The Golden State Warriors are still cleaning up the mess. A disappointing play-in exit at the hands of the Phoenix Suns. A season that unraveled when Jimmy Butler went down. Steve Kerr’s future suddenly uncertain. And a 38-year-old Stephen Curry carrying more weight than anyone should ask him to carry.
It was not the plan. It was not the standard this franchise built over the last decade. But it happened. And now the Warriors have to figure out what comes next.
Here’s the silver lining in an otherwise forgettable season: draft position.
Golden State holds the 11th-best odds at the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. That’s not the lottery jackpot. It’s not a top-three lock. But it’s a legitimate chance to add a difference-maker to a roster that desperately needs young, cost-controlled talent.
And according to ESPN analyst Jeremy Woo, the Warriors might be looking in an unexpected direction.
In his latest mock draft, Woo has Golden State selecting New Zealand Breakers forward Karim Lopez with the 11th overall pick. Not a college star. Not a one-and-done from Duke or Kentucky. An international prospect playing halfway around the world in Australia’s NBL.
At first glance, it seems like a reach. A 19-year-old from Mexico, playing in New Zealand, averaging 11.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Those aren’t eye-popping numbers. They don’t scream “future All-Star.”
But the NBA draft is not about what a player has done. It’s about what he can become. And Lopez has a chance to become something special.
Woo laid out the case: “The top overseas-based player in a thin international prospect class, Lopez has a chance to help himself in predraft workouts, where teams will gain a better sense of his physical traits and skill level coming off a positive year in the NBL.”
That’s the key. The predraft workouts. Lopez’s physical traits are the reason scouts are intrigued. He’s 6-foot-8 with a wingspan that allows him to guard multiple positions. He has a smooth, developing jumper. He plays with a competitiveness that stands out in a league where some prospects coast on talent alone.
Woo also noted that Lopez is “showing progress as a perimeter shooter,” and that improvement could help him “sneak into the top 10.”
Here’s the thing about Lopez that should excite Warriors fans: he’s not a project. He’s 19 years old, but he has been playing professional basketball since he was 14. He signed with Joventut Badalona in Spain – one of the best developmental programs in Europe – as a teenager. He moved to New Zealand to play against grown men in the NBL. This is not a kid who needs to learn how to be a professional. He already knows.
In late January, Lopez delivered the kind of performance that makes NBA front offices take notice. Thirty-two points against Melbourne. Eight rebounds. Two assists. Two blocks. And an absurdly efficient 11-of-13 shooting from the field.
That’s not a fluke. That’s a glimpse of what Lopez can be when everything clicks.
The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie offered a measured but intrigued take: “Lopez is skilled enough that he’ll be a terrific player somewhere, but I wonder if he’s going to be the best player in EuroLeague at some point or if he’ll be a legitimate NBA player.”
That’s the question. The gap between “terrific EuroLeague player” and “legitimate NBA player” is real. It’s the graveyard where many promising international prospects have gone to die. But Lopez has the tools to bridge that gap.
The Warriors have a secret weapon in this evaluation process. General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. traveled to Auckland, New Zealand, earlier this year to scout Lopez in person. That’s not a routine trip. You don’t fly halfway around the world to watch a player you’re not seriously considering.
Dunleavy saw something. And now the rest of the league is catching up.
The long-term vision for the Warriors is complicated. Stephen Curry is 38. Draymond Green is not far behind. The championship window is not closed, but it’s not what it used to be. The front office has to balance two competing priorities: winning now with the remaining years of the core, and building for the future when they’re gone.
Karim Lopez represents that balance. He’s not a finished product. He won’t come in and average 20 points as a rookie. But he has the kind of versatility that fits perfectly in Steve Kerr’s system. He can guard multiple positions. He can stretch the floor. He can play off the ball and make smart reads.
Woo put it simply: the Warriors must “consider the long-term health of the roster,” and a prospect like Lopez could “help mesh the short and long-term goals.”
That’s the sweet spot the Warriors need to find. A player who can contribute now – even in a limited role – while developing into a core piece for the next era of Golden State basketball.
The Warriors also have flexibility beyond the draft. As ESPN’s Bobby Marks pointed out, the combined $18 million salaries of Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski could be used in trade discussions. Kristaps Porzingis could emerge as a sign-and-trade candidate. The Warriors control four first-round picks and multiple pick swaps over the next seven years.
They have options. The draft is just one of them.
But the draft is also the cheapest option. And for a team that will be paying Curry, Draymond, and potentially Jimmy Butler significant money, cheap matters.
Lopez is not a sure thing. No prospect at No. 11 is a sure thing. But he has a higher ceiling than most players available in that range. And for a franchise that built its dynasty on finding diamonds in the rough – Draymond in the second round, Poole at No. 28 – taking a swing on an international forward with untapped potential is exactly the kind of move that has worked before.
Here’s the bottom line: The Warriors’ season ended in disappointment. But disappointment has a way of creating opportunity. The 11th pick is not the prize they wanted. It could be the prize they needed.
Karim Lopez is not the next Kevin Durant. He’s not the next Giannis Antetokounmpo. But he could be the next iteration of what the Warriors do best: finding a player who fits their system, developing him the right way, and turning a mid-first-round pick into a foundational piece.
Mike Dunleavy flew to New Zealand for a reason. He saw something worth seeing. Now the rest of the NBA draft process will determine whether Lopez becomes a Warrior.
The smart money says he will.