There have been plenty of rumblings about what the Golden State Warriors could do in the NBA Draft on Thursday night.
Might they trade one or both of Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga? Would they trade Kuminga to move up in the draft? Could they move back from the 19th overall pick to draft a more veteran prospect?
A host of scenarios loom over the team, and Marcus Thompson joined KNBR on Tuesday morning to offer his thoughts on how the team will handle the proposition.
The scenario that makes the least sense to Thompson is trading Kuminga to move up and get a prospect, though he did see two avenues it could be possible.
“That don’t make any sense to me at all. Like at all,” Thompson said. “The only way I could see it is one, it’s a different type of player. It’s not a Kuminga-type guy. It’s more a Franz Wagner type of guy, right? A guy who can dribble, pass, shoot and fit…
“The second option is if you are going to make a move, you’ve got Kuminga, you got Moody, you got PBJ, you got Ryan Rollins and you’ve got the ’19 pick, that’s fine. If you just somehow trade up and now you got three youngsters instead of five, like you move Kuminga and whatever up to get a higher pick that’s less youngsters on on a roster that’s a lower salary, or it’s easier to pair another player with the No. 5 pick instead of No. 19. So if you are trading Jordan, Jordan looks a lot better if that pick is No. 5 instead of No. 19.
“Otherwise, if you’re just looking for a player? Like, Kuminga is probably ready to play. If he’s not ready to play, something’s wrong with him, so why give that up for a guy who probably won’t be ready to play?”
If the Warriors did move up, though, Thompson has some familiar names in mind as to who would fit. And while they’re both East Bay natives, and share his last name, Thompson said that the Thompson twins — Amen and Ausar — aren’t actual relatives, but they might as will be.
“They’re my play cousins,” Thompson said. “They don’t know it yet, but I’m gonna tell them. If you’re from the East Bay and you’re a Thompson, we’re cousins, basically.”
He believes either brother, who played in the Overtime Elite league — both are 6-foot-7-inch guards — could handle the ball and create for themselves.
Amen Thompson averaged 16.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.9 blocks per game. Ausar Thompson averaged 16.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.
Marcus Thompson think they’d be a hand-in-glove fit:
They would be so ideal. That’s what I’m saying. They’re different from Kuminga. That’s the different type of player, a guy you put the ball in his hands and he can go make something happen. It’s the kind of player the Warriors don’t have. Can create off the dribble, athletic wings like they got wings, but that’s pretty much it. And the other guys like GPII, but no ball handlers, like no shot creators. No dudes who got a feel. Andre Iguodala was that for the Warriors. And that’s why Poole’s year was so rough because he’s the only other guy who could do it. And now they need another guy. One of those guys would be perfect. Pick one, because they’re both good.
Golden State holds the 19th overall pick in the NBA Draft, which starts at 5 p.m. PDT on Thursday night.
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