Warriors swing surprise trade in NBA Draft’s second round
NBA Draft: Warriors trade with Hawks for No. 44 pick, select Toledo's
Ryan Rollins
>Golden State Warriors president of basketball operations and general
manager Bob Myers listens to questions about injured player Klay
Thompson, during a news conference in San Francisco, Thursday, Nov. 19,
2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
>Golden State Warriors president of basketball operations and general
manager Bob Myers listens to questions about injured player Klay
Thompson, during a news conference in San Francisco, Thursday, Nov. 19,
2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
By SHAYNA RUBIN | srubin@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: June 23, 2022 at 9:12 p.m. | UPDATED: June 24, 2022 at 10:32 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/06/23/warriors-swing-surprise-trade-in-nba-drafts-second-round/

SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors entered Thursday’s draft with three picks
to work with, but swung a trade to move up the board in the second round.

The Warriors acquired the 44th overall pick in a trade with the Atlanta
Hawks and took Toledo’s Ryan Rollins, a 19-year-old guard. Golden State
sent the Hawks the 51st pick, which turned into UConn guard Tyrese
Martin, and $2 million.

“The gap behind Rollins and the next guy was pretty big, so that’s why
we moved up,” general manager Bob Myers said.

Golden State is in the market for playmaking depth, and Rollins is a
6-foot-4 guard with an astounding 6-foot-10 wingspan. The Warriors liked
Rollins’ shot creation ability — he shot 45% from the field and 32% from
3 in two years with the Rockets.

“We value that. He looks like he can dribble, pass, shoot,” Myers said.
“He shot well from the free throw line…he shot 31% from 3, not great,
but we think he can get a little stronger and extend out. He’s got a
little bit of that (Jordan) Poole game. Watching him play one-on-one,
he’s a tough cover.”

Rollins profiles as a combo guard and will turn 20 on July 3, right when
the California Classic portion of Summer League begins.

Rollins was named to the Mid-Major All-America Team in his sophomore
year and First-Team All-MAC team four times. Rollins is the first player
drafted out of Toledo since 1998, when the Philadelphia 76ers took Casey
Shaw with the 37th overall pick.

With the No. 55 pick, the Warriors took forward Gui Santos out of the
Brazillian Basketball League. Santos could be a draft-and-stash
prospect, meaning the Warriors could have him continue to play in Brazil
as a development project. The Warriors did this with Justinian Jessup,
their 51st overall pick in the 2020 draft who is playing for the
Illawarra Hawks in Australia’s National Basketball League.

Myers said the Warriors will use the next few days to decide if they
will bring Santos to San Francisco or have him stay in Brazil.

Santos, 20, went undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft. He averaged 10 points
on 45% shooting from the field and 32% from 3 on an average of three
3-point attempts per game with the Minas Storm.

Amid the madness, the Warriors also signed undrafted guard University of
Memphis guard Lester Quinones to a two-way deal, according to reports.
Quinones played with James Wiseman at Memphis.

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With the No. 28 overall pick, the Warriors selected Patrick Baldwin Jr.,
a freshman who played under his dad, Patrick Baldwin Sr., the head coach
at Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Baldwin, coming off an ankle injury with only 11
college games under his belt, may not be a lock to join the 15-man roster.

But Myers indicated Rollins could be added to the roster as some guard
depth behind Jordan Poole.

“We talked about can he play with Poole?” Myers said. “But at the end of
the day, we saw talent. We didn’t think he’d be there at 51 and
thankfully Joe agreed and said we could spend the $2 million and go get
him.”

The Warriors have nine free agents heading into the offseason, and
therefore the possibility of having a handful of open roster spots. The
Baldwin and Rollins picks show they’re leaning toward taking flyers on
high-upside players in this draft.

Draymond Green is the Warriors’ most successful second-round pick since
they selected Monta Ellis 40th overall in the 2005 draft. Green was
selected 35th overall in the 2012 draft out of Michigan State, and can
famously name every player drafted before him.

The four-time champion tweeted after the Los Angeles Lakers selected
Michigan State’s Max Christie, also 35th overall: “Another 35th pick
from Michigan State. History says he’s going to be an All-Star.”

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Another 35th pick from Michigan State. History says he’s going to be an
All-Star 🤷🏿‍♂️
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) June 24, 2022
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Shayna Rubin | Oakland Athletics reporter