a contender, for example.

So, the Warriors will be worth watching. If they land the No. 1 overall pick and can't find a trade partner, Edwards seems like the logical match.