Warriors' Updated 2021 NBA Draft Targets After Lottery Drawing
After Tuesday night's NBA draft lottery, the Golden State Warriors know for certain which picks they have at their disposal.
Whether they decide to keep those picks or trade them away for win-now upgrades remains to be seen, but let's assume the former until proved otherwise.
The Warriors are one of two teams, along with the Orlando Magic, to have a pair of lottery picks. While Golden State didn't receive any fortunate bounces from the ping-pong balls, it avoided major damage, too. So the Dubs head into the offseason armed with picks No. 7 and 14, both of which could help expand the club's 2021-22 rotation.
The following three prospects seem like logical targets.
Franz Wagner, Michigan
1 of 3
If the Warriors keep one or both of these picks, they will want to invest them in players who can contribute sooner rather than later. With Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson all on the wrong side of 30, they only have so many more cracks at assembling a championship-caliber supporting cast. That could have them valuing high floors over high ceilings.
"We're not trying to develop players at the risk of losing," Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers told reporters. "We're not going to develop and have it cost us games. That's not the plan."
If early impact is the aim, Franz Wagner should be on the radar. The 19-year-old provides a considerable amount of polish for a player his age due to his experience at Michigan and overseas.
The 6'9" wing has the mobility and instincts to guard multiple positions, and he could offer jack-of-all-trades versatility on offense. His stat sheet might not show any standout skills, but he is growing as a secondary playmaker and looks like a better shooter than his career 32.5 percent connection rate from three would suggest.
Davion Mitchell, Baylor
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With the Warriors in the market for players who can help their championship quest, why not target a player who just steered his squad to a national title?
Davion Mitchell's growth as an NBA prospect is astounding. A gritty defender with the superb nickname of "Off-Night"—as in, the player he guards will inevitably have an off-night—he wasn't a needle-mover in his freshman season at Auburn or his sophomore campaign at Baylor.
But everything came together in his junior year, when he obliterated his previous bests in virtually every stat category. Among the many career-highs were his 14.0 points, 5.5 assists, 2.1 threes and 44.7 three-point percentage.
"If they don't know already, NBA scouts will soon find out that Mitchell is the draft's most NBA-ready prospect, a starter from day one with future All-Star potential," ESPN's Mike Schmitz wrote.
Moses Moody, Arkansas
3 of 3
The ideal prospect for the Warriors might be one who offers both instant-impact and long-term potential. After all, the club will eventually need someone to take the torch from Curry and Co.
Moses Moody intrigues with that very balance. Right now, he's a dogged defender who sports a 7'0" wingspan off of his 6'6" frame and splashes 35.8 percent of his threes on better than five attempts per game. Down the line, he might expand his shot-making repertoire with more off-the-dribble finishes.
"Moody has a strong case for top three-and-D prospect in the draft," B/R's Jonathan Wasserman wrote. "And though he's still limited creating off the dribble, there were flashes of a pull-up game and shot-making versatility to build on."
In a perfect world, Moody proves himself ready for 15-20 minutes alongside the current Big 3 and 35-plus with James Wiseman and whomever else the Warriors might keep around for the future.
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