Just over a week out from the NBA draft and the Golden Warriors perfect outcome might not be just to have one first-round selection, but two considering the talented pool and who they've shown interest in over recent days.
That outcome now looks even more realistic after a recent mock draft, giving the Warriors hope of landing a pair of young prospects that could reignite the short and long-term future of the franchise.
Warriors' perfect draft outcome now looks more realistic
Golden State have held workouts with Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr. and Chris Cenac Jr. in the past week, while they've also been linked to Baylor wing Cameron Carr and Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr. leading up to next week's draft.
The Warriors will head to the draft with the 11th overall pick, but curiously that above five-player group have been taken well after that selection in Kevin O'Connor's latest mock for Yahoo Sports.
O'Connor has Johnson going 14th overall to the Charlotte Hornets, while the quartet of Lendeborg, Carr, Cenac and Philon were taken in that order starting from the San Antonio Spurs with the 20th pick.
The fact that quartet has gone so low is incredibly interesting given Golden State's noted interest, particularly when it comes to Lendeborg who many view as being in play for the franchise with the 11th pick.
Even if these players go slightly higher than where O'Connor projects, there's evidently a clear pathway here for the Warriors to trade down from the 11th pick, grab a pair of slightly later selections, and get two players they're still very much infatuated by.
Warriors need to acquire another first-rounder becoming more apparent
At this stage it appears that grabbing any of the five players mentioned at 11 would be a reach to varying degrees, but particularly when it comes to Carr, Cenac and Philon. As outlined here on Sunday, why else would Golden State hold a workout with Cenac unless there was a genuince chance they would draft him?
Perhaps the Warriors simply view Lendeborg, Johnson and Cenac (the three notable players they've held workouts with) higher than other teams, but Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area also reports that "trading back or finding a way to get another first-round pick is a very real option" for the franchise.
Golden State won't ultimately know one way or the other until the draft arrives, but there's fairly strong indications already that this is a situation where the franchise should be walking away with two prospects in the first-round.
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