Warriors Mock Draft After Withdrawal Deadline: Dubs Trade for 1st-Round Pick

The depth of the 2026 draft class was hit hard as several players returned to school before Wednesday's withdrawal deadline.

Among the best players to do so were Alabama's Amari Allen and St. John's Tounde Yessoufou.

The annoucements don't affect the Warriors much. The biggest takeaway is if the Warriors want to draft a second immediate contributor, they might need to trade for a second first-round pick, as there simply aren't quality targets in the second round.

That's exactly what I have the Warriors doing in this mock draft.

Predicting First 10 Picks

1. Wizards: SF AJ Dybantsa, BYU
2. Jazz: G Darryn Peterson, Kansas
3. Grizzlies: PF Cam Boozer, Duke
4. Bulls: SF/PF Caleb Wilson, UNC
5. Clippers: PG/SG Keaton Wagler, Illinois
6. Nets: C Aday Mara, Michigan
7. Kings: PG Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas
8. Hawks: SG Brayden Burries, Arizona
9. Mavericks: PG Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville
10. Bucks: PG Kingston Flemings, Houston

Warriors Pick at No. 11: SF/PF Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan

The history of older prospects getting drafted in the first round is filled with disappointments, but Lendeborg's combination of size (6'8.75"), wingspan (7'3.25") and versatility makes the 23-year-old less likely to bust than those before him.

Lendeborg is a pretty good shooter, rebounder, passer and defender. He isn't the type of explosive athlete who can eventually be a team's No. 1 or 2 scorer, but he does just about everything else.

If the Warriors are planning to get back into the first round a second time, then taking Lendeborg first would be ideal.

The wing depth in this class dries out fast after him, whereas you can get quality guards and centers into the early 20s.

Predicting Picks 12-16

12. Thunder: SF Cameron Carr, Baylor
13. Heat: PG Labaron Philon Jr., Alabama
14. Hornets: C Hannes Steinbach, Washington
15. Bulls: PF/C Morez Johnson, Michigan
16. Grizzlies: SF Karim Lopez, New Zealand Breakers

Projected Trade

Thunder get: 2032 top-10-protected first-round pick
Warriors get: 2026 No. 17 pick

There is precedent for the Thunder to make a move like this. Last year, the Thunder traded the No. 24 pick to the Kings for a top-16-protected 2027 first-round pick (via San Antonio).

The Thunder will likely be looking to package the 12th and 17th picks to move up, but if the player they want gets taken, they might have to settle for a trade like this. Their roster is so deep that they wouldn't have playing time (or even roster room) for two rookies.

The protections on this pick would be the sticking point.

This draft class is strong in the late teens, so the Thunder would surely try to leverage that to get a less protected pick from the Dubs.

In the end, the two sides agree to a 2032 top-10-protected pick that becomes second-round picks in 2032 (protected 51-60) and 2033 if the 2032 pick falls between 11 and 30.

Warriors' Pick at No. 17: PG Ebuka Okorie, Stanford

Okorie is likely to fall to the second half of the first round due to his height (6'1.25").

There's no doubt that his height will lead to defensive limitations, but he'll have a chance to be satisfactory on that end with his 6'7.75" wingspan, which is one reason why I moved him up to 15th on my big board.

Anyway, this pick is about offense.

Okorie was a dominant force in the ACC this past season, averaging 23.2 points for a Stanford team that had major talent issues around him.

He faced tons of defensive pressure as his team's primary scorer and creator, and yet he kept his turnover average down to just 1.9 per game.

Okorie would be the Warriors' backup point guard immediately. The Warriors are desperate for ball-handling talent, and Okorie is one of the most talented ball-handlers in the class.

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