The Warriors may have to wait another year to inherit the Minnesota Timberwolves’ choice in the first round of 2021.
Already having the NBA’s worst record by a solid margin, the league suspended Malik Beasley for 12 games for conduct “stemming from off-season charges,” the organization announced on Thursday. Sharan Charania of the stadium was the first to break the news.
As Charania indicated in his report, Beasley is having a tremendous season, scoring 20.5 points per game in 40.6 percent of 3-point shots.
The Warriors received the protected draft selection in exchange for Andrew Wiggins last February. He is among the top three protected in 2021 and would become unprotected in 2022 if Minnesota finishes in the top three in the 21 draft lottery.
If the Timberwolves ended with the worst record, the Warriors would have an approximately 60 percent chance of finishing with the 4th or 5th draft, courtesy of Minnesota.
RELATED: Kerr Shows How Draymond ‘Unites Everything’ for Warriors
Given that the T-Wolves’ offensive rating is almost 12 points higher when Beasley was on the pitch this season, it is fair to assume that they could suffer from the loss of 12 guard games. Minnesota has 39 games remaining in the 2020-21 season.
Beasley was sentenced to 120 days in prison earlier this month after pleading guilty to a felony charge of threats of violence since September (h / t ESPN).
With a number of high-value prospects expected at the start of the NBA’s 2021 Draft, potentially having two choices in the first round would be huge for the Warriors front office.
We will see how Minnesota can withstand the loss of one of its top scorers.
Download and subscribe to the Dubs Talk Podcast