The Golden State Warriors fell out for the second season at the play-in stage. With the organization trying so hard to build a winning team once again for Steph Curry, they have to get their draft decision correct while also fighting to bring in Giannis Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee. 

The team currently holds the No. 11 pick in the 2026 NBA draft. The last time they held that spot, they selected fellow or former Splash Brother Klay Thompson, who went on to help the organization win four championships and dominate the league alongside Curry. 2026 is different, and according to reports, this time around, they don’t exactly know what to do with the pick.

ClutchPoints insider Brett Siegel laid out the Warriors’ draft strategy using their draft position.

“The Warriors appear to be exploring all options as they weigh whether to keep or move their lottery selection,” Siegel reported. “The Warriors remain a mystery with the No. 11 pick, with multiple sources telling us they are open to the idea of trading down from No. 11 or adding an additional top-20 pick. Bennett Stirtz has emerged as a dark-horse candidate in the draft for Golden State.”

General Manager Mike Dunleavy and his front office have spent the past month sifting through options with the pick, and there’s been a strong sense in the Bay Area that the pick will be strong enough to make good use of it. 

Last season, Steph Curry admitted that the organization is grasping at straws, asserting, “It’s like when you come into a season, you have an idea of what this specific team is capable of and what it’s going to take to reach our full potential. Meaning, to be relevant in the championship kind of conversation. And we didn’t get off to a great start, but it was kind of manageable in terms of understanding where we could get better,” Curry told ESPN’s Malika Andrews.

One name mentioned is a former champion from OKC. The Thunder are trying to sort their payroll troubles, as extensions for Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren kick in, and Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins are among the players who could become available as OKC looks to shed salary. Both are on favorable contracts – Joe on two years and $22.6 million, Wiggins on three years and $25 million, making either a cheap, low-risk addition for the Warriors team.

“And then we had a 12-15 game run where we were that team again, and the identity was starting to show.” As expected, the Warriors crashed out, losing 111-96 to the Phoenix Suns in the final Play-In game of last season

Another name mentioned is New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported that New Orleans is “no longer hanging up on teams calling to inquire” about the two-way wing, and that the Warriors’ “longstanding interest” in Murphy is well known. Last season, the 26-year-old averaged 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists on 37.9% shooting from beyond the arc.

NBA insider Evan Sidery shared an idea that involved New Orleans receiving Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, the No. 11 pick, a 2027 pick swap, and a 2028 first-rounder. Other reporting suggested that the price could run even higher, potentially as many as four first-round picks, which has brought up conversations about whether the terms of a potential trade are worth it: trading their future for Murphy or using that same future to get an aforementioned superstar from Milwaukee. 

Why Golden State’s Indecision Makes Sense Given the Roster’s Bigger Picture

The one tough factor in all of this is that the Warriors are over the cap, restricting them to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception for any free agent signing. That has reportedly put LeBron James into the offseason conversation as arguably their most realistic outside addition.

Every dollar and every asset spent on getting Murphy is a dollar and asset not available for James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, or any other star-level swing, which is precisely why Golden State is treating the 11th pick as leverage rather than a settled decision. If they keep the pick, Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg is viewed internally as the top target if he falls out of the top 10.

If they trade down, names like Joshua Jefferson, Alex Karaban, and Bruce Thornton become realistic targets at a lower draft slot, which will free future capital for them to get a star instead.

New Orleans’ desire to jump back into the lottery now gives the Warriors real leverage in the Murphy talks. But whether the Dubs uses that leverage to trade up for size, trade for a proven wing, trade down for future assets, or stay put and take someone nobody’s discussing yet, is a decision the front office appears to be making in real time, days before the draft actually happens.