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The Warriors have brought in more than a dozen prospects for workouts at Chase Center ahead of the NBA Draft, which begins June 25.
Golden State has the 41st pick, and projecting which players will be available that deep in the process is a mostly speculative exercise.
But the types of players the Warriors have brought to San Francisco hints at how Mike Dunleavy and the front office are thinking as they prepare to add to the roster.
Dunleavy has proved adept at finding talent in the draft, even late. All three of his selections have contributed — Brandin Podziemski at pick No. 19 (2023), Trayce Jackson-Davis at No. 57 (2023), and Quinten Post at No. 52 (2024). All were experienced college players who displayed at least one NBA-caliber skill that gave their games a chance to immediately translate.
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Don’t expect that approach to change.
Of the 18 players the Warriors have announced that they’ve worked out, only two played fewer than four college seasons. Ten played at least five seasons during an era in which players could take an extra year of eligibility because of the Covid pandemic.
Given the win-now state of the Warriors’ roster, raw prospects with high upsides don’t make as much sense as players who have a higher chance of contributing right away. The former brand typically isn’t available in the second round, anyway. Head coach Steve Kerr has often extolled the virtue of college experience, and it seems like the front office agrees with his preference.
The 41st pick in the draft offers the Warriors a chance to select a low-cost player who can address one of their needs: shooting, athleticism, and positional size.
The Warriors could certainly home in on a player they didn’t bring in for a workout (or one who worked out privately). But reading the tea leaves on their pre-draft workout list provides clues about a few players who could emerge as targets.
Tamar Bates, Missouri guard
The 23-year-old guard was among the most efficient scorers in college basketball last season. Bates led the nation in free-throw percentage (94.6%) while shooting 50.8% from the field and 39.7% from 3-point range. It was the second year in a row he flirted with 50/40/90 splits.
At 6-foot-5 — with a 6-foot-10 wingspan — Bates has good size for a guard and has the potential to fill Golden State’s need as a scorer off the bench who isn’t a total zero defensively. Finding two-way players is always the key, and Bates has a chance to blossom into one at the NBA level.
In an upset over top-ranked Kansas, Bates dropped a season-high 29 points and five steals while flashing his developing off-the-bounce game.
Asked which NBA players he’d compare himself to, Bates listed Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe, Matisse Thybulle, Malik Beasley, and Devin Vassell. If that combination of shooting, size, and defense is available at 41, it might be tough to turn down.
Sion James, Duke wing
James is built like a tank engine at 6-foot-6, 220 pounds. And he’s not big for nothing.
In his fifth year, at Duke, James’ rugged nature earned him a spot on the ACC All-Defense Team. If he continues to develop, he has the potential to defend point guards through forwards.
As a 3-and-D player around top prospects Cooper Flagg, Connor Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach, James should enter the league comfortable with the type of role his team will ask him to play.
If James’ spot-up 3-point shot (49.1% on catch-and-shoot 3s with Duke) is legit, he’ll have a chance to carve out a long career for himself.
If the Warriors are prepared to let Gary Payton II go in free agency, a defensive-minded wing in the draft like James could become an especially valuable bench piece.
Mock drafts have James pegged in the 40s, right around the range of the Warriors’ pick.
CJ Huntley, Appalachian State center
The second round is more about targeting specific tools than overall pedigree, and that’s where a prospect such as Huntley becomes interesting.
The 6-foot-11 center didn’t get Power-5 offers coming out of high school and mock drafts predict he’ll go undrafted in June. That makes him an under-the-radar option — perhaps not at No. 41, but maybe as a trade-down candidate or an undrafted signing.
Huntley spent all five seasons at App State, where he developed into a capable stretch center (he shot 35.6% from three last year). He runs the floor in transition well and can play above the rim, but he likes to pop out to the arc more than roll to the rim.
That profile checks a lot of boxes for the Warriors, who could use another floor-spacing center option in addition to Post.
Huntley isn’t as pure a shooter as Post, and he’s likely more of a project, but he hypothetically checks the boxes: size, athleticism, shooting.
Warriors centers need to be able to play alongside Draymond Green (read: shoot 3-pointers) as well as protect the rim and make quick, smart decisions in the halfcourt. All those specificities are difficult for the vast majority of centers, and Huntley wouldn’t be an exception. But perhaps it would be worth seeing how quickly he can learn.