NBA Rumors: Warriors Could Explore Trading No. 2 Pick For LaMarcus Aldridge And No. 11 Pick
After finishing the season as one of the worst teams in the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors have successfully acquired the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft. However, though they haven’t ruled out the possibility of picking a young and talented prospect in the upcoming draft, most people are expecting the Warriors to use their lottery selection as the main trade chip to add another All-Star caliber player this offseason. One of the players who is currently being linked to the team is LaMarcus Aldridge of the San Antonio Spurs.
In a recent episode of The Lowe Post podcast, Zach Lowe and Bobby Marks of ESPN discussed potential trade scenarios involving the Warriors’ 2020 first-rounder. Lowe revealed that according to his sources, there’s a “little buzz” around the league that a potential deal that would send Aldridge and the No. 11 selection to the Warriors in exchange for the No. 2 overall pick.
“Someone within the league texted me today that hey, there’s a little bit of buzz about number two to San Antonio for LaMarcus Aldridge and number eleven,” Lowe said, as quoted by Ethan Farina of Fansided’sAir Alamo.
“And obviously there would have to be salary going out.”
The proposed scenario would earn mixed reactions all around the league, with some people possibly thinking that the Warriors would be foolish to give up a lottery pick for an aging All-Star like Aldridge. However, when healthy, the potential arrival of Aldridge in Golden State would undeniably boost the Warriors’ chances of fully dominating the loaded Western Conference and reclaiming the NBA championship title next season.
Aldridge may no longer be in his prime, but he could still make a huge impact on both ends of the floor. At 35, he remains a very reliable scoring option, rebounder, and quality rim protector. What makes him a more intriguing acquisition for the Warriors is his ability to knock down shots from the three-point range. Last season, he averaged 18.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.6 blocks while shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from beyond the arc, per ESPN.
Adding Aldridge to their core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andrew Wiggins would enable the Warriors to have a better matchup against teams with dominant big men like Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers), Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks), and Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat).
Meanwhile, the proposed scenario would be a no-brainer for the Spurs, especially if they no longer have any plan of extending Aldridge’s contract. Instead of losing him in the 2021 free agency without getting anything in return, they would be using his expiring contract to move up in the upcoming draft.
The 2020 NBA draft class may not be as loaded as the previous year, but there are still plenty of interesting prospects that could help the Spurs speed up the rebuilding process. Using the No. 2 pick, they could immediately replace Aldridge with a young and promising big man by selecting James Wiseman, or they could give Dejounte Murray a new backcourt partner by drafting either LaMelo Ball or Anthony Edwards.
