It's been less than a week since the Warriors celebrated their second of back-to-back NBA Championships with a parade through downtown Oakland, so, naturally, they're currently easing into months of well-deserved relaxation, right?
Wrong.
2018 NBA DraftThursday, June 214:00 p.m.Barclays CenterBrooklyn, NYWATCH: ESPNGSW Selections:1st Round, 28th Overall
Sure, some of the players have departed for different corners of the world to begin their Championship offseason, but in no way does that mean the machine has come to a halt, and for good reason. A few days from now, Golden State will participate in the first major event of the so-called offseason, when they convene for the 2018 NBA Draft on Thursday night.
You might be wondering, after winning three league titles in four years, just how important could the Draft be to a team like the Warriors? Quite vital, in fact.
You don't have to look any further than Golden State's starting lineup to see the potential dividends of nailing a draft pick. The Dubs' starting and homegrown backcourt of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were selected with the seventh and 11th picks in their respective drafts. Then there's Draymond Green, who was passed up by all 30 NBA teams before the Dubs ultimately selected him with the 35th overall pick in the 2012 Draft.
There's also the matter of age. Golden State's roster could use a bit of a youth infusion, and the Draft is naturally a great place to start. Entering this past season, the Dubs had the fourth-oldest roster in the league. Bringing a draft pick into the fold could simultaneously serve to lower that number, while providing the team with further depth at any number of positions. There's also a financial component to it.
"The draft is big for us, because we just don't have a lot of vehicles to add players, as far as financial or cap space even the non-tax payer mid-level," Warriors General Manager and President of Basketball Operations Bob Myers said recently. "Things that you'd normally have, we don't have. We're looking for a guy who can play, which is a little unusual. We're going to need to have guys that can go out there and give us minutes."
So, clearly the Warriors have certain characteristics in mind for the player(s) they select in the Draft on Thursday. And, compared to recent years, they might have their best chance at finding one that fits the criteria.
Despite winning the Championship, the Warriors have the 28th overall pick in the first round of Thursday's Draft after finishing the regular season with the third-best record in the league. That's Golden State's highest draft position in the first round since they selected Harrison Barnes with the seventh overall pick in that same 2012 Draft.
Golden State does not currently possess a second round pick, but you can't necessarily rule out the possibility that they could acquire one. Both Patrick McCaw and Jordan Bell were selected by the Warriors with second round picks that they didn't possess until acquiring them on Draft night via trade.
Could the Warriors find another diamond in the rough? Tune in on Thursday to find out.