Offseason Report Card: Warriors get two A’s, four B’s and a C for summer moves

7. Traded Patrick Baldwin Jr. for Trayce Jackson-Davis

Added Patrick Baldwin Jr. to larger trade with Washington Wizards in exchange for 57th pick in 2023 NBA Draft, which was used to select Indiana big man Trayce Jackson-Davis.

The Warriors’ other draft-night move was to move back into the NBA Draft to take Indiana big man Trayce Jackson-Davis. In order to do so, they sent last year’s first-round pick, Patrick Baldwin Jr., to the Washington Wizards.

“TJD” looks like a great fit as a backup center for the Warriors, with decent ball skills and excellent touch around the rim. He likely would have gone higher in the second-round were it not for his agent telling other teams they wanted to fall, presumably to the Warriors and their full contract at pick No. 57.

Yet the Warriors know better than most that backup centers are relatively easy to come by, and they have historically eschewed spending assets on them…except for James Wiseman, of course. Patrick Baldwin Jr. showed real promise as a stretch-big, a role the Warriors value, but he was sent packing for the second-to-last pick in the draft. Perhaps the reason was player fit, but it seems more likely this was a salary dump to get off of PBJ’s more expensive first-round contract in exchange for a low-level second-round deal.

Some draft analysts had Jackson-Davis with a first-round grade, and if he delivers on that potential this will be a steal and well worth the cost. If he performs like most late seconds, however, the cost may end up being unnecessarily high just to shave off some money.

Grade: C