[brid autoplay=”true” video=”777846″ player=”23231″ title=”5%20ideal%20Damian%20Lillard%20trade%20scenarios” duration=”90″ description=”Could the Portland Trail Blazers be forced into pulling off a Damian Lillard trade this coming summer? Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports seems to think that the all-time great shooter is getting impatient in the Pacific Northwest.For good reason. Despite his otherworldly play, the Blazers have failed in building a contending team around the future Hall of Famer. At 30-years-old, it might be time for the sharpshooting guard to force his way out of the Pacific Northwest.If so, pretty much the entire NBA would come calling for a six-time All-Star who is averaging 27.5 points and 6.9 assists since the start of the 2016-17 season. Below, we look at five ideal offseason Damian Lillard trade scenarios.” uploaddate=”2021-05-06″ thumbnailurl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/thumb/777846_t_1620320766.png” contentUrl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/sd/777846.mp4″]
There’s a 73% chance that the Minnesota Timberwolves’ top-three protected pick in the 2021 NBA Draft will land with the Golden State Warriors.
Golden State received that selection as part of the trade that sent D’Angelo Russell and salary fillers to the Timberwolves for Andrew Wiggins back in February of 2020.
Said blockbuster is already seen as a win for the Warriors after Wiggins put up an impressive initial campaign with the team. However, if this pick were to convey in 2021, it would give Golden State more assets to even come out further ahead in said trade.
According to a report from Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, there’s a growing belief around NBA circles that the Golden State Warriors will use said selection to add to their aging core in a separate trade.
“If Minnesota’s pick does convey, there’s an expectation among league personnel that the Warriors will explore trading that selection to upgrade their roster for a potential 2021-22 championship run,” Fischer noted.
One NBA executive went as for to indicate that if it isn’t a top-four selection, that the Warriors will do their best to move said pick. Golden State also boasts its original first-round pick, which is likely to land at 14 once the NBA Draft lottery is completed on Tuesday.
As of right now, there’s a 27.6% chance that Minnesota’s first-round pick will be in the top three — enabling the Wolves to send their unprotected 2022 first-round selection to the Warriors instead. If the pick conveys, these are the odds of where it might land for the Warriors.
- #4 pick: 9.6%
- #5 pick: 0%
- #6 pick: 8.6%
- #7 pick: 29.7%
- #8 pick: 20.6%
- #9 pick: 3.8%
Based on these odds, there’s a good chance that the Warriors will be picking either seventh or eighth. That will play a role in their decision-making process and what they might look to do.
What are the Golden State Warriors plans in the 2021 NBA Draft?
Even after missing the playoffs each of the past two seasons, there’s very little reason to believe that the Warriors are going to look too much to the future during the annual draft. In reality, they likely won’t make both lottery selections.
Stephen Curry is coming off an MVP-caliber season. Klay Thompson is slated to return in 2021-22 after missing each of the past two campaigns to injuries. Andrew Wiggins righted the ship in what was a fledgling career and turned into a two-way player in his first season with the Warriors. Draymond Green was a Defensive Player of the Year finalist. There’s still a championship core in place.
Instead, moving off one (or both) of these selections for a proven rotational player would make the most sense. Golden State also has assets in James Wiseman, Jordan Poole and other young players to offer up other teams. Heck, Wiggins has positive trade value should Golden State look to add a true star at the three.
All of this is going to be dependent on where these two selections land come Tuesday evening. If the balls bounce in the right direction for the Golden State Warriors, look for them to be linked to the likes of Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis and Ben Simmons, among other high-profile players who could potentially be had in trades this summer.