The Golden State Warriors will be on the clock come Thursday with the 41st in the second-round of the NBA Draft, with Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the front office again looking to strike gold after the late selections of Trayce Jackson-Davis and Quinten Post in each of the past two years.
However, it's those two young centers, along with veteran big man Kevon Looney, who could be in trouble based on the latest reports linking the Warriors to Chinese draft prospect Hansen Yang.
The Warriors might add another center in the draft
According to Sam Gordon of the San Francisco Chronicle on Tuesday, the Warriors recently held a pre-draft visit with Yang who is expected to be taken somewhere around the middle of the second-round on Thursday.
Yang has played the last two years with the Qingdao Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association, earning All-Star selection in both seasons. At 7'2" and over 250 pounds, Yang will instantly become an intriguing prospect for whichever team takes the Chinese sensation.
Warriors conducted a pre-draft visit last week with two-time CBA All-Star center Hansen Yang, sources tell the Chronicle. Golden State picks 41st in this week’s NBA draft.
— Sam Gordon (@BySamGordon) June 24, 2025
Yang recently impressed at the recent draft combine, impressing many in attendance with his skill and feel for the game which could bode well if he were to arrive into the Golden State system. The 19-year-old most recently averaged 16.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.6 blocks in 33.2 minutes per game with the Eagles, shooting 58.6% from the field and 33.3% from the 3-point line.
Adding to Gordon's report linking the Warriors to Yang on Tuesday, ESPN analysts Jonathy Givony and Jeremy Woo also have the young big man taken by the franchise with the 41st pick in their recent mock draft.
If the Warriors select Yang or another big man on Thursday in the second-round, it's likely to have cascading effects on one or multiple of the team's current big men. Golden State already has Jackson-Davis and Post contracted for next season, and adding another young player in the same position would seem like overkill, unneccesary and a waste.
Regardless, the Warriors may like Yang's upside enough to draft him and prioritize his development over Jackson-Davis who actually started the last three games of the playoffs. Assuming Post's 3-point shooting gives him a point-of-difference and edge over Jackson-Davis, the latter may then become a trade candidate to monitor in order to accomodate Yang's (or another center's) arrival.
Looney may be less impacted given he's a veteran, but any move Golden State makes at the center position will undoubtedly still play a role in the 29-year-old's future as he prepares for free agency.
The center position is a source of significant intrigue for Warrior fans over the next few weeks, with the franchise clearly keen to make some kind of move after Steve Kerr declared his wish not to start Draymond Green as a small-ball five next season.