houston20 wrote:Sources have indicated to The Chronicle that, if the Warriors land the No. 1 pick and decide not to trade down, they’ll likely take Georgia’s Anthony Edwards. If Golden State lands anywhere between No. 2 and No. 5, it’ll strongly consider Iowa State’s Tyrese Haliburton, Auburn’s Isaac Okoro and Israel’s Deni Avdija, among others. – via Connor Letourneau @ San Francisco Chronicle

I think they'll definitely trade down rather than keep the 1st if they land it- doubt they want to take on another $10mil per year salary

Nalod wrote:

IN the “shyt adds up department”, they have a 17mil exception. One might laugh at the Wiggins trade until one looks back long term.
he might be better than Russell long term, did the deal knowing they had a 17mil exemption, and get a trade pick.

Wolves needed the deal to keep KAT.
Berman sucks for saying Thibs means no KAT for knicks. If thats the case, then phuch him. KAT didn’t like that Thibs brings in Butler and gave him the keys. Maybe in retrospect KAT grows up to accept it. If not, then he don’t get it.

The 17mil trade exemption is useless though due to their astronomical payroll- already locked into $150mil a year, plus $10mi if they select first. With the plummeting cap and lower threshold for the luxury tax, do you honestly think they can take on another $17mil on top of that?! That Wiggins trade was awful and has destroyed their ability to add players to the roster, unless they move him and the pick they got with hm- in which case, what was the point?

Most fans project Wiggins to continue to flounder. I can see that scenario as its pretty obvious, but also one where he is Harrison Barnes, or one where he actually elevates his games. Why? He is playing wing with two HOF's!

Most likely if they are in win now mode and get the number one pick AND have a 17mm exemption this gives them some ability to maneuver. I don't know what all they can do but Wiggins as salary cap fodder also makes this very interesting. He is not a dead asset. To a team rebuilding that can be incentivized to take on cap, can that open a path for GSW to sign Anthony Davis? Im not saying that happens.

Lets put it this way, the path for great teams to construct need assets to deal and play with and multiple step process. I believe the knicks have attempted some things over the years and it did not come together. For every Kawhi to Toronto there are 5 failures at least.
With Brock and Leon I expect moves as prerequisite to others down the road. Knicks have:

Assets
Youth
Cap space and flex
A Front office with Leon and Brock Aller that have balls, intellect, and they freaking came here!
I don't know the future, but Im excited over what could be. I can't fathom the path yet.

Regarding GSW, they have a core, Potential no. 1 pick, and Wiggins as fodder they can move. I would not call them out as landlocked quite yet.