The Golden State Warriors' mid-season trade of Trayce Jackson-Davis was finalized with the second-round of the 2026 NBA Draft on Wednesday, with the franchise taking Michigan State wing Lajae Jones with the 54th pick they'd acquired from the Toronto Raptors.
While we'll now have to wait to see whether Jones can develop into a long-term NBA player, the Warriors missed an opportunity to make the Trayce Jackson-Davis trade a home run move by acquiring an alternative second-round prospect.
Warriors missed home run Trayce Jackson-Davis trade by not drafting Henri Veesar
Henri Veesar was seen by many as a potential late first-round pick, and the 22-year-old quickly became the story of the second-round when he fell all the way outside the top 50 of the draft.
With each passing pick Golden State were closer to getting a chance to draft Veesar, only for the Atlanta Hawks to make a savvy more in trading up from the 57th pick to draft the seven-footer at 52, eliminating any opportunity for the Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers who were at 56.
Given the Hawks traded up from 57 to draft Veesar, Golden State could have easily made their own move had they wished, and presumably with the promise of giving the UNC product a guaranteed contract.
That didn't prove the case and so the Warriors missed a chance to essentially trade Jackson-Davis for a player many argued was a first-round talent, which would have made the deal worthwhile before Veesar even steps foot on the floor.
Golden State instead took a player who many thought was going to go undrafted and may have been available after the second-round anyway, and who could prove to be a draft-and-stash player with little NBA impact in the next couple years.
Lajae Jones can still justify Warriors' trade/draft decision
The Warriors can still prove winners of the trade if Jones can develop into a long-term NBA player, starting with some impact in summer league which could determine whether the 22-year-old is an overseas or G League player next season, or whether he could occupy a two-way contract — it appears unlikely he’d get a standard contract straight away on the main roster.
Either way, Golden State are unlikely to hold much regret over the move after Jackson-Davis failed to deliver much impact for the Raptors after the mid-season trade, with the 6’9 big man now in some jeopardy when it comes to remaining with the franchise next season.
Jackson-Davis averaged just 5.0 minutes in 17 regular season games, and Toronto now have a team option on his $2.4 million contract that will become fully guaranteed at the start of October for what would be the 26-year-old’s fourth NBA season.
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