Should Warriors Trade Into First Round of 2025 NBA Draft?

The 2025 NBA Draft is now just weeks away, and most teams are gearing up to add top prospects.

The Golden State Warriors aren’t one of those, only owning the No. 41 pick. It’s first round pick conveys to the Heat at No. 20, who are likely to gamble on a backcourt member in some form or fashion.

Still, with Jimmy Butler now on the roster, but a few contributors departing in one way or another, should Golden State trade into the first round at the ’25 draft?

The short answer is yes — if the organization is keen on a certain prospect.

It isn’t likely Golden State would be able to trade into the lottery without given up a pretty penny — either prospects it doesn’t want to trade, or multiple future draft picks. So picks No. 15 through 30 would likely be the target.

There’s plenty of options within that range that could pique the Warriors’ interest.

South Carolina’s Collin Murray-Boyles features a game similar to that of Draymond Green’s, and while he likely won’t replicate his success, he could learn under the former Defensive Player of the Year and carry on the torch for the foreseeable future.

Georgetown center Thomas Sorber could be a center in that range to take over given the potential exit of forward Kevon Looney, with similar do-it-all attributes.

Guards in that range feature Nique Clifford, Nolan Traore, Walter Clayton Jr. and more, all of which could help Golden State as soon as next year. And there’s also developmental projects such as Joan Beringer, Ben Saraf, Noah Penda and more that won’t offer early help, but could blossom into high-impact players down the road.

The Warriors have done a fine job of drafting in recent years, grabbing Quinten Post, Brandin Podziemski and more. And if they feel good about their assessment of the 2025 class, they could certainly trade up to nab their guy.

There's no guarantee any draftee offers immediate help to Golden State in the West, but it could be high time the Warriors start preparing for the near-future.