The Warriors may be staring at the kind of fix that always hurts more because it arrives late.
Five years after passing on Franz Wagner in the draft and taking Jonathan Kuminga instead, Golden State is again being linked to the Orlando forward - this time as the front office looks for a way out of an offseason that already feels cramped and uneasy. The idea is simple enough: if the Magic ever decide to move Wagner, the Warriors would be ready to pounce.
That possibility has real sting attached to it. Orlando grabbed Wagner with the eighth pick after Golden State chose Kuminga at seven, and the contrast between the two careers has only sharpened since then. Kuminga never settled into a steady role in nearly five years with the franchise, while Wagner carved out immediate value on a rebuilding Magic team and now carries career averages of 19.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.0 steal while shooting 47.5% from the field.
Orlando’s long-term picture is not exactly settled, either. The biggest question sits with Wagner and Paolo Banchero, a forward pairing that still has room to grow, but also some real shooting concerns. Both players have shot less than 33% from 3-point range in their careers, and that leaves the door open, at least in theory, for outside interest if the Magic ever take a step back.
According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints on Friday, Golden State is watching that situation closely. “The Warriors have held interest in Wagner and Banchero previously, even though Orlando was not interested in hearing offers for either young forward, and Golden State would lurk as a suitor again should the Magic underachieve in what has become a crowded Eastern Conference,” Siegel wrote.
If that sounds like a painful do-over, that’s because it is. The Warriors had Wagner sitting there when they made the Kuminga pick, and now any attempt to land him would cost far more than the draft slot they passed on. Wagner is due $41.8 million next season, which means a deal would almost certainly force Golden State to sacrifice either Draymond Green or Jimmy Butler, who is a six-time All-Star.
And even that might not be enough. If Orlando ever got serious about listening, the price would still likely include multiple first-round picks, despite Wagner not having made an All-Star team yet and perhaps never doing so.
The timing makes the whole thing even more uncomfortable. Stephen Curry is now 38-years-old, and the Warriors’ championship window appears to be shut for the moment. That leaves Golden State weighing a brutal truth: the chance to choose Wagner is long gone, and trying to repair that mistake now may not be the smartest use of the expiring contracts and draft capital it has left.
In Other News...
Warriors Already Have Early Proof They Nailed A Key Draft Call
Golden State had a chance to get cute on draft night, but instead the front office stayed put and used the 11th pick on Yaxel Lendeborg after declining Oklahoma Citys offer to move up. The deal would have brought back future second-round picks, but the Warriors passed, betting on the player they wanted rather than the extra assets, and that choice already looks like a smart one for a team trying to keep finding value wherever it can.
Lendeborg backed up the decision quickly in summer league, where he was named MVP and helped lead the Warriors to the championship. Oklahoma Citys Aday Mara, taken one spot later, flashed a few encouraging signs, but the early returns have tilted clearly toward Golden State, which at least for now seems to have found a clean win in a draft process that could matter well beyond July. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Get Encouraging Moses Moody Update After Trade Buzz
Moses Moodys recovery has taken a promising step forward, a welcome update for a Warriors team that has spent plenty of time this summer weighing roster possibilities and rotation stability. Four months after surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon, Moody is making good progress in his rehab, and the organization is expected to stay patient rather than push him back before he is ready.
The next checkpoint matters, though, because it will help frame just how soon Golden State can realistically count on him again. If the rehab keeps trending in the right direction, Moody should remain part of the conversation for the Warriors when he returns, which gives the team at least one encouraging internal storyline to monitor as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Face One Trade Dilemma In Pursuit Of Bench Scoring
The Warriors search for more bench scoring has only become more urgent as the roster has settled into its new shape, and one name floating in that conversation is tied to Milwaukees post-Giannis reshuffling. After Giannis Antetokounmpo was dealt to the Heat, the Bucks brought in several pieces, and among the players drawing outside attention is a young wing who turned in a strong season and has the kind of offensive profile that could help Golden States second unit.
Even so, the path to a deal does not look simple. League chatter has centered on the idea of using draft capital to make it happen, but the Warriors have been cautious about moving future picks, especially for a player whose contract situation adds another layer of complexity. Between the price in assets and the extension questions that come with it, this is the sort of trade idea that sounds helpful for a bench that needs scoring, yet still feels unlikely to become real unless the market shifts. [Read more 🡒]