Warriors NBA Draft Rumors: What’s Real, What’s Smoke, and What to Watch

Sifting through all the major draft rumors involving the Warriors

Brayden Burries | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

With the first round of the 2026 NBA draft on Tuesday, there are lots of rumors regarding the Golden State Warriors and their first-round pick.

I'm here to sift through it all and determine what's real and what's smoke.

And then I'll go into what to watch for during the draft that could help the Warriors when they are on the clock with the 11th pick.

What's Real

ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel wrote "it is hard envision" the Warriors passing on Brayden Burries at 11.

This feels accurate. I buy that the Warrios want an immediate contributor, and the two most obviously NBA-ready players in their range are Burries and Yaxel Lendeborg.

The fact that Burries is three years younger could easily make him the Warriors' No. 1 target, as younger prospects tend to have more developmental potential.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman wrote that Lendeborg is among the "most vulnerable" prospects to have a draft-day slide.

Though I believe the Warriors could take Lendeborg at 11, I think Wasserman has good intel here.

First of all, I see no team in top 10 that would seriously consider taking Lendeborg.

If the Thunder stay at 12, they could be an option for him, but college teammate Morez Johnson Jr. has been a massive draft cycle riser who could swoop in front of Lendeborg.

After that, the Heat (No. 13) have bigger needs at guard and center, and the Hornets (No. 14) should be prioritizing a center over everything else.

If the Warriors trade down with the Hornets to 14 or with the Grizzlies to 16, there's a decent chance Lendeborg will still be there.

Siegel also wrote that Bennett Stirtz and Cameron Carr are targets for the Warriors if they trade down.

I think this is good intel, but with this context: If the Warriors get a second first-round pick and Stirtz is available with it, they could take him if they have addressed their wing need with the first draft pick.

What's Smoke

On June 8, Siegel wrote that the Warriors "would give serious consideration" to Nate Ament if he fell to them at 11.

I believe they have very little interest in Ament because he's not ready to contribute immediately and the other players in their range are too good for them to take such a boom-or-bust prospect.

But the Warriors are wise to make it seem like they would take him. They want a team to trade ahead of them and take him so someone who shouldn't drop to them does.

ESPN's Anthony Slater reported that Trey Murphy III is "more obtainable" right now than he's been in previous transaction cycles because the Pelicans want to trade into the 2026 lottery.

According to Pelicans insider Jake Madison, the Pels are in talks to trade Murphy to the Hawks for a package that includes the No. 8 pick.

I'm not suggesting these reports are inaccurate, but for the Pels to trade Murphy, they will want much more than just one 2026 lottery pick.

My sense is they are doing what they did last trade deadline, which is ask for the moon. The Hawks and Warriors won't give them everything they want, which is why Murphy will remain with New Orleans past the NBA draft.

What to Watch

There are two names who could slide out of the top 10 on draft day and put the Warriors in an advantageous trade-down position.

They are Kingston Flemings and Aday Mara.

The Grizzlies are looking for a point guard to lead them after they trade Ja Morant. It would be a no-brainer for them to trade picks 16 and 32 for 11 if Flemings is on the board, which I suggested here.

Frankly, the Warriors should ask for a bit more in that trade framework, such as an intriguing young player like GG Jackson, Jaylen Wells or Cam Spencer.

And even then, it's fair to suggest that the Warriors should just take Flemings.

But for those trade-down enthusiasts, this is the most logical deal on the board.

If Mara falls to 11, I suspect the Hornets will have significant interest in moving up for him.

It would be horrible value for them to give up 14 and 18 for 11. But they could trade 14 and 18 for 11 and a future protected first-round pick.

Siegel reported that the Warriors called the Hornets about this trade framework and were told they aren't interested, but if the Hornets get the sense that none of Mara, Johnson or Hannes Steinbach will make it to 14, they might change their tune and trade up for their center of choice.