Warriors offseason looks even worse after gifting ideal center to close rival

Fans of the Golden State Warriors are already frustrated by the franchise's offseason to date, with the front office having not signed a single player as Jonathan Kuminga's free agency stalls proceedings.

Free agency may be one aspect, but the Warriors' offseason is starting to look even worse when you consider the early returns of their decision to trade down at last month's NBA Draft. Not only did the front office hand the Phoenix Suns sharpshooting wing Koby Brea, but they also gifted another pacific rival, the Sacramento Kings, with an ideal big man for the future.

The Warriors gifted Maxime Raynaud to the Kings

Golden State went into the draft with the 41st overall pick, only to make a trade with Phoenix that saw them land the 52nd and 59th picks. The Warriors took Brea on the Suns' behalf, something that's already provided some angst to fans given the 22-year-old exploded for 19 points on 4-of-5 3-point shooting in a win over the Washington Wizards last week.

The bigger miss for Golden State though may have been young big man Maxime Raynaud, with the seven-footer initially projected to be a first-round pick heading into the draft. Perhaps the Warriors didn't think Raynaud would slip all the way to 41 when they made the trade with the Suns, but he did and the Kings were quick to pounce with the following selection.

Raynaud made big strides across his four years at Stanford, including last season where he averaged 20.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.4 blocks while shooting 5.5 3-point attempts per game.

The early returns in summer league would suggest the Kings have got a steal with their second-round selection, not to mention the hype around No. 24 pick Nique Clifford who's arguably been the best rookie in Las Vegas.

Raynuad has averaged 14.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 block in 26.3 minutes, shooting 53.1% from the floor and 30% from 3-point range. The 22-year-old already looks like a capable rotation player for the Kings entering his rookie year, providing the franchise with the perfect complement to Domantas Sabonis given his ability to space the floor from the five position.

Perhaps the Warriors wouldn't have taken Raynaud anyway even if they did hold the pick, having already taken young big men Trayce Jackson-Davis and Quinten Post as late second-round picks in the previous two years.

However, you could also make the case that Raynaud is a better prospect than both and would have therefore made sense for Golden State who are still looking to find a long-term starting center.

The fact Raynaud is at the Kings only adds to the frustration, with fans of both sides having developed a rivalry of sorts in recent years that's re-emerged as a result of the Kuminga trade negotiations.