The NBA Draft is in eight days time and the rumor mill is starting to swirl.
Golden State currently holds the 19th pick in the draft, and has a handful of prized young assets it could use to either acquire a veteran or, according to a new report, move up in the draft.
Per ESPN’s Jonathan Givony in he and Jeremy Woo’s latest mock draft, Golden State could potentially move Jonathan Kuminga to move up.
Givony projects Michigan guard/forward Jett Howard to the Warriors at 19, but writes this:
Howard’s draft range starts around No. 11 (Orlando), with plenty of teams looking for shooters with size, skill and feel that will likely consider him, including Toronto (No. 13), Utah (No. 16), and the Lakers (No. 17). He’s an extreme contrast in ability, from what he showed early in the season until late of it when he played through an injury. If not Howard, the Warriors could look at other prospects who fit their style of play. The appetite for taking on more projects will likely be limited due to their narrow window for maximizing the prime of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and others. Sources tell ESPN the Warriors are also exploring the option of acquiring a high draft pick in exchange for a young prospect such as Jonathan Kuminga .
You may be thinking to yourself that Kuminga is a young, promising prospect. Why would the Warriors trade a more proven prospect to open a mystery box? That’s a great question and one we don’t have the answer to.
There have been rumblings that the Warriors could be open to trading Kuminga this offseason, but most have intimated that would be for a “win-now” player. Trading a prospect for a prospect is a new wrinkle.