© Jim Dedmon/USA TODAY | 2020 Aug 22
It appears the Warriors don’t have their heart set on trading the No. 2 pick for a veteran player.
If that was the case, it seems unlikely they would’ve visited 19-year-old Serbian-Israeli prospect Deni Avdija in Atlanta on Thursday morning, according to a report in The Athletic.
The “they” in question consisted of Steve Kerr and “other members of the Warriors organization,” who were reportedly “blown away” by the combination of his work out and their subsequent meeting with him.
“The universal takeaway was that he’s a “great kid” with an immense work ethic,” Ethan Strauss wrote in The Athletic.
It’s unclear if the Warriors would be willing to take Avdija at No. 2 overall in the upcoming NBA Draft, or if they believe they can trade down and select him later on.
What is clear is that Avdija is a versatile wing with good size, a player-type that the team has consistently targeted during the Bob Myers era. At 6-foot-9, Avdija has shown an aptitude for playing the traditional wing position and also a playmaking role with the ball in his hands. Avdija also excelled in transition with Maccabi Tel Aviv last season, averaging 12.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 33 games, while shooting 52.6 percent overall and 35.3 percent from 3-point range.
Strong game for Deni Avdija today in a win over Holon: 24 PTS, 7 REBS & 4 AST in 31 MIN while shooting 4-of-6 from 2 and 4-of-8 from 3. The potential top-5 pick is now shooting 48% from 3 in 5 games since Israel returned to play. Avdija's versatility @ 6-9 on full display today. pic.twitter.com/kuD4REaaFL
— Mike Schmitz (@Mike_Schmitz) July 6, 2020
At the conclusion of the season, he was named as the youngest MVP in league history.
The NBA Draft is scheduled for Wednesday, November 18.
