As the Golden State Warriors enter the NBA Draft with only the 41st overall pick in their possession, they will look to add another player who can make surprise contributions to the team.
However, their hopes of performing another miracle could be in jeopardy this offseason, as it has been reported by Jonathan Givony that many players have withdrawn from the Draft in favor of pursuing NIL money with another year in college, making this "one of the shallowest second rounds we've seen in a few years."
Now, as the Warriors look to re-shape their roster for next season, they could be facing an additional hurdle in trying to maximize the value of their sole draft pick.
A shallow draft could harm the Warriors
Golden State, as part of the heavily-packaged trade for Jimmy Butler, sent off their 2025 first-round pick to the Miami Heat with no protections. Thankfully, the Butler experiment worked exceedingly well during the regular season, rendering that pick a relatively low one. As part of the return, they received a second-round pick for the 2025 Draft.
While the Warriors own their first-round picks for the next four seasons, it is likely that some of these will be traded in an effort to bolster their roster: especially if another star becomes available.
Moreover, with their championship window being set to close at the expiration of Butler, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green's contracts, the franchise will need to start stockpiling and developing talent now.
While multiple college talents, such as Chaz Lanier from Tennessee and Johni Broome from Auburn, project to still be available around that time in the draft, Givony's comments make it seem like it will be difficult for the Warriors to find a diamond in the rough like they have done in years past.
Quinten Post, who was the 52nd overall pick in last year's draft, had a stellar rookie season for Golden State after being called up from the G-League in January, averaging 8.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists on 40.8% shooting from beyond the arc.
Gui Santos, who played effective and energetic minutes in his second season with the Warriors, was the 55th overall pick in 2022.
Going back even further, the franchise nabbed Draymond Green with the 35th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.
While it is clear that talented NBA players can be found in the second round, and that the Golden State organization has been able to find them in the past, the depth of this year's class could make that task near-impossible for a team starved for young talent.