The Golden State Warriors are hoping to strike gold on Sunday afternoon.
That is when the order for the first 14 picks of the 2026 NBA Draft will be determined, with ping pong balls drawn to determine the fates of the league's lesser teams this season. The Draft Lottery (12:00 PM PT) represents a chance for the Warriors to add an elite talent -- be that for a rebuild or another run alongside Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and company.
Ahead of the lottery, the Warriors have a 9.4 percent chance of moving up into the Top 4. This draft class is loaded with talent, and moving into the Top 4 would ensure they land an elite-level prospect.
In our Mock Draft 1.0, the Warriors do move up, as they hope to do in real life on Sunday. Let's look at a prediction for the first 14 picks of the draft, illustrating both what could happen for the Warriors if they land a top pick, as well as the players likely to be available downstream if they stay put in the late lottery.
2026 NBA Mock Draft
The Altanta Hawks leap up to No. 1 with a pick they gained from the New Orleans Pelicans, while the Warriors move all the way up to second. The Milwaukee Bucks get the third pick, and the Indiana Pacers take four, with the rest of the lottery filling in from there.
No. 1: Atlanta Hawks select Darryn Peterson, Kansas
The Hawks need another on-ball creator to take the load off of Jalen Johnson, and Darryn Peterson provides exactly that. His freshman season at Kansas was riddled with injury, unavailability and a sustained lack of communication, and that will scare some teams off. His talent is exceptional, however, and he could easily be a long-term All-NBA guard.
No. 2: Golden State Warriors select Cameron Boozer, Duke
With Peterson off the board, the Warriors are deciding between a trio of frontcourt players: Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, and Caleb Wilson. Each was an instant star in college as a freshman, and each offer different things as a potential draft pick.
Dybantsa's scoring is tempting, as he looks like the next coming of Kevin Durant and the Warriors certainly benefited from a scorer like that. His motor is inconsistent, however, and his defense left much to be desired. That might move the Warriors in a different direction.
They could take Wilson, the opposite of Dybantsa in terms of motor and relentless attacking on offense and defense. In this mock draft, however, they go with National Player of the Year, Duke freshman Cam Boozer.
The son of All-Star big man Carlos Boozer, Cam was dominant from day one at Duke with unheard-of levels of consistency. Each and every game he rolled out and dropped at least 15-7-4, and many times he vastly exceeded that. He is not a leap-out-of-the-gym athlete, but he can score inside and outside, he rebounds, he passes, he screens, he defends, he reads the court extremely well, and he is a consummate winner.
The Warriors would benefit from adding Boozer both now and as the centerpiece of any post-Steph future.
No. 3: Milwaukee Bucks select AJ Dybantsa, BYU
In this scenario, the Milwaukee Bucks leap up to No. 3 and land Dybantsa, who looks like a future scoring champion and an obvious player to build around. This would make it even more likely that the Bucks move on from Giannis Antetokounmpo -- perhaps in a trade to the Warriors? Such a possibility will be on the minds of the Warriors front office as they make their pick.
No. 4: Indiana Pacers select Caleb Wilson, UNC
Rounding out the top four, the Indiana Pacers take Caleb Wilson, whose motor and athleticism are perfect fits with their up-tempo system.
NBA Lottery picks 5-14
No. 5: Washington Wizards select Kingston Flemings, Houston
No. 6: Brooklyn Nets select Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas
No. 7: Utah Jazz select Keaton Wagler, Illinois
No. 8: Sacramento Kings select Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville
No. 9: Memphis Grizzlies select Labaron Philon, Alabama
No. 10: Dallas Mavericks select Brayden Burries, Arizona
No. 11: Chicago Bulls select Aday Mara, Michigan
No. 12: Oklahoma City Thunder select Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
No. 13: Miami Heat select Dailyn Swain, Texas
No. 14: Charlotte Hornets select Nate Ament, Tennessee
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