2025 NBA mock draft: Warriors select Brice Williams, Tamar Bates in second round originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The first round of the 2025 NBA Draft has come and gone, and the Warriors weren’t a part of it at all.
That doesn’t mean the first 30 picks didn’t have possible short term and long-term effects on Golden State. Just look at the first two picks. Cooper Flagg went to the Dallas Mavericks, and Dylan Harper followed him in the state of Texas as the No. 2 pick to the San Antonio Spurs. Both teams missed out on the NBA playoffs last season, but they don’t expect that to be the case next year.
The Western Conference always is a slugfest, and a handful of top prospects joined the Warriors’ conference.
The Warriors entered Thursday with the No. 41 pick, but a few hours before the start of the second round, they reportedly traded the selection to the Phoenix Suns for the No. 52 and No. 59 overall picks. So, now, Golden State will have two chances to add talent to the roster.
Here’s our best guess at how the second round could play out.
31. Phoenix Suns: Rasheer Fleming, F, St. Joseph’s
Fleming was thought to be a late first-round pick. Instead, the Suns jumped at the chance to add him and his 7-foot-6 wingspan
32. Boston Celtics: Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton
The Celtics just sent all 7-foot-2 of Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks, so now they can bring in a cheaper 7-foot-1 center that has shooting upside, playmaking out of the middle and smarts as someone that played 169 college games.
33. Charlotte Hornets: Maxime Raynaud, C, Stanford
After shooting up draft boards, the Hornets take the best player available. Raynaud could impact the Hornets from Day 1.
34. Charlotte Hornets: Noah Penda, F, Le Mans Sarthe Basket
The Hornets simply need as many smart basketball players as possible. Penda is still only 20 but plays with a veteran’s mind, which will fit right in.
35. Philadelphia 76ers: Bogoljub Marković, F/C, Mega Basket
He’ll need a bucket of Philly cheesesteaks to gain the pounds needed on his frame for the NBA, but Marković is a modern stretch big whose upside might be too hard to pass up.
36. Minnesota Timberwolves: Johni Broome, PF/C, Auburn
Broome is fits the experienced rookie mold of someone who played 168 college games. He was super efficient for Auburn last season, and despite athletic limitations, Broome knows how to dominate the glass.
37. Detroit Pistons: Koby Brea, SG/SF, Kentucky
Malik Beasley was an absolute steal for the Pistons this past season. However, he’s hitting free agency and the Pistons would be wise to add another knock-down shooter form deep.
38. Indiana Pacers: Tyrese Proctor, PG, Duke
It only makes sense for the Pacers to bring in another point guard named Tyrese with their own star out for the season. The former top prospect should be of strong value here.
39. Toronto Raptors: Chaz Lanier, SG, Tennessee
Lanier can go get a bucket. The Raptors’ roster feels like a bit of a mish mosh right now, but Lanier’s scoring ability can be hard to pass up.
40. New Orleans Pelicans: Jamir Watkins, SF, Florida State
The Pelicans went super young in the first round, so it’s time to bring in some age and experience. Watkins averaged over 18 points his final season at FSU, though his 3-point shot will have to improve.
41. Phoenix Suns: Sion James, Wing, Duke
James has been connected to the Warriors a ton, particularly by the person typing these words, so of course he lands at the slot the Warriors traded ahead of the second round.
42. Sacramento Kings: Ryan Nembhard, PG, Gonzaga
Unlike his older brother, Nembhard is small. People wouldn’t believe he’s 6-foot on a dating profile, but they do know he brings smarts, tenacity and the mindset to shift a culture in the right direction.
43. Washington Wizards: Adou Thiero, F, Arkansas
Many saw him as a first-round talent. The Wizards would love a slide like this for someone who should be able to guard up and down the court with players of all sizes.
44. Oklahoma City Thunder: Alex Toohey, Wing, Sydney Kings
More talent for the champs. Toohey played two years in Australia’s NBL and impressed many at the NBA scouting combine with his overall skills and feel for the game.
45. Los Angeles Lakers: Rocco Zikarsky, C, Brisbane Bullets
Back-to-back picks out of Australia. There’s big, and then there’s the 7-foot-4, 257-pound Zikarsky.
46. Orlando Magic: John Tonje, SG/SF, Wisconsin
The more shooting the better for the Magic, even after adding Desmond Bane. Tonje displayed the ability to put the ball in the basket over his six-year college career, and he plays with the smarts of someone who spent six years in college.
47. Milwaukee Bucks: Micah Peavy, Wing, Georgetown
The Bucks simply need players they can rely on. That’s Peavy, a do-it-all wing that will need to prove his 3-point shot is for real.
48. Memphis Grizzlies: Hunter Sallis, SG, Wake Forest
Sallis had a career-year across the board as a senior. He’s a former top prospect who can show why and still be a productive bench player.
49. Cleveland Cavaliers: Lachlan Olbrich, PF/C, Illawarra Hawks
OK Australia, we get it. Olbrich contributed to a championship team in the NBL, and maybe the Cavs want to get even bigger in the frontcourt.
50. New York Knicks: Amari Williams, C, Kentucky
Not only is Williams a massive center, he’s a playmaker out of the middle. That’s something the Knicks could use.
51. LA Clippers: Kam Jones, PG, Marquette
His efficiency went down last season as his 3-point shot took a tumble. That felt more like an outlier for someone who averaged 17 points his final three years of college.
52. Golden State Warriors: Brice Williams, SF, Nebraska
The Warriors worked out Williams on June 9, and for a team looking to add shooting, he fits the mold. Williams is a big-bodied wing who can get to the mid-range and bury a three. He’s an older prospect with a calmness to his game and fits the Warriors’ timeline, should he make the team.
This pick wouldn’t be a project, far from it. Williams is 23 years old and will turn 24 on July 5. He played five college seasons for a total of 157 games, and actually spent six years in college. A knee injury held him out for all of the 2021-22 season. So, why Williams?
First, he shot 38.5 percent from three for his career and never shot under 37 percent following his freshman year. Williams averaged 20.4 points per game his final college season, but isn’t going to be a ball-stopper. He also adds positional size at 6-foot-7 and 215 pounds.
53. Utah Jazz: Dink Pate, G, Mexico City Capitanes
Upside, upside, upside. That’s Danny Ainge’s game. Once regarded as a top prospect who became the youngest player ever in the G League, Ainge takes another swing.
54. Indiana Pacers: Eric Dixon, PF, Villanova
Some players just know how to put points up, and that’s Dixon. He led the nation in scoring last season and can stretch the floor with his 3-point shot.
55. Chicago Bulls: Alijah Martin, G, Florida
The right team will have to draft Martin, a 6-foot-2 super-athlete with a 6-foot-8 wingspan who might be able to mold his game after Gary Payton II.
56. Memphis Grizzlies: RJ Luis Jr., Wing, St. John’s
Versatility and intensity. Luis brings both, and it’s easy to see him compete to carve out a role in the NBA.
57. Orlando Magic: Javon Small, PG, West Virginia
Though he fits his last name at 6-foot-1, Small averaged 18.6 points and 5.6 assists last season after transferring from East Carolina. He’s worth betting on at this slot.
58. Cleveland Cavaliers: Kobe Sanders, SF, Nevada
Sanders spent his first four years at Cal Poly before leveling up and proving himself to be a dynamic shotmaker as a strong, big-bodied wing.
59. Golden State Warriors: Tamar Bates, G, Missouri
To wrap it up, the Warriors go and get a seasoned guard in Bates. The lefty is a 3-and-D type of prospect at guard with a long wingspan and the ability to really shoot it.
Bates began his career at Indiana but really shined the last two years after transferring to Missouri. In his last two seasons of college, Bates averaged 13.4 points while shooting 50.2 percent from the field, 39.2 percent from three and 93.6 percent at the free-throw line. Bates led the SEC in free-throw percentage as a junior, and then the entire country as a senior with a 94.6 percent clip when he went 87 for 92.
The Warriors worked Bates out on May 22 in their first group of pre-draft workouts.
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