The Warriors on Wednesday night completed the first of several phases required to create a roster that won’t turn to dust if Stephen Curry needs a few minutes to catch his breath.
The upshot is that, as expected, they’re really going to need Phases two through four.
Phase One delivered two wings, Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg on Tuesday in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft and Florida State’s Lajae Jones on Wednesday in the second round. For a roster ultralight on wings, both picks are defensible.
Both players went through workouts with Golden State.
Lendeborg, taken No. 11 overall, arrives as a decorated collegian widely regarded as a lottery pick. His size (6-foot-9, 240 pounds, 7-foot-3 wingspan), versatility and processing ability made him such an obvious choice that the only real concern was whether the Warriors would talk themselves out of taking him.
Jones, the 54th player selected, is rangy (6-foot-7, 215 pounds, 6-foot-10 wingspan) and put up decent stats, averaging 12.7 points and 5.7 rebounds for the Seminoles. He was projected to go late in the second round, with the possibility of going undrafted.
Whereas Lendeborg addresses the Warriors’ need for a wing capable of contributing immediately, Jones appears is in the mold of a more traditional two-way wing. He’s not going to torch the nets on a regular basis, but he has the tools and aptitude to defend up to four positions.
Jones, 22, plays with energy and profiles as being able address Golden State’s acute need to improve its athleticism.
Though Jones worked out for the Warriors, they also gathered intel from his college coach Luke Loucks, who joined Golden State in 2016 as a paid intern and left in 2021 as a player-development coach.
Jones’ journey to the NBA is long and transient, four schools in four years. He began at Tarleton State University in Texas before making his way to Kansas for a year at Barton Community College, which won the National Junior College Athletic Association D1 championship, after which he was named tournament MVP.
Jones then transferred to St. Bonaventure in New York for another season before transferring to Florida State to finish his collegiate career.
General manager Mike Dunleavy has earned some grace for his ability to find contributors late in the second round. The Warriors found guard Will Richard (56th overall) last season, center Quinten Post (52nd) the year before and center Trayce Jackson-Davis (57th) in the 2023 draft. Dunleavy was assistant GM when Gui Santos was drafted in 55th overall in 2022.
The Warriors went into the NBA draft fully aware that they have more needs than can be addressed with only two picks. They need general athleticism, a bulldog on-ball defender, a reliable rim protector and, of course, wings to fill the void with Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody both sidelined for much of next season.
Dunleavy and Co. had to start somewhere, though, and the draft picks that represent Phase One are sober selections.