Dub Hub: Warriors mock draft roundup for the 41st pick in the 2025 NBA Draft

Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Wednesday, June 19th.

In today’s Dub Hub:

• Best fits for the Warriors second-round pick according to experts from ESPN, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, and more.
• Warriors players reflect on the Juneteenth holiday.
• Buss family sells majority ownership of the Lakers, per ESPN.

As the NBA Finals come to a close this week, attention shifts to next season—beginning with the 2025 NBA Draft next Thursday. The Golden State Warriors won’t be picking in the first round after sending their selection to the Miami Heat in the blockbuster trade for Jimmy Butler, but they do hold the Heat’s second-round pick at No. 41 overall.

Under third-year general manager Mike Dunleavy, the Warriors have uncovered value late in the draft with recent selections like Trayce Jackson-Davis (57th overall) and Quinten Post (52nd overall). With a clear need for more shooting and size, Golden State could look to address either areas in this year’s draft.

Here’s a mock draft round-up of who experts have the Warriors targeting:

• ESPN: Rocco Zikarsky, Center, Brisbane (Australia)
• The Athletic: Johni Broome, Power Forward, Auburn
• Yahoo Sports: Chaz Lanier, Wing, Tennessee

The Warriors need more shooting, which explains everything about this pick. Lanier transferred to Tennessee after four years at North Florida and immediately thrived as a knockdown shooter with shot-making creativity. But without great size or playmaking at his age, he’s a second-round prospect.

• Bleacher Report: Koby Brea, Wing, Kentucky

Size: 6’6”, 202 lbs

Age: 22

Nationality: USA/Dominican Republic

Pro Comparison: Duncan Robinson

Koby Brea joined a short list of college players 6’6” and over to shoot 42.0 percent from three on 700 career attempts. Half carved out NBA careers or roles, including Allan Houston, Dennis Scott, Jason Kapono, Kyle Korver, Sam Hauser and Steve Novak.

Teams could see a specialist and value with Brea in the second round.

• Tankathon: Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Center, Penn State
• Sports Illustrated: Hunter Sallis, Guard, Wake Forest

For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Thursday, June 19th:

Warriors News:

Warriors have unique, checkered history with No. 41 overall NBA draft pick | NBC Sports Bay Area

In last year’s inaugural two-day draft, the Warriors went into the second day with the No. 52 overall pick. The selection then took a long and winding route to ultimately become Warriors center Quinten Post.

General manager Mike Dunleavy, on the morning of the second round, traded the pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for shooting guard Lindy Waters III. The Thunder then sent the pick to the Portland Trail Blazers before the Warriors bought it back hours later to select Post. It was the first time the Warriors owned the No. 52 pick since drafting Ognjen Kuzmic in 2012, and Post already looks like he’ll have a more successful Golden State career than Kuzmic ever did, even though he is technically a 2015 champion.

Explain: A complete guide to the 2025 Warriors off-season | with Perks GSWCBA

A Totally Spontaneous Expression of Joy, Contractually Sponsored by Moët & Chandon | The New York Times

In June 2018, when the Golden State Warriors were on the verge of winning back-to-back championships, one of their sponsors, the champagne brand Moët & Chandon, had a request.

Could it put a gold bathtub filled with champagne bottles in the locker room for the celebration?

The Warriors were playing the Cleveland Cavaliers that year, and the first opportunity to clinch the series came in Cleveland. The management for the Cavaliers’ arena said no to the bathtub. So Eric Housen, the Warriors’ vice president of team operations, decided to employ some subterfuge.

He and his team put the bathtub on a dolly, covered it with a tarp, put cases of celebration-ready beer on top and wheeled it into the visitors’ locker room undetected.

Warriors players reflect on what Juneteenth means to them

Former Warrior Jordan Poole celebrates his 26th birthday on Thursday

NBA News:

Buss family to sell Lakers to Mark Walter for $10B valuation | ESPN

The Buss family will keep a minority share of the team, just over 15%, for a period of time, a source said.

In addition, Jeanie Buss will remain the Lakers’ governor and continue to run the team for “at least a number of years,” sources with knowledge of the deal told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. It was guaranteed as part of the agreement that Buss would remain in charge for the foreseeable future, and Walter fully endorsed this plan, according to sources.

Tyrese Haliburton’s status for Game 6 remains unknown | NBA

“I think I have to be as smart as I want to be,” Haliburton said Wednesday. “Have to understand the risks, ask the right questions. I’m a competitor. I want to play. I’m going to do everything in my power to play. That’s just what it is.”

The good news for the Pacers: Haliburton did everything the team did in practice on Wednesday. The bad news: That only involved sitting through 25 minutes of film, a 30-minute walkthrough and then some light shooting while basically flat-footed the whole time.

Projected top draft prospect Ace Bailey cancels workout with 76ers

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

6 Warriors offseason scenarios built around re-signing Jonathan Kuminga

The odds are Bradley Beal is not getting bought out with the Suns, in large part because he does not want to leave. However, let’s say the Warriors are doing a bit of tampering. The Suns can offer Beal about $80 million to buyout the final two years and roughly $110 million of his contract. Potentially giving up $30 million is nothing to scoff at, but Beal is far from washed up. How much could Beal net in free agency next offseason, when far more teams are expected to have cap space, after playing on a contender alongside Curry, Butler, and Green?

Follow @unstoppablebaby on Twitter for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.