Every Warriors First-Round Pick of the Last 20 Years: Hits, Misses and What Happened Next

The theme of the Golden State Warriors' draft history of the last 20 years is two all-time-great hits mixed in with many misses.

Let's go over every first-rounder they've made and give them the "hit" or "miss" label before detailing what happened with the rest of their careers.

2007: Brandan Wright (No. 8 Pick)

Verdict: Miss

Fresh off winning their first playoff series in 16 years, the Warriors traded Jason Richardson and the 36th pick for No. 8 pick Brandan Wright.

Any way you slice it, Wright was a miss, averaging just 5.7 points in 2.5 seasons with Golden State.

What happened next: To add insult to insult, Richardson was a solid player for the next four seasons with Charlotte, Phoenix and Orlando. Wright played 7.5 more seasons, providing some value as a good finisher inside.

2007: Marco Belinelli (No. 18 Pick)

Verdict: Miss

This is one the closest hit-vs.-miss calls, as Belinelli outperformed his draft slot based on the totality of his career, but his Warriors stint was more disappointing than anything else.

He played just two seasons with the Dubs, and though he did shoot the three-ball well, that didn't make up for major defensive issues.

What happened next: Belinelli played 11 more seasons, most notably winning a champion with the Spurs in 2014.

2008: Anthony Randolph (No. 14 Pick)

Verdict: Miss

Randolph was the fifth (!) consecutive Warriors first-round pick who didn't get a second contract with Golden State.

In two seasons with the Dubs, he averaged 9.2 points on poor efficiency and had more turnovers than assists.

What happened next: Randolph spent 3.5 more seasons in the NBA before going overseas. He won three Liga ACB championships and two EuroLeague titles with Real Madrid.

2009: Stephen Curry (No. 7 Pick)

Verdict: Hit

The Warriors went from five misses in a row to one of the best draft picks in NBA history.

Curry has been the biggest reason for the franchise's best era, which has included four titles.

2010: Ekpe Udoh (No. 6 Pick)

Verdict: Miss

Udoh played just 1.5 seasons with the Warriors before being part of the trade that brought back Andrew Bogut.

His counting stats made him look a major bust (4.6 PPG with the Dubs), but he was an above-average defender. Still, the offensive issues make him a miss.

What happened next: He played 5.5 more NBA seasons after the Warriors trade, mostly as a deep rotation player. Perhaps his pro career highlight was winning EuroLeague Final Four MVP with Fenerbahce in 2017.

Verdict: Hit

2011: Klay Thompson (No. 11 Pick)

Thompson is in the running for the best No. 11 pick ever with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Reggie Miller.

Among his resume highlights are four titles with the Warriors, fourth in career three-pointers and an NBA-record 14 made threes in one game.

What happened next: Thompson will play for the Heat this season after spending the last two seasons with the Mavericks.

2012: Harrison Barnes (No. 7 Pick)

Verdict: Hit

Barnes sacrificed scoring potential to play the wing role that the Warriors needed him to, and it resulted in a 2015 championship and a Finals appearance in 2016.

That Barnes struggled in the 2016 Finals should have little impact on a hit-vs.-miss verdict. He was a decent-sized part of the rise of the Warriors dynasty.

What happened next: Barnes proved that he had more to offer by averaging 19.2 points for the Mavericks in 2016-17. He's now a deep reserve for the Spurs.

2012: Festus Ezeli (No. 30 Pick)

Verdict: Hit

On the one hand, Ezeli played just three healthy seasons with the Warriors. That short of a Dubs stint was held against many other players here.

On the other hand, a 30th pick playing a consistent bench role for two long playoff runs should be celebrated. Many 30th picks never seriously contribute to their teams.

What happened next: Ezeli signed a contract with the Blazers in July 2016, but he never appeared in a game for them due to injuries.

2015: Kevon Looney (30th Pick)

Verdict: Hit

Looney is a hit for a variety of reasons, but let's focus on the fact that a) he started 13 playoff games for the 2022 title team and b) and he averaged 6.9 points and 15.1 (!) rebounds in the Warriors' seven-game series win over the Kings in 2023.

Overall, Looney won three titles in 10 seasons witih Golden State.

What happened next: Looney signed with the Pelicans last season, and now he's set to play with the Lakers.

2016: Damian Jones (30th Pick)

Verdict: Miss

Jones and Ezeli are similarly skilled centers, but the reason Jones is a miss and Ezeli is a hit is playoff impact.

In three seasons with the Dubs, Jones essentially had no playoff impact.

What happened next: Jones played five more seasons, peaking with the Kings in 2021-22 with averages of 8.1 points and 4.4 rebounds.

2018: Jacob Evans (28th Pick)

Verdict: Miss

Evans spent just 1.5 seasons with the Warriors before being part of the Andrew Wiggins-D'Angelo Russell trade.

He averaged 2.9 points per game in Golden State.

What happened next: Evans played just two games with the Timberwolves. He hasn't appeared in the NBA since.

2019: Jordan Poole (28th Pick)

Verdict: Hit

Poole was magical in the 2022 playoffs, averaging 17.0 points on great shooting splits (.508/.391/.915) to help the Dubs win a title.

After that, he got punched by Draymond Green, signed a big contract extension and (a year later) got traded.

What happened next: Poole spent two productive seasons with the Wizards before last year's mess of a season with the Pelicans. Hopefully he bounces back this season, as he's entering a contract year.

2020: James Wiseman (2nd Pick)

Verdict: Miss

Wiseman is one of the biggest busts in NBA history.

He had a productive rookie season before missing his entire second season with injuries. He had an abysmal first half of the 2022-23 season before being traded to the Pistons.

What happened next: Wiseman played 1.5 seasons with Detroit before signing with the Pacers. He played five games in two seasons with Indiana, and now he's out of the league.

2021: Jonathan Kuminga (7th Pick)

Verdict: Miss

Kuminga is far from the biggest miss among top-10 Warriors picks in the last 20 years, as Wiseman is in his own tier and Udoh was easily worse.

But he gets the "miss" designation because his 4.5-year Golden State career was more disappointing than rewarding.

What happened next: After being traded to the Hawks, Kuminga had the best on/off numbers of his career. Surprisingly, the Hawks didn't value that, as they let him walk in free agency, allowing the Timberwolves to get him.

2021: Moses Moody (14th Pick)

Verdict: Hit

The expectations for a 14th pick are much lower than that of a seventh pick, which is why Moody is clearly a hit while Kuminga is a miss.

Before suffering a torn patellar tendon, Moody was reaching new heights in two-way impact. Hopefully he returns this season and gets right back to where he was.

2022: Patrick Baldwin (28th Pick)

Verdict: Miss

Expectations are much lower for late first-round picks, but the fact that the Warriors got nothing from Jacob Evans and Patrick Baldwin is one of the reasons their roster is underwhelming today.

Baldwin spent just one season with the Warriors before getting traded to the Wizards.

What happened next: Baldwin spent three more seasons in the NBA. This offseason, he signed with Serbian team Red Star Belgrade.

2023: Brandin Podziemski (19th Pick)

Verdict: Hit

Podz had a great net-rating swing in his first two seasons, providing impact that is rare for a young player.

In year three, he appeared to plateau until the last couple months of the seasons, in which he averaged 18.1 points per game.

2026: Yaxel Lendeborg (11th Pick)

Verdict: TBD

By winning Summer League MVP and Summer League Championship Game MVP, Lendeborg is off to a great start.

Final Tally

The Warriors have eight hits, nine misses and one TBD in the last 20 years. That sounds mediocre, but when two of the hits are future Hall of Famers and one early second-round pick (Draymond Green) is also a future Hall of Famer, it's fair to say it's been a great two decades of drafting.

With all due respect to Moody and Podz, two clear hits, the Warriors need a franchise-altering hit soon as Curry and Green near the end of their careers.

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