The Golden State Warriors are almost assured of giving up their first-round pick in this year's NBA Draft, having given up a top 10 protected selection to the Miami Heat in the trade for 6x All-Star Jimmy Butler.
But that doesn't mean the Warriors will be absent from the draft in its entirety, with the Heat having sent back a 2025 second-round pick that the franchise hopes will yield as much success as we've seen in the past two years.
Golden State have struck gold with back-to-back late second-rounds pick, selecting Trayce Jackson-Davis 57th overall followed by Quinten Post at 52 last year. Both have been revelations in their respective rookie seasons, subsequently changing the perspective on the impact late picks can have early in their careers.
Warriors address point guard depth in recent mock draft
If there's a slight hole on the Warrior roster right now, it's the lack of point guard options beyond superstar Stephen Curry. Brandin Podziemski has returned to form in recent months but is still more of a combo-guard at this stage, leaving the majority of shot-creation to Jimmy Butler in the non-Curry minutes.
Golden State did look to address the problem in December when they traded for Dennis Schroder, but that didn't particularly work before he was moved for Butler. The Warriors have recently converted two-way guard Pat Spencer to the main roster, though he's not part of the rotation.
It's an area they'll certainly have to look at in free agency, but another option is to target a young player in the draft. That's just what they've done in Kevin O'Connor's recent mock draft for Yahoo Sports, with Golden State selecting Houston product Milos Uzan with the 38th pick.
"He’s long been a high-IQ combo guard who knits teams together with his playmaking skills and defensive hustle, and he’s since honed his jumper to give him the skill-set to thrive as a connective piece in a multi-creator offense," O'Connor wrote. "With his versatile skills, he feels like a dream fit in Steve Kerr’s system."
O'Connor compares Uzan to former number two overall pick Lonzo Ball and fellow veteran point guard Tyus Jones -- both of who would be excellent additions to the Warriors right now given their on and off-ball abilities.
After two years with the Oklahoma Sooners, Uzan transferred to Houston where he's averaged 11.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists this season. The 22-year-old has shot an impressive 46.6% from the floor and 43.7% from 3-point range, while also adding a steal per game.
The Warriors wouldn't want to be putting all their backup point guard eggs into the basket of a rookie, but drafting Uzan could still be a wise choice as they look beyond the Curry years.