Golden State On The Move
The Warriors should be one of the most active teams on Draft night due to four picks (No. 7, 30, 35, 52) and already being the fourth youngest team in the league. After drafting Klay Thompson last year, solidifying a solid backcourt with Steph Curry for years to come, and then trading for Andrew Bogut to build a tremendous frontcourt with David Lee and Andris Biedrins, the team has playoff aspirations.
Sitting at No. 7 in the heart of the lottery, Golden State is targeting a small forward to fill the void on the wing. Front office favorites are Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Harrison Barnes, but both are likely to be long gone by the time the Warriors hit the clock. Warriors management has also fallen in love with St. John's forward Moe Harkless, although 7 would be a bit of a reach for the versatile youngster. If they don't reach for Harkless at small forward, the two targets are Syracuse guard Dion Waiters, whose offensive attacking nature would be much welcomed to the jump-shooting Curry and Thompson. Another target is Tyler Zeller, the North Carolina center, who doesn't have the upside of other bigs in this draft like Andre Drummond or Meyers Leonard, but his floor is also much higher than those two prospects; he is seen as the "safe" pick compared to one of upside.
Keep an eye on Golden State packaging picks to trade out of No. 7 all together as well; the two hot names right now are Sixers' wing Andre Iguodala and Bulls' forward Luol Deng. Both would be tremendous upgrades to the current mix of small forwards, but more importantly, adding a savvy veteran defensive-stopper as well which would be the perfect fit under head coach Mark Jackson.
By NBA-DRAFT.com Staff Writer - 6 - 25 - 12
