Warriors not getting warm response to pre-draft trade offers, reports say
Players for picks? Not so fast, as teams are reportedly hesitant to trade established NBA players for the Warriors' two lottery picks.
SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors’ efforts to use their draft capital this year to acquire a proven NBA star to aid potential a long playoff run next season is encountering strong headwinds, according to multiple reports.
The Warriors own the seventh and 14th overall picks in Thursday’s NBA Draft and recent rumors suggest general manager Bob Myers has reached out to other teams to inquire about the availability of certain established players. That list includes Washington’s Bradley Beal, Toronto’s Pascal Siakam and Oakland native Damian Lillard, who just finished his ninth season with the Portland Trail Blazers.
But it seems NBA teams are cool to the idea of parting with a proven NBA player for a package that would include Golden State’s two first-round draft picks and other assets.
A Bleacher Report story published Sunday indicated that Myers had not received a warm response from other league executives about swapping his two first-round draft picks for established veterans.
“Canvassing sources around the league, it seems few veteran impact players are considered to be available at the moment,” Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer wrote Sunday.
Adrian Wojnarowski said on ESPN’s “Woj & Lowe Free Agency Special” on Sunday recently that he expects the Warriors to “wait and see how it goes with Bradley Beal.
“But short of Bradley Beal being available, I expect Golden State to use those picks at seven and 14 this week.”
The Warriors’ core includes Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins, with James Wiseman entering his second year in the NBA. It is also believed that Klay Thompson will be able to return from an Achilles injury at some point this upcoming season, although a clear timeline hasn’t been established.
Curry’s contract expires after next season, while the deals for Green and Thompson expire in 2024.