It’s been quite a journey for the Golden State Warriors’ 2030 first-round pick. It first changed hands in the summer of 2023, when the Warriors sent half of their “second timeline” to the Washington Wizards (Jordan Poole, Ryan Rollins, Patrick Baldwin, Jr.), a 2027 second, and the 2030 first-rounder for whatever was left of Chris Paul’s 38-year-old body.
The pick, protected for selections 1-20 in 2030, settled down in the District of Columbia for the next two seasons as the Wizards slowly traded away
their good players for picks, took on other team’s bad contracts for picks, and tanked so effectively that they ended up with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft. But when the Wizards decided to disable the tank for the 2026-27 season, the Warriors’ old pick was part of the trade that sent Anthony Davis from the Dallas Mavericks to the nation’s capital.
Now the protected pick belongs to the Memphis Grizzlies, who traded forward Santi Aldama to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for AJ Johnson, two second-rounders, and that 2030 Warriors first. At time, the Warriors were effectively trading a 12-year-old for a 38-year-old, though now that potential pick is probably in his sophomore year of high school. Lest we forget, Dallas also receives the rights to Tarik Biberovic, a 25-year-old Bosniak forward who plays professionally in Turkey.
The Grizzlies are no strangers to taking on protected Warriors first-rounders. They got the Warriors’ 2024 first for taking on Andre Iguodala’s salary in the summer of 2019, which led to the Dillon Brooks Dynasty in Memphis after the young team pretended to be furious about Iguodala forcing his way to the Miami Heat and the 2020 NBA Finals. Eventually, it simply put the Grizzlies in the Path of Destruction forged by Steph Curry.
Eventually, that pick found its way to Washington after being involved in trades for Marcus Smart, Jrue Holiday, Deni Avdija, and Kristaps Porzingis. The draft is a flat circle. The pick eventually turned into Carlton Kaleel Carrington III, better known as “Bub,” who will known be mentored by noted veteran leader Trae Young.
The 2030 pick will only convey to Memphis if it lands between No. 21 and No. 30, in which case it becomes a Warriors second-rounder. That’s good business from the Dubs front office, considering Steph Curry will turn 42 that season. The Grizzlies have a giant stockpile of picks after trading Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson, Jr. in the last 12 months, so the Dubs’ beloved pick may be relocating a few more times before draft night 2030.
In other ex-Warriors news, Harrison “The Black Falcon” Barnes re-signed with the San Antonio Spurs, Andrew Wiggins opted-in to his player option and signed an extension with the Miami Heat, Buddy Hield surprisingly had his $9.7M option picked up by the Atlanta Hawks, and Nico Mannion received a qualifying offer from the Warriors while currently unemployed in the Italian league. Forever Warrior Justinian Jessup is under contract with Bayern Munich through 2028.
