If he falls to 19, there’d be interest from the Warriors, who need to add more size this summer.īut will he fall to 19? Lively’s representatives don’t believe so. He’s 19 and just finished his freshman season at Duke. Lively is a raw center with some elite measurables, theoretical defensive tools and a long way to go offensively. For example, they scheduled a workout with Dereck Lively II, but he backed out of it the day before. All four are multi-year college players already in their 20s.īut they aren’t avoiding the idea of a younger upside swing entirely. That includes Kris Murray, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Trayce Jackson-Davis and Brandin Podziemski. Most of the players they brought into the facility projected in that range are on the older (readier) side. The Warriors do have plenty of prospects they’re looking at with the 19th pick. But if they do trade down for an extra asset or out of the draft for a veteran or a future draft pick, remember that aspect. That’s larger than the veteran minimum (attached to exponential tax penalties) but isn’t enough of a difference to avoid the salary entirely. The 19th pick is estimated to make $2.75 million in his first season and $2.9 million in his second season. That would rule out a giveaway of the 19th pick just to avoid the guaranteed salary. I think our focus is to draft players that are actually good at basketball.”ĭespite their tax bill rising into a previous untouchable territory and the new second apron looming as a major problem during the 2024 offseason, league sources indicate that they won’t make pure salary-slashing deals this summer and there will be a competitive purpose to their moves. The difference between 19 and 23 years of age, sure. “Like Joe said, it’s pretty hard not to draft a young guy. “I think our main focus is on drafting a really good basketball player,” Dunleavy said. “I’ll just say they all seem young to me, so … I’m a lot older, so they’re all young.” “I’ll let Mike handle that because it’s his responsibility,” Warriors owner Joe Lacob said, before deflecting with a joke. But the draft is the offseason’s first domino, the Warriors have the 19th pick and it begs the question: Can they even afford to add another rookie to the mix and, if they do, is it a prerequisite that they must identify a readier (perhaps older) prospect who could theoretically help quicker? It can be better solved during July free agency on the minimum market where the Warriors must find value. So the problem at the back end of the roster might not be as dire but it remains. There’s an expectation that the 15th spot will remain vacant again, considering the tax bill. Rollins broke his foot and remains far away from rotation legitimacy. Baldwin at least flashed as a floor-spacing big when given a brief run. Moody and Kuminga have grown and should be more reliable in their third seasons. Wiseman was flipped for Gary Payton II at the trade deadline. They didn’t have an extra veteran like Damion Lee or Juan Toscano-Anderson or Nemanja Bjelica to go to in a pinch. That stung them at several points during a rocky regular season, which bled into a second-round playoff flameout. The last two, Baldwin and Rollins, weren’t.Īdd in the mostly inactive Andre Iguodala and the empty 15th slot (for tax purposes) and seven of the team’s 15 roster spots were either unsubstantial or unknown from an on-court perspective. The first three, all lottery picks, were expected to be ready for elevated roles. The Warriors added five teenagers in the previous three drafts: James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Patrick Baldwin Jr.
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