5 Best Warriors Draft Steals of All-Time (2024)

Finding gems in the NBA Draft seems to be like clockwork for the Golden State Warriors. Throughout the course of their history, it appears like the Warriors have hit the jackpot with their picks, no matter where they select in the draft.

Look no further than their body of work in the 2023 NBA Draft. Brandin Podziemski, selected at 19th overall, was named to the All-Rookie First Team, while Trayce Jackson-Davis, picked at No. 57, became the team's starting center near the end of the regular season.

The Golden State front office, especially since the turn of the century, has done a great job of scouring through the boards and finding prospects who eventually became either all-time legends, franchise greats, or key pieces of their team at some point.

With that, here are the five best draft steals in Warriors history.

5 Jordan Poole — 28th overall, 2019 NBA Draft

Not many saw Poole's ascension from late first-rounder to key piece in championship run

It might be surprising to some to see Jordan Poole on this list, but the Warriors found a gem in the 25-year-old at 28th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft.

Poole only played four years with the Warriors. But his rather short tenure shouldn't hinder his inclusion on this, considering he was a key piece in Golden State's latest championship victory.

As late first-round pick, not many saw Poole's ascension, especially after he put together a debut campaign where he was regarded one of the worst players in the NBA. But despite a disastrous rookie season and a few stints in the NBA G-League, Poole persevered and worked hard. He saw the fruits of his labor near the end of his sophom*ore year, where he averaged 14.7 points through the latter half of the campaign.

From there, Poole only continued to build off a strong finish to his second season. He started in place of Klay Thompson to begin the 2021-22 season and firmly cemented himself as a key piece in the Warriors' resurgent run that year. Poole especially showed his worth when held down the fort at point guard when Steph Curry went down with an injury to end the regular season.

As Curry eased himself back into the fold in the playoffs, Poole continued to serve as the starter through their first-round series against the Denver Nuggets, where he averaged 28.7 points on a blistering 66.7 percent shooting through the first three games. Poole reverted back to a reserve role with Curry getting acclimated back, but that did not stop the budding star from making an impact off the bench.

Poole finished the 2022 NBA Playoffs with averages of 17.0 points on 51-39-92 shooting splits and became a vital cog in the Warriors' run to the 2022 title.

Unfortunately, his Warriors career made a sour turn after Draymond Green punched him in the face during an on-court altercation at training camp prior to the 2022-23 season. Poole and Green's relationship thereafter was never the same. That became a dark cloud for the Warriors throughout the year and they failed to defend their title after falling in the second round of the playoffs.

Looking for changes, the Warriors opted to part ways with Poole in the 2023 offseason and traded him to the Washington Wizards. The end of his tenure may not have been ideal, Dub Nation will forever remember the way he developed into a budding star in the Bay, simply because not many expected it.

4 Monta Ellis — 40th overall, 2005 NBA Draft

Before the Steph Curry era, the Warriors were spearheaded by another exciting guard in Monta Ellis. While Curry electrified the Bay Area crowd with his three-point shooting, Ellis made his name with his high-flying antics and athleticism.

The Warriors somehow landed Ellis with the 40th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft. It didn't take long for him to make an impact as he won the Most Improved Player award in the 2006-07 season, the same year Golden State went on its 'We Believe' tour in the 2007 playoffs.

From there, Ellis only grew into an offensive focal point for the Warriors. He reached his peak during the 2009-10 season, where he averaged 25.1 points per game. However, despite his individual success, the Warriors were still bottom-dwellers in the NBA at the time.

Golden State eventually moved on from Ellis midway through the 2011-12 season after they sent him to the Milwaukee Bucks to acquire Andrew Bogut. His departure officially signified the handing of the keys to Curry, which kickstarted the Warriors' rise.

Though Ellis wasn't there during the Warriors' ascension, Ellis remains a beloved figure among Dub Nation.

3 Tim Hardaway — 14th overall, 1989 NBA Draft

Hardaway was a final cog in the high-octane Run TMC offense

Tim Hardaway was one of the engines that ran the Warriors' exciting, high-octane 'Run TMC' offense of the 1990s. That's why it's surprising that Golden State was able to land him at No. 14 overall in the 1989 NBA Draft.

While there were some respectable names like Glen Rice, Sean Elliot, and Mookie Blaylock that went in the top-13, there's is no way Hardaway should have fallen to as far 14.

Hardaway's arrival essentially completed one of the most exciting trios of the 1990s alongside Hall of Famers Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond. With the Warriors became must-see TV with their unique brand of basketball that was ahead of their time.

It didn't take long for Hardaway to make a name for himself in the NBA. He became an All-Star in just his sophom*ore season and helped transform the Warriors into a playoff team at the onset of the decade. The spitfire point guard wowed the Bay Area crowed with his patented killer crossover that broke so many ankles throughout the 90s.

Hardaway averaged over 21 points per game before a knee injury kept him out of the 1993-94 campaign. His time with the franchise came to an end midway through the 1995-96 season, when the team granted his wish for a trade after he lost his starting spot during the season.

His tenure with the Warriors may have ended in an unideal way, but it should not diminish the fact that he is a franchise icon.

2 Draymond Green — 35th overall, 2012 NBA Draft

Green has anchored the defense of the Dubs dynastry throughout the past decade

The Warriors have dominated a good chunk of the last decade with four championships to boast for it. None of those four rings would have happened without Draymond Green.

Drafted 35th overall in 2012, Green has always had a chip on his shoulder ever since he entered the NBA. It's the reason why he remembers all 34 players taken before him. Nonetheless, the former Michigan State standout has used that as motivation to fuel the fire that has engineered four titles for Dub Nation since 2015.

Like most second-rounders, Green didn't have a big role coming out of college. He came off the bench in his first couple of years before a preseason injury to then-starter David Lee gave him his big break in the NBA. Since then, Green has wreaked havoc as one of the Warriors' focal points on both ends of the ball.

Green has been regarded as one of, if not, the best defender of his generation. He may not have the individual accolades to show for it, since he only has one Defensive Player of the Year trophy to his name. But Green has been responsible for anchoring Golden State's top-rated defenses throughout his career.

Despite standing just 6-foot-6, his heft, strength, and length have more than made up for his lack of vertical stature. Apart from his physical attributes, it's Green's basketball smarts that have made him a unique talent, not just defensively, but offensively as well.

Green may not be lighting up the box score with his scoring, but it has been his playmaking and rapport with Golden State's stars that has made him a staple in Steve Kerr's organized chaos of an offense.

1 Stephen Curry — 7th overall, 2009 NBA Draft

In hindsight, there is no way Curry would not go No. 1 overall

Despite being drafted 7th overall, it would not be right to create a Warriors draft-day steals list without putting Stephen Curry at the top simply because of his stature. For someone like Curry, who is one of the most decorated and influential players the game has ever seen, seeing six other players get taken before him is unfathomable.

Of course, hindsight is 20-20. Not even the most optimistic Curry believers would have predicted him to become the megastar he turned out to be.

Having been in mediocrity for decades, Golden State was essentially the laughingstock of the NBA before Curry arrived. His first three years were mired with injury before he overcame those early troubles and eventually took the league by storm. Curry's ascension turned the Warriors into the juggernaut empire that dominated the latter half of the 2010s.

It's really not necessary to run through the resume, but here it is anyway: four-time NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP, 2022 NBA Finals MVP, 10-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA, and the all-time record-holder for most three-pointers in NBA history, among a laundry list of accomplishments.

And he will continue padding on that three-point record (currently at 3,747 as of this writing) and won't slow down extending that mark anytime soon.

Considering the fact that the scrawny kid from an unknown school in Davidson College had his fair share of doubters when he stepped foot into the NBA, it's safe to say that Curry has far exceeded expectations of him prior to draft night.

Everybody knew how deadly of a sniper he was from beyond the arc. Apart from being the son of an elite marksman himself in Dell Curry, the 6-foot-3 point guard put that on full display throughout his college career.

But apart from his on-court accolades and countless electric highlight plays, it's the way Curry revolutionized basketball with that three-point shot that stands out most. He changed the game into the long-distance frenzy that it has become today. The three-point shot is arguably the most utilized and valuable shot in the sport because of Curry.

The change isn't only happening in the NBA, but across all kinds of levels as well. Kids nowadays shoot more than ever because of how Curry made it, not just cool, but an intricate part of today's game.

Apart from his impact on basketball, the value he brought to the Warriors franchise is second to none. Warriors owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber owe everything they have to Curry because of how the four-time champ has elevated their team's value over the years.

As of 2023, the Warriors remain the most valuable franchise in the league at $7.7 billion, per Forbes. The team was worth $450 million in 2010 when Lacob and Guber purchased the team.

With the way he has impacted the sport and what he has brought to the Warriors franchise, Curry is undoubtedly the biggest draft steal in franchise history.