Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report seems to have found the perfect trade partner for the Golden State Warriors in his latest draft.
Wasserman returns the Warriors to number 8 in the draft, pushing the New York Knicks to second pick. In this scenario, point guard LaMelo Ball heads for the lights of Madison Square Garden, and the Warriors choose Florida state wing Devin Vassell. Golden State also adds No. 27 overall pick, Dallas Mavericks pick of the 2021 first round and point guard Frank Ntilikina.
Ntilikina fills a hole for the Warriors. Sure, he didn’t live up to his number 8 pick status in the 2017 draft, but he definitely has a place in the NBA. He’s only 22 and averaged career highs in points (6.3) and steals (0.9) with an average of just 20.8 minutes per game. The former first player also had his best shooting year of his young career, scoring 32.1% of his 3 and had a 45.9 effective goal goal percentage.
The Warriors need a backup point guard behind Steph Curry and Ntilikina could be the long, defensive option that fits perfectly into Kerr’s system. The young guard stands 1.8 meters tall, but had a ridiculous 7-meter wingspan. He also had his best defensive plus-minus (0.4) of his three-year NBA career.