Warriors Draft Pick Lajae Jones Decides Where He's Playing in 2026-27

Lajae Jones is heading overseas.

The 54th pick of the 2026 draft signed with Pallacanestro Trieste on Monday.

The Golden State Warriors still own his NBA rights, but the fact that they didn't give him a two-way contract suggests they don't think he's ready to contribute in the NBA.

On Sunday, it was reported that the Warriors were giving their final two-way spot to former Gonzaga star Graham Ike.

Their other two-way spots are held by LJ Cryer and Malevy Leons.

Jones Chooses Italian Team over G League

Jones didn't stand out in summer league, which isn't a good sign for a 22-year-old with four years of college experience. The 6'7" wing averaged 7.0 points on 41.0 percent shooting and 25.0 percent from three-point range.

It's clear that he needs a lot more reps for development, and time will tell if going to Serie A is better for him than Santa Cruz would've been.

The Sea Dubs are expected to have a depth chart that includes Chance McMillian and Nick Boyd at the 2, Dalen Terry at the 3 and Leons, Alex Toohey and Jacksen Moni at the 4.

That's a lot of competition at the three positions Jones fits best.

It's impossible to know how much playing time he'll have for Pallacanestro Trieste, but one would think he'd get lots of run.

Warriors Trusting Niang's Health

If the Warriors were worried about Georges Niang's health after he missed the 2025-26 season with a foot fracture, they should have given one of their two-way spots to a more traditional wing, whether that be Jones or someone else.

By not doing that, they are trusting Niang's health.

It's a defensible gamble. Prior to 2025-26, Niang had missed just 13 games over the previous five seasons.

Though Niang is best utilized as a stretch-4, he figures to play some minutes at the 3 with Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody likely to miss at least half the season with serious knee injuries.

Surely part of the reason the Dubs drafted Jones at all was that he fits the three-and-D wing archetype. Quality three-and-D wings continue to be the scarest resource in the NBA.

But there's a reason Jones fell to 54th in the draft. He averaged just 12.7 points as a senior for Florida State.

Perhaps he'll be ready to contribute for the Warriors in the future, but for now they are planning on using Niang and Leons for the deep reserve minutes at the 3 and 4.

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