The Golden State Warriors and LaMelo Ball will forever be linked due to the 2020 NBA Draft. The franchise’s decision to pass on Ball and draft James Wiseman ultimately may not be a failure as Wiseman has shown potential this season but considering how good Ball has looked, it’s a decision that has immediately come into question.
Golden State’s decision comes under even more scrutiny with Jalen Rose’s recent revelation. On his “Jalen and Jacoby Podcast,” Rose claims the Warriors promised to take Ball with the No. 2 pick before skipping over him (h/t NBCSports Bay Area).
“And I’ll give the Golden State Warriors a nod too. I like what they’ve been doing too. And I know they could have taken LaMelo, but I know why they didn’t. And by the way, the night of the draft, the Golden State Warriors told LaMelo Ball they were going to take him next and they didn’t do it.”
The Ball-Warriors relationship before the draft was an interesting one. Reports varied between the front office being high on him to them not being sold on him as well.
On draft day, the Warriors’ plans had an abrupt change when Klay Thompson suffered a torn ACL. However, as opposed to drafting a young guard to fill the hole left by Thompson’s injury, the Warriors veered the other way toward Wiseman.
The decision has quickly come under fire this season even before this report from Rose. As more reports come out, the two teams will only become more and more heavily linked.
