Koby Brea has stepped up onto the NBA draft stage in a Golden State Warriors hat, but he won't be heading to the Bay after the franchise made a trade that sends the elite sharpshooter to the Phoenix Suns.
The Warriors had the 41st pick but moved down to the 52nd selection, while also acquiring the 59th pick in a trade with the Suns in the hours leading after to the second-round of the draft on Thursday.
The Warriors could regret giving up the rights to Koby Brea
Brea had actually been a potential option for Golden State before the trade, having been viewed by many as the best pure shooter in the entire draft. Brea will enter the NBA after five years of collegiate experience, including playing with Kentucky this season where he averaged 11.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists on a scorching 43.5% from 3-point range.
That 3-point mark comes after Brea shot an extraordinary 49.8% from beyond the arc in the year before with Dayton. Combine that with solid 6'6" size and the 22-year-old could have been a nice fit for a Golden State team who need more shooting and perhaps relied too heavily on Buddy Hield last season.
Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports nailed this projection in his mock draft, though the draft analyst would have expected the Warriors to take this selection themselves. O'Connor compares Brea to Boston Celtics champion Sam Hauser, with his 3-point specialty combined with athletic and defensive concerns.
The Ringer's big board had Brea 36th overall, also comparing him to Hauser alongside Miami Heat sniper Duncan Robinson and even former Golden State guard Mychal Mulder.
The Warriors will now be hoping they don't regret not taking Brea for themselves, with his arrival to a close rival in the Suns meaning they'll potentially see him regularly next season and moving forward.
Phoenix will now draft for Golden State with the 52nd and 59th picks, with real intrigue on what the franchise will do in regard to contracts once the players are selected. Will the Warriors provide main roster spots to one or both players, or will they be prospects who arrive on a two-way contract or are even stashed away for further down the track?