Golden State Warriors 2026 NBA Draft Targets If They Tank To a Top-10 Pick
The Golden State Warriors could use a distraction.
And not just the kind that comes from the occasional pleasant-surprise upset.
Because with contending off the table (for the 2025-26 NBA season, at least) and Stephen Curry forever creeping closer toward his career's finish line, big-picture hopes are notably absent. Until now.
There is a potential silver lining from the Warriors' colossally disappointing campaign. With the right amount of stretch-run stumbles and lottery luck, it's still possible the Warriors walk away with a top-10 pick.
In our latest 2026 NBA mock draft, we have the Warriors selecting Nate Ament from Tennessee at No. 15. But there's a road to a higher pick.
It might take an obscene amount of losing or a gift from the basketball gods, but there's a universe in which Golden State either plummets to a bottom-10 record or strikes lottery gold and gets hand-delivered a top-four pick.
Both scenarios are worth exploring—again, for the welcomed-distraction factor alone—so let's explore, then, by highlighting five prospects the Warriors could target with either the No. 10 pick (because they aren't "catching" the bottom nine teams in the standings) or a top-four selection.
Target at No. 10: Braylon Mullins, SG, UConn
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Should the Warriors sneak their way to No. 10 but not any higher, it's more likely they'd chase potential fits and established skills more than upside. Especially if that upside is most clearly attached to any number of the small-ish lead guards this draft class has to offer, like Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr. or Texas Tech's Christian Anderson.
Mullins, meanwhile, aces the eye test for an off-ball shooting role as a 6'6", 196-pounder with a fiery three-point stroke.
He's had a few cold spells here and there, but his hot nights are game-changers. He has hit five or more triples three different times and has six contests with at least three triples and a 37-plus-percent splash rate.
"He's a top-20 pick based on eye test, archetype, fit and the translatability tied to his positional size, spot-up and movement shooting, shotmaking diversity and defensive competitiveness," B/R's Jonathan Wasserman wrote while mocking Mullins to Golden State at No. 15. "... He's the type capable of catching fire once the game-script calls for more firepower and his confidence starts pumping."
Target at No. 10: Thomas Haugh, SF/PF, Florida
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Could the Warriors look toward the Gators again after nailing last summer's addition of Will Richard? Absolutely.
The price would be steeper here—Richard was the 56th pick—but with good reason. Haugh, a 6'9" combo forward, has better tools and more obviously translatable talents, like dynamic finishing, do-everything defensive versatility and flashes of creation that suggest he might have more upside than offered by a 22-year-old junior.
"Haugh's positional size, mobility, toughness and nonstop motor make him a versatile option who wins extra possessions and doesn't need his number called on offense to produce," ESPN's Jeremy Woo wrote. "He likely won't create much offense for himself, but this type of profile slots in well alongside star talent, and Haugh has begun to make threes with consistency."
With the Warriors perhaps feeling as if their championship puzzle is merely a few pieces from completion, the draw to Haugh could be strong and obvious. He plays hard and smart, and he could hustle and savvy his way into a fairly significant role already on opening night.
Target at No. 10: Yaxel Lendeborg, PF, Michigan
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If Lendeborg shot the long ball with more volume and efficiency (1.5 makes per game on 34.3 percent), he'd be a no-brainer for the Dubs. He probably also wouldn't make it to No. 10, despite the fact he turned 23 in September.
That's because virtually everything else in his scouting profile sounds drool-worthy. He already has an NBA frame (6'9", 240 lbs), and he can play even bigger than his size thanks to his hops and sweeping 7'4" wingspan.
Oh, and the shooting is far from hopeless. His 82.7 free-throw percentage shows obvious promise in his touch, and he looked legitimately good from range (21-of-52, 40.4 percent) earlier this season before suffering (and playing through) a calf injury. And he's been scorching again here of late (18-of-36, 50 percent over his last seven games), so maybe his healthy form is more of a spacing asset than it seems.
Either way, he has size, skills, strong feel and the ability to impact winning in so many different ways. He routinely posts overstuffed (and efficient) stat sheets on one of the best teams in the country, and the depth of his bag should allow him to carve out a rotational niche as a rookie, even if he doesn't necessarily possess a signature skill.
Target at No. 4: Caleb Wilson, PF, North Carolina
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With most draft boards featuring Peterson, Dybantsa and Boozer in the top three (in any order), the No. 4 pick stands as perhaps the first real pivot point. Or rather, it would if not for the fact Wilson might have that tier all to himself.
He is, admittedly, not a tailored fit for this team, as his three-ball is inconsistent at best, and his defensive awareness can be spotty. That said, he ranks among this draft's very best prospects by both athleticism and motor. That combo alone could carry him far as a play-finisher on offense and playmaker on defense.
He could walk into a glue-guy role and impress right away, but there are also hints of him maybe becoming so much more. Before a hand fracture forced him off the floor (and a thumb fracture ended his season), he was flashing some really encouraging comfort with handling the ball in transition and making smart, simple passes to open teammates.
If the Warriors wind up at No. 4, and if Peterson, Dybantsa and Boozer are all gone, they could explore other options, but this is a case of not overthinking it. Wilson offers a great blend of short-term impact and long-term potential, with his high-range outcomes bearing real resemblance to a more defensively disruptive version of Pascal Siakam.
Target at No. 1: Darryn Peterson, PG/SG, Kansas
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Would the Warriors be tempting fate by welcoming more injury risk onto the roster? Maybe, but Peterson still feels like the right tight-rope walker for the Warriors, offering more polish than AJ Dybantsa (particularly with defense and distance shooting) and more upside than Cameron Boozer (who isn't particularly big, nor explosive).
Teams are reportedly "generally torn on who should go No. 1," per The Athletic's Sam Vecenie, and all three could have fans within the front office. Dybantsa's positional size and athleticism would be big need-fillers in Golden State. And Boozer's plug-and-play potential would hold obvious appeal for a team hoping to contend right away.
Still, provided Peterson's medicals don't raise red flags, he looks like the best player available for Golden State. He has the size, defense, feel and off-ball utility to slot alongside Curry and the towering ceiling to occupy the throne once history's greatest shooter hangs 'em up.
"He's elite, elite, elite," a scout told The Athletic's Brendan Marks and Justin Williams. "When he's fully healthy, the shot-making is on another level. ... When it comes down to it, man, if you've seen this guy play in high school, and you saw those matchups, like Darryn is the guy. For sure."
