Mike Dunleavy magic could make Warriors trade for Jimmy Butler even better

If there's one small downside to the Golden State Warriors hot 12-2 stretch over the last 14 games, it's that the franchise is now almost assured to give up their first-round pick in June's NBA Draft.

The Warriors would have understood that when they relinquished a top 10 protected selection to the Miami Heat in the blockbuster trade for Jimmy Butler. That gave them some insurance if things went terribly, but fortunately things have gone ever better than most could have expected as Golden State surge up the Western Conference standings and even draw some championship chatter.

Mike Dunleavy Jr. will have to work his draft magic again for the Warriors

One aspect from the trade that goes under the radar is that the Warriors actually got two second-round from the Heat in the process. One of those will come this year, though it is protected 31 through 37.

As bad as Miami have been since the trade in losing 11 of their past 15 games, that pick will almost assuredly convey to Golden State in the same way their first-round pick will head to the Heat. Second-round selections are so often thrown around in trades as if they're meaningless, but perhaps we should be putting more weight in them from a Warrior perspective.

Since taking over from Bob Myers as Golden State General Manager in 2023, Mike Dunleavy Jr. has not only seemingly hit on one, but both of his late second-round picks. A trade with the Washington Wizards allowed the Warriors to acquire Trayce Jackson-Davis with the 57th overall pick in 2023, before they reacquired their own 52nd pick in 2024 to draft Quinten Post.

Jackson-Davis just missed out on All-Rookie honors in his first year, while Post is now generating similar discussion despite having only entered Steve Kerr's rotation halfway through the season. The seven-footer's emergence has actually come at the expense of Jackson-Davis, yet he still looks like a young big man Golden State need to persist with over the next couple of years.

In fact, you could argue the Warriors have found their two-man center combination of the future with two late second-round selections. It makes you wonder what Dunleavy could do with the Heat's pick this year, particularly if it conveys further up in the 40's.

It's going to take time to evaluate the Butler trade in its entirety, with no doubt that the final result will be significantly determined by what players the respective teams draft with the picks that were exchanged.