Bob Myers shares insight on Warriors’ draft plans less than a week after
winning title
Warriors GM Bob Myers on 2022 NBA Draft: 'I think we'll go best player'
>SAN FRANCISCO, CA – JULY 30: Golden State Warriors President of
Basketball Operations and General Manager Bob Myers poses for a
photograph with the Warriors 2021 draft picks Moses Moody, left, and
Jonathan Kuminga during a press conference at Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif., on Friday, July 30, 2021. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay
Area News Group)
>SAN FRANCISCO, CA – JULY 30: Golden State Warriors President of
Basketball Operations and General Manager Bob Myers poses for a
photograph with the Warriors 2021 draft picks Moses Moody, left, and
Jonathan Kuminga during a press conference at Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif., on Friday, July 30, 2021. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay
Area News Group)
By SHAYNA RUBIN | srubin@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: June 22, 2022 at 1:37 p.m. | UPDATED: June 23, 2022 at 2:41 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/06/22/bob-myers-shares-insight-on-warriors-draft-plans-less-than-a-week-after-winning-title/

SAN FRANCISCO — The championship parade buzz is still wearing off, but
the Warriors have to pivot focus to Thursday’s NBA Draft.

Golden State has the 28th overall pick and two second-round picks in
Thursday night’s draft, but no urgency to fill a roster spot. The
Warriors have seven free agents, and a 2023 run to defend their title
could depend on keeping a majority of them — including Gary Payton II,
Kevon Looney and Otto Porter Jr. — or identifying players that match
their production in the free agency market.

The Warriors were thin at center this season: James Wiseman missed the
season recovering from knee surgery done last April, pushing Kevon
Looney and Draymond Green to play center all year. Wiseman is expected
to play Summer League and return healthy next year to add depth there.

With no clear position to fill, the Warriors say their strategy will be
to take the best player available on the board.

“I think we’ll go best player, (that’s) usually what we fall back on,”
president of basketball operations Bob Myers said. “But I think the
league is pretty wing-heavy and we’ve seen that position have a lot of
value.”

The Warriors’ front office is burning through film to build a big board.
Myers said the team is “ready” for the big night despite the three-month
title run distraction.

“I guess high-class problem,” he said. “We’ve done this five times, so
this is six. I didn’t know that we’d be doing it again. But we have done
it before. Got to lean on your staff. Got to lean on the people that
have been doing it the whole year.”

The Warriors pride themselves on an ability to win now and develop their
next generation of players — their roster holds lottery picks Jonathan
Kuminga (19 years old), Moses Moody (20) and Wiseman (21).

But in order to defend their title, the Warriors may opt to line their
roster with more veterans than projects. Certainly the Warriors would
consider trading the 28th pick if an offer was on the table.

“I don’t think the money is going to be a factor as far as whether we
trade out or keep the pick,” Myers said. “It’ll be if it makes sense, so
it won’t really be a money decision. We’ve got like 15, 20 people up on
the ninth floor right now watching film and getting the draft order and
getting our board aligned.

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“…We’ve been in this position before. But you get a guy like (Jordan)
Poole it shows you valuable is it to get it right. We don’t get it right
every time. We have had some guys that haven’t worked out.”

The Warriors picked Poole 28th overall in the 2019 draft, days after
Kevin Durant tore his Achilles and Klay Thompson tore his ACL in the
Warriors’ Finals loss to Toronto. Shortly thereafter, Durant left the
Warriors for the Nets. Poole went through significant growing pains
through the Warriors’ two down seasons, but he was a key contributor to
their 2022 title run.

Of course, Golden State isn’t planning to have two years for this year’s
top pick to develop, so whoever they select, he won’t have much margin
for error.

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Shayna Rubin | Oakland Athletics reporter