The Golden State Warriors have made a notable move on the eve of the second-round of the NBA Draft, executing a picks-based trade with the pacific rival Phoenix Suns.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Warriors are trading the 41st to the Suns in exchange for pick 52 and 59. It comes after earlier reports from NBA insider Jake Fischer that Golden State were open to using the 41st pick they initially acquired from the Miami Heat in the Jimmy Butler trade.
The Warriors will be hoping to repeat recent success
It's a surprise move for the Warriors who have essentially just gifted the Suns a pick upgrade that could be valuable given the talent that fell out of the first-round on Wednesday night. With the Suns still navigating around the second tax apron, acquiring a second-rounder who could make a rotation impact while on a small contract could be incredibly beneficial.
Phoenix are planning to do that with multiple second-round picks, with Charania also reporting that they've moved up to the 31st selection where they'll aim to take noted draft slider Rasheer Fleming.
The only logic for Golden State is that they are targeting a specific player they would have used the 41st pick on, but who they believe will make it to the 52nd pick regardless. Even then, only acquiring the 59th pick as compensation for moving down 11 spots isn't great.
It's worth noting that the Warriors made excellent use of the 52nd pick last year, taking 7-footer Quinten Post who would go on to make significant impact in his rookie year as the floor-spacing center the franchise desperately needed.
It remains to be seen whether Golden State use the 59th pick on a player that could be on the roster next season, or the more likely scenario that it's a draft-and-stash prospect who requires much more development.
The Warriors have a recent history of doing both with very late second-round picks. They drafted Gui Santos with the 55th overall pick in 2022, but the Brazillian forward then spent time in Santa Cruz before signing a contract with the franchise in November 2023.
Golden State drafted Trayce Jackson-Davis with the 57th pick in 2023, giving the young center a four-year, $7.6 million contract straight away after previous projections of being an early second-round pick.
Either way, it will create plenty of interest in the upcoming NBA Summer League if the Warriors suddenly have two prospects that they take late in the second-round on Thursday night.