SAN FRANCISCO — While some of the Warriors are still celebrating the NBA title they won one week ago, Golden State’s brass turned its attention to what’s to come.
The Warriors added a future prospect with their 2022 first-round NBA draft pick, selecting 19-year-old guard/forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. 28th overall.
A star out of high school, Baldwin’s freshman season at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee was cut short due to an injury. He averaged 12.1 points and 5.8 rebounds in 11 games.
Coming off their fourth NBA title in eight years, the Warriors are early favorites to repeat as champions and remain in win-now mode while also developing talent for the future. Baldwin will not be relied on to make a major immediate impact. He joins lottery picks James Wiseman (21 years old), Jonathan Kuminga (19) and Moses Moody (20) as being part of the next generation of Warriors.
Baldwin is the Warriors’ third No. 28 overall pick in the last five years.
Golden State took guard Jordan Poole out of Michigan in 2019. He wasn’t an immediate hit as Poole underperformed in his first two seasons as he struggled to adjust with the transition from college ball to the NBA. After a G League demotion last season, Poole broke out this season and was a key supporting cast member on the Warriors’ title-winning team.
Meanwhile, the Warriors’ decision to take guard Jacob Evans III out of Cincinnati in 2018 has proven to be a mistake. He was thrown in to the trade that sent D’Angelo Russell to the Timberwolves for Andrew Wiggins and the pick that turned into Kuminga. Evans played last season in the G League with the Santa Cruz Warriors.
Myers and his team aren’t done just yet. The Warriors own the Nos. 51 and 55 picks in the second round. Golden State could trade those selections for future assets or cash.
