Nate Parham, Golden State of Mind’s fearless leader/site manager, brought up an excellent point on the GSoM’s latest podcast. I’ll paraphrase: The draft is one of the only opportunities for teams to add cheap, young talent to the roster. Despite the Warriors’ multi-year dominance, drafting remains an essential component of success moving forward.
The draft is also an opportunity to cultivate a player with a personality and work ethic that fits exactly with the organization’s ethos. Trades and signings are expensive and necessary steps for success—but new players acquired by those means are not always culture fits on the team.