Failed Warriors 1st-Round Pick Signs with Top Serbian Team

The Golden State Warriors swung-and-missed a few times with their first-round picks between 2020 and 2022.

Everyone knows about the James Wiseman (No. 2 pick of the 2020 draft) blunder, and most would say that picking Jonathan Kuminga (No. 7 pick of the 2021 draft) was a mistake.

But sometimes forgotten 2022 No. 28 overall pick Patrick Baldwin Jr. was also a miss.

The Warriors had just won the 2022 championship, and they could have valued an older player more likely to be ready for immediate minutes like Andrew Nembhard or Jaylin Williams.

Instead, they went with a project for the third year in a row. Having so much inexperienced youth on the back end of the roster ended up costing the Warriors, as they had depth issues while finishing sixth in the Western Conference during the 2022-23 season.

Before what was supposed to be his second season with the Warriors, Baldwin was part of the Chris Paul-Jordan Poole trade. He spent time with the Wizards, Clippers, 76ers and Kings over the next three seasons. Now, he's headed to Serbia.

Baldwin Signs with Crvena Zvezda

Baldwin joins Crvena Zvezda, a Serbian team playing in the EuroLeague.

Crvena Svezda finished 21-17 last season, getting a spot in the play-in tournament. It lost its play-in game to Barcelona.

Crvena Svezda is led by former Bucks second-round pick Jordan Nwora and former King Chima Moneke.

Baldwin was due for a fresh start. In four NBA seasons, he averaged just 3.8 points per game.

Baldwin is still just 23 years old. His combination of height (6'9") and shooting form make him a tantalizing stretch-4 prospect.

Dunleavy Has Drafted Better Than Myers Did Near End of Tenure

Bob Myers' last draft as GM of the Warriors was in 2022, so his last first-round pick was Baldwin.

Since then, here is a list of the players Mike Dunleavy Jr. has drafted:

2023: Brandin Podziemski, No. 19 overall
2023: Trayce Jackson-Davis, No. 57 overall
2024: Quinten Post, No. 52 overall
2025: Alex Toohey, No. 52 overall
2025: Will Richard, No. 56 overall
2026: Yaxel Lendeborg, No. 11 overall
2026: Lajae Jones, No. 54 overall

That's a pretty good haul considering five of the seven picks were made in the 50s.

Podz has been much more valuable than a typical 19th pick, while Post, Jackson-Davis and Richard contributed to the Warriors last year.

The jury is still out on Lendeborg and Jones. If Lendeborg is a bust, the perception of Dunleavy's drafting will go down substantially.

But if he hits, Dunleavy will rightfully be considered a draft ace.

At the least, it's easy to see that Lendeborg is nothing like Kuminga. Perhaps the Warriors have learned from the mistakes they made with the Kuminga pick.

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