The Golden State Warriors came very close to landing another hugely impactful piece in the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft.
Picking at 54th overall, it seemed briefly like floor-spacing center Henri Veesaar out of North Carolina could be dropping into their range. But the Atlanta Hawks swooped up ahead of both them and the Los Angeles Lakers to claim him. Other highly-coveted players, including centers Felix Okpara and Ugonna Onyenso as well as guard Jaden Bradley also came off the board.
Golden State's selection of Florida State wing Lajae Jones was a fine pick given the circumstances. He certainly has the defensive tools and the motor the be a viable two-way player. Jones averaged 12.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.1 assists while shooting 32.5% from beyond the arc last season.
In another season, the Warriors may have looked to use his eligibility for a second-round minimum contract as a vehicle towards a cheap roster spot.
But, as Jeremy Woo points out in his brief breakdown of the pick on ESPN's draft board, the Warriors have optionality here. Jones possesses an Israeli passport, and he might be a solid draft-and-stash candidate if Golden State doesn't feel he can help them immediately.
Warriors will need to choose whether to put Jones on the roster in 2026-27, but they have flexibility in this case
Last season, Will Richard— who was selected 56th overall after a trade-down with the Phoenix Suns— came to play a major role for Golden State. On a great number of teams, Richard may not have been able to carve out a role in the rotation as a rookie. But given the injuries Golden State faced and the large portion of the salary cap they have committed to their star veterans, Richard's $1.2 million cap hit was invaluable.
Second-round picks don't have a set, guaranteed contract scale. But if the Warriors wanted to sign Jones to a contract like Richard's, it would likely hold a similar cap hit. As of now, though, a two-way deal or the draft-and-stash scenario mentioned by Woo seem like the most likely outcomes.
As Anthony Slater at ESPN pointed out in a post on X late last night, the Warriors have enough financial flexibility that using a roster spot on Jones to save cap is not wholly necessary.
Warriors have plenty of roster business ahead, but very possible 54th overall pick Lajae Jones becomes a stash or two-way candidate. They don't anticipate being as financially constricted as in past years, so 2nd round rookie minimum contract not as necessary. Could change.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) June 25, 2026
Including the two-year, $14 million extension Golden State signed with Al Horford, they're currently projected to have $182.2 million in cap allocations for 2026-27. Add in Yaxel Lendeborg's rookie deal, which will carry a cap hit of roughly $6 million in year one, and the looming extension for Kristaps Porzingis, and things could get somewhat tight depending on what exceptions the Warriors ultimately have access to.
But compared to last offseason, which was defined by the Jonathan Kuminga saga, the Warriors are in an infinitely better position.
If Jones is willing to be a draft-and-stash candidate, it would allow the Warriors to keep both Malevy Leons and LJ Cryer on their two-way deals for 2026-27 while perhaps bringing back a guard like Pat Spencer. If they want to bring him in on a two-way, though, he could be a valuable developmental addition to the organization.
Either way, Golden State has optionality— something they haven't had very much of over the past few seasons.
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