The Golden State Warriors will be without a first-round pick for a second-straight year, having given up the 20th overall pick to the Miami Heat in the blockbuster trade for Jimmy Butler in early February.
While unlikely to occur, the Warriors could explore trading back into the first-round if there's a propsect on the board they like. With multiple future first-round picks still in their possession, it wouldn't be overly difficult and a recent trade partner could emerge as the team to help faciliate it.
The Nets could help the Warriors re-enter the first-round of the Draft
The Brooklyn Nets will enter next month's draft with four first-round picks. Their own selection fell at No. 8 in the lottery, while they've got the 19th pick from the Milwaukee Bucks, the 26th pick from the New York Knicks, and the 27th pick from the Houston Rockets.
Even for a rebuilding team like the Nets, taking four first-round picks is a lot and may not be the best use of their assets. The Houston Rockets had four first-round picks in 2021, and while Jalen Green and Alperun Sengun have worked well, Usman Garuba and Josh Christopher were off the team after just two years.
There's a chance that the Nets try and package their later picks to move up in the draft, use one or multiple to acquire a player from another team, or move one or more in exchange for future picks to try and spread out the incoming talent over numerous drafts.
It's this latter pathway that could prove opportunistic for Golden State if there's someone remaining on the board they really like. Much has been made of their inability to make significant use of the three lottery picks they had across 2020 and 2021, having fatefully taken James Wiseman second overall before selecting Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody 12 months later.
However, Mike Dunleavy Jr. has done an excellent job with later draft picks since taking over as general manager. Brandin Podziemski was an inspired pick at 19 in 2023, while Trayce Jackson-Davis (57th) and Quinten Post (52nd) have provided enormous value at the end of the second-round.
Perhaps Dunleavy backs himself in to unearth a hidden gem. Doing so and having a player under team control for four years on low money would be extremely valuable to a franchise who forecast to push the first tax apron next season.
The Warriors and Nets have recent history as trade partners, with the latter sending Dennis Schroder to the Bay in December in exchange for De'Anthony Melton, Reece Beekman and three second-round picks.
The first-round of the draft will take place at Barclays Center on June 25, with Golden State's first selection not currently scheduled till 41st overall on the following day.