NBA Rumors: Latest on Cole Anthony Draft Buzz, Warriors' Offseason Plans, More

As players for the top 22 teams in the NBA are preparing for this month's Florida restart bubble, many decision-makers are already busy preparing for the ensuing offseason. Both the 2020 draft and free agency—scheduled for October 16 and 18, respectively—are less than three months away, which isn't a long time in the grand scheme of things.

Of course, for teams like the Golden State Warriors and the New York Knicks—who didn't qualify for the bubble—the offseason has already arrived.

The Knicks are still searching for a new head coach, though new team president Leon Rose probably has at least one eye on the pending draft. New York could use a talented young point guard to pair with RJ Barrett in the backcourt, and its options could rely heavily on its draft position.

With a 21-45 record, the Knicks should have a fair shot at a good lottery selection. That could lead to them picking a point guard such as LaMelo Ball or Killian Hayes early. Another potential option outside the lottery range is North Carolina's Cole Anthony.

While Anthony hasn't been as highly touted as, say, Ball, he does have a ton of pro potential. However, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post, he also carries some legitimate concerns:

"Some scouts think he's a natural-born scorer who fits into an era where the point guard needs to score more. Anthony's supporters also believe having a former NBA veteran as a father (Greg Anthony) will prove a huge bonus. But UNC finished 14–19, tied for last in the ACC. Anthony committed six turnovers in his finale—an 81–53 loss to Syracuse. It's very much a risk-reward pick."

Of course, there's no such thing as a "safe" pick in the NBA draft, so Anthony could be a smart choice if Ball and Hayes are both off the board.

Anthony could also be an option for the Warriors, though with a league-worst 15-50 record, they should be more of a lock for high lottery range.

Still, point guard is a position that Golden State is interested in addressing. According to The Athletic's Anthony Slater, Golden State will be looking to fill out its roster with another point guard behind Stephen Curry:

"Draymond Green is a point forward who will handle the ball a ton. Andrew Wiggins will initiate plenty of offense. But Andre Iguodala, the calming assist-to-turnover expert, and Shaun Livingston, the perfect longtime Curry backup, are gone. Their passing acumen can't be fully replaced. But it's clear the Warriors must address that area of need. Sources indicate that backup point guard will be one of the front office's offseason roster priorities."

The big question for the Warriors is whether they believe a rookie can contribute significantly right away. The championship window with Curry and Thompson isn't going to stay open forever, so Golden State should be in win-now mode.

This could lead to the Warriors looking to trade their pick and/or to target a player like Fred VanVleet in free agency.

Whatever the next evolution of the Warriors consists of, it won't quite be the superteam that Golden State had during the Kevin Durant era. However, this doesn't mean we won't see a similar collection of megastars in the near future.

In fact, one NBA coach recently told Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill that it could happen soon and could be the result of relationships made in the aforementioned bubble.

"The next superteam will come out of this," he said, per Goodwill. "I believe it's inevitable. ... Guys wanna play in the now, but they're also looking ahead," he said. "They know it's a lot of money at stake for the immediate future and for way down the line."

Like the Warriors and the Miami Heat before them, the NBA's next superteam could be more a product of players wanting to join forces than the team decision-makers tasked with putting the squads together.