Jonathan Kuminga's future is the headline story for the Golden State Warriors this offseason, and now the franchise have just drafted a similarly-sized forward with their first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
The Warriors have drafted Australian forward Alex Toohey with the 52nd overall pick, having acquired the selection in an earlier trade with the Phoenix Suns where they gave up the 41st pick (Koby Brea) for the 52nd and 59th picks.
Alex Toohey gives the Warriors another young prospect in the front court
Toohey joins Golden State after two years with the Sydney Kings in Australia's NBL, having most recently averaged 10.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.4 steals on 44.9% shooting from the floor and 31% from 3-point range.
The 6'8" forward has a 6'11" wingspan and is described by Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports as as a jack-of-all trades prospect who's compared to Georges Niang and Soloman Hill.
It's Toohey's high IQ and versatility that may have intrigued the Warriors who've seemingly prioritized those aspects in more recent drafts, having previously taken more athletic types like Kuminga and James Wiseman in back-to-back years in 2020 and 2021.
ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo had Toohey going 37th overall to the Detroit Pistons in their mock draft, suggesting the 21-year-old could be a steal after Golden State traded down from 41 to 52.
Toohey also comes from the NBA academy in Australia where he spent time with Taran Armstrong who spent the end of this past season with the Warriors on a two-way contract. The Australian pair are now likely to link up again now for Golden State in Summer League, while they could also be set for plenty of time together with Santa Cruz in the G League next season.
The Toohey pick may not have a huge impact on Kuminga's future given he's a speculative late second-round pick, but it's nonetheless interesting that the franchise has added another young forward.
Golden State are set to explore potential sign-and-trade scenarios with Kuminga over the next week, with the Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat and the Sacramento Kings all linked to a possible move for the former seventh overall pick.
It now remains to be seen what the Warriors plans are for Toohey -- whether he will get a guaranteed contract and spot on the main roster, whether he arrives on a two-way contract, or if he's stashed and spends more time in the NBL or developing in Santa Cruz.