As the Golden State Warriors exit the 2025 NBA Draft, in which they made two underwhelming selections that are not likely to affect the rotation next season, they must turn their attention fully to free agency in order to solidify their roster around their veteran trio.
Originally entering the draft with the 41st overall selection, the franchise made an undercard draft night trade, dealing their pick to the Phoenix Suns and receiving the 52nd and 59th selection.
After another deal with the Memphis Grizzlies, the Warriors ended up with Australian forward Alex Toohey and Florid guard Will Richard.
With a flurry of Exhibit-10 contracts also being signed following the draft, Golden State must now take a serious look at their roster and decide what it needs while these rookies battle it out for minimized roster spots.
Warriors need rotation-ready players, and they didn't come through the draft
As was made clear by their pre-draft process, the Warriors were looking primarily at older, NBA-ready guards who would have a chance to crack their rotation immediately. However, by trading their selection which ultimately landed on sharpshooter Koby Brea, they made it clear that that was not their actual priority.
It can be assumed that Golden State felt that none of the players in a relatively shallow second round would have made an impact on the roster next season and thus decided to trade down in hopes of grabbing a developmental project.
While this move is strange, it makes sense if the Warriors are able to maximize thier additions in free agency.
With stark roster needs of shooting and size around the rim, Golden State will need to be extremely competitive in a limited free agent market.
Guards such as Bruce Brown, Caris Levert, or even De'Anthony Melton could provide the team with the shooting they need, and centers such as Bobby Portis or Brook Lopez could provide rim-protecting size.
Yet, the franchise owes close to $140 million to their trio of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green next season and absolutely cannot afford to make a mistake with the limited cap space they have.
While the Warriors have been able to grab players in the second round that have made rotational impacts rather quickly, including Quinten Post from last year's draft, it is a long shot that any selection made that late can aid a championship-contending roster in their rookie season.
Therefore, while Golden State's draft might seem underwhelming, it signals a singular, win-now mentality: the success of which is hugely dependent upon their actions in the next two months.