Warriors urged to repeat history by trading for former number one overall pick

Warriors urged to repeat history by trading for former number one overall pick.

The Golden State Warriors made a franchise-altering decision in 2020, acquiring Andrew Wiggins from the Minnesota Timberwolves at a time where the Canadian wasn’t viewed as a positive asset.

 

Fast-forward just over two years and Wiggins was the second-best player on a championship team, and over four years on the Warriors are still trying to unearth value in the form of Jonathan Kuminga who resulted as the pick the franchise got in the trade.

Golden State took a gamble on Wiggins talent and it paid off, so could they look to repeat history with another former first overall pick whose value has declined in recent years?

 

The Warriors have been suggested as a trade destination for Zion Williamson

Speaking on NBA Today on Friday, ESPN’s Bobby Marks suggested the Warriors as a new home for Zion Williamson amid a torrid injury run for the New Orleans Pelicans. Marks noted Williamson as a potential “low-risk” option for Golden State from a trade standpoint, proposing a deal ironically around Wiggins alongside Kevon Looney and Brandin Podziemski.

There’s no indication that the bottom-of-the-West Pelicans are ready to move on from their franchise star, but if they were there’s an obvious reason as to why Williamson may be gettable for a discount based on his talent.

 

Could Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson both be future trade candidates this season? 👀 @BobbyMarks42 fires up the TRADE MACHINE with two teams that make sense for the Pelicans stars ✍️ pic.twitter.com/E2dv4oq3uU

 

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 13, 2024

Any trade for Williamson would inherently come with risk given his injury history, with the 24-year-old currently sidelined by a hamstring strain that’s seen him play just six games this season. After being one of the most highly touted players of all time coming out of college, Williamson has played in just 190 of a possible 416 regular season games.

The talent is undeniable — despite the injury woes the 6’6″ forward has done enough to be named to the All-Star team twice, while holding career averages of 24.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game on 58.7% shooting from the floor.

 

The Warriors are on the hunt for a star and therefore if Williamson did become available, you would expect them to at least inquire on what it would take. The injury history does make it difficult, as does the overlapping fit with Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga if both were to remain on the roster.

 

Williamson would fit the fill as providing Golden State with a second legitimate scoring option, but it’s unlikely they take a risk at this exact moment. Perhaps they could look at it during the offseason when the Kuminga free agency situation is resolved, but until then the Warriors should be targeting a more reliable star if that’s indeed the direction they go in.