It’s hard to recall more contrasting fortunes between two teams in one offseason than what we’ve just seen with the Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors. The latter had free agency interest in LeBron James and Anfernee Simons, and also engaged in trade talks with the Boston Celtics over Jaylen Brown, only for all three players to wind up in the City of Brotherly Love.

But it wasn’t just a crazy July period where Bob Myers and the 76ers front office beat out the Warriors. They also snatched Labaron Philon Jr. as one of the steals of the first-round of the draft in late June, with the young guard having generated interest from Golden State during the pre-draft process.

76ers snatched another player the Warriors held interest in 

The 76ers were already an early winner of the offseason when they landed Philon 22nd overall. The 20-year-old was seen as a potential lottery pick, hence why he was brought in by the Warriors for a pre-draft workout where he spoke of how he could help the team and franchise superstar Stephen Curry.

“I would take a lot of pressure off (Curry). At the guard spot being able to get into the paint, create some more gravity for him, and get other guys open,” Philon said.

There’s an argument to be made that the Warriors should’ve tried to do more to trade back in to the first-round of the draft, giving them another young talented piece to pair with 11th overall pick Yaxel Lendeborg. 

Philon wasn’t the only player to fall during the first-round of the draft. Cam Carr and Chris Cenac Jr. were also mid first-round prospects who went in the 20s, and who were linked to Golden State in the days and weeks before the draft. 

Warriors fans will find it hard to watch 76ers this season

Philadelphia undoubtedly delivered the best offseason of any team in the league. Drafting Philon with the 22nd pick is essentially an afterthought now, having acquired Brown in a blockbuster trade, James in a shock free agency move, and even a player like Simons who had generated interest from the Warriors and Miami Heat among others. 

Unfortunately for the Warriors, it all came at their expense and was completed with the fingerprints of their former GM, Myers, having his fingerprints over every transaction. That’s going to make Philadelphia a tough watch for Golden State fans this season, knowing they could’ve been the team with James, Brown, Simons, Philon or a combination of that quartet.

That will only be made worse if the Warriors can’t bounce back from a tough end to last season and if they wind up back in the Play-In Tournament once again as many analysts expect.

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