The Golden State Warriors initially went into the 2025 NBA Draft with the 41st overall pick, yet ultimately chose to move back in the order on Thursday thanks to a trade with the Phoenix Suns.
The Suns traded up to take the Warriors' selection, giving up the 52nd and 59th picks in a trade that left some Golden State fans surprised. The Warriors used the 52nd pick to select Australian forward Alex Toohey, then traded up themselves to take national championship winner Will Richard at 56.
Golden State could regret giving up the rights to the 41st pick, having selected arguably the best pure shooter in the draft, Koby Brea, on Phoenix's behalf. But while the Suns could benefit from their aggressive draft strategy on Thursday, it's another pacific rival in the Sacramento Kings who may gain most from the Warriors' decision to trade down.
The Warriors gifted Maxime Raynaud to the Kings
General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said post-draft that Golden State had been hoping to trade back for about a week, signifying that the franchise didn't love any of the prospects that were likely to be available at 41.
However, one player that wasn't expected to get to 41 in the first place was French center Maxime Raynaud. ESPN had Raynaud going 25th overall to the Orlando Magic in their mock draft, while Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports had him going one pick ahead at 24 to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Instead, Raynaud was still on the board by the end of Wednesday's first-round, then continued to slip once the second-round got underway on Thursday. With the Suns acquiring the 41st pick from the Warriors, there was no need for them to take another center after drafting Khaman Maluach 10th overall and trading for Charlotte Hornets big man Mark Williams.
That left the Kings to take advantage, quickly selecting Raynaud in what resulted as one of the steals of the second-round. O'Connor graded the pick an A+, citing him as a player who at 7'1" "pops 3s, slashes to the rim with a smooth handle and makes eye-popping passes."
It could prove an opportunity lost for the Warriors who still face significant uncertainty surrounding their center position. Granted, Golden State already have two young centers after drafting Trayce Jackson-Davis and Quinten Post in the second-round of each of the previous two drafts, but Raynaud was a better prospect than both who could have potentially surpassed them in the rotation as early as next season.
Raynaud enters the NBA after four years of college experience at Stanford, the last of which yielded averages of 20.2 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks while shooting 34.7% from 3-point range on 5.5 attempts per game.
O'Connor likens the 22-year-old to Brook Lopez, which is rather ironic given the veteran center is viewed as a potential free agent target for Golden State. Whether or not the Warriors simply didn't think Raynaud was going to be available at the time they made the trade is unclear, but it's perhaps gifted the Kings an exciting young big who could be a long-term piece of their future.