Warriors Mock Draft Following the Lottery: Dubs Choose High Floor Over Upside

The Golden State Warriors landed the 11th pick of the 2026 draft in Sunday's NBA Draft Lottery.

They were hoping to move into the top four, but their consolation prize could easily turn into a high-quality starter.

Before we predict who they'll take, let's go over how the first 10 picks of the draft could go.

Mock Draft for First 10 Picks

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

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

Most boards have Dybansta and Wilson as the top-tier forwards and Lendeborg, Nate Ament and Karim Lopez as the second-tier forwards.

If the board falls this way, the Warriors would have their choice of the three.

Ament presumably has the highest ceiling, but the Warriors got burned with "upside" picks when taking James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga. The 6'10" Tennessee small forward showed off some isolation-scoring talent as a freshman, but he shot just 39.9 percent from the floor and had a poor assist-to-turnover ratio.

Though it's not a deal-breaker, he's unlikely to fit well in Steve Kerr's system. The Warriors can't base all their draft decisions based on how the prospects will fit with a coach who might retire in two years, but there are enough question marks about Ament, 19, that suggest he's worth passing on.

So it comes down to Lopez and Lendeborg. I have both in my high-quality starter tier, but the main difference is Lendeborg, 23, is likely to get there faster than Lopez, 19.

Lendeborg has the highest floor of any of the Warriors' options. But his ceiling might be a bit underrated too.

Over his last 11 games in college, Lendeborg shot 52.9 percent from three on almost five attempts per game. That development is crucial for a guy who already had tremendous feel for scoring in the paint after essentially playing center at UAB for two years.

And though Lendeborg will probably never have the pick-and-roll ball-handling potential of Lopez, he averaged 3.7 assists per game over his last two seasons.

Defensively, Lendeborg should be better than Ament and Lopez immediately. He averaged 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks for Michigan. At 6'9" and 240 pounds, he has the size to defend bigger forwards and some centers, which is desperately needed for a Warriors team that has been thin in the frontcourt for years.

Lopez showed defensive potential in 2025-26, averaging 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks with the New Zealand Breakers of the NBL. He's not as strong as Lendeborg right now, but that's to be expected for a player who is four years younger.

Lopez shot just 32.6 percent from three in 2025-26, and Lendeborg's assist-to-turnover ratio was much better.

Lopez has more room for development, but there's no guarantee he passes how good Lendeborg is now.

If the Warriors don't love any of these forwards, they could target a center. Their options include Michigan's Aday Mara, Washington's Hannes Steinbach and Kentucky's Jayden Quaintance.

But my guess is Lendeborg intrigues them more because he can play the big wing role that is getting more and more valuable in the NBA.

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