Warriors must ace 11th pick in 2026 NBA Draft. Heres why

The Warriors can’t mess this up. They have the 11th pick in the NBA draft, and that’s their clearest path toward improving.Not a trade.Not star chasing.

Not rolling the dice on what may or may not happen. The good old draft is going to be their key to trying to build a contender around Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, who had shown glimmers of being really good together before Butler suffered a torn ACL in January. The Warriors have gone from being the league’s blueprint to now trying to cling to relevancy as young juggernauts have taken over the spotlight, such as the Spurs and Thunder. Golden State won four championships in eight years from 2015-2022, but the league has since sprinted past them.Over the last four years, they’ve missed the playoffs twice and haven’t gotten past the second round of the playoffs. The Warriors need to get younger.

They need a versatile big wing or an elite center.They need someone who is good enough to contribute immediately. Curry is turning 39 next season.

Green and Butler are turning 37.The team’s window is quickly closing, and the draft is their best way to prop it open long enough to give themselves a chance. In recent years, the Warriors have had mixed results with the draft.Most notably, Jordan Poole (No.

28 in the 2019 draft) was widely viewed as a success, playing a crucial role in their 2022 championship run, but James Wiseman (No.2 in 2020) and Jonathan Kuminga (No.

7 in 2021) were ultimately considered disappointments. Wiseman couldn’t stay healthy and had way too steep of a development curve.Kuminga wanted to be a star, but the Warriors needed him to star in his role, leading to a fallout.  California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.

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Never miss a story Even with Poole, things eventually c...