Warriors Ultimate Draft: Pick-by-pick analysis of all 24 selections

Editor’s note: Monte Poole, Logan Murdock, Drew Shiller and Grant Liffmann participated in NBC Sports Bay Area's inaugural Warriors Ultimate Draft. All four chose squads from a 25-man pool of legends from the last 30 years, plus five "classic" players from before 1990. Our team of experts will analyze the merits of each team until a winner is crowned.

There definitely were some surprise selections in the Warriors Ultimate Draft, which had a significant domino effect on how the draft unfolded.

Liffmann never anticipated ending up with all three of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

But without further ado -- from No. 1 to No. 24, here is how the draft played out:

1) Steph Curry

Team Liffmann
The moment Grant won the lottery, he let it be known Curry would be the pick. Duh. Steph arguably is the most beloved athlete in Bay Area history.

2) Kevin Durant

Team Murdock
He captured two NBA Finals MVP awards in three seasons with the Warriors, and it could have been 3-for-3 if he wasn't injured in 2019 vs. the Toronto Raptors. It would have been shocking if Logan went in another direction.

3) Rick Barry

Team Shiller
He was named 1975 NBA Finals MVP after averaging 29.5 points, 5.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 steals as the Warriors swept the heavily-favored Washington Bullets. The Hall of Famer was an All-Star 12 times.

4) Chris Mullin

Team Poole
Mully was an All-Star five straight seasons from 1989 to 1993, and averaged 25.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.9 steals over that stretch. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Warriors retired his No. 17 jersey in 2012.

5) Baron Davis

Team Poole
Even though he left Golden State in free agency after the 2007-08 season, he always will hold a special place in the hearts of Warriors fans because he was the best player on the 2006-07 "We Believe" squad (and he destroyed Andrei Kirilenko).

6) Wilt Chamberlain

Team Shiller
Yours truly did not expect "The Big Dipper" still to be on the board, so it basically was a no-brainer. The man who averaged 50.4 points and 25.7 rebounds per game in 1961-62 and is one of the top-10 players in NBA history.

7) Chris Webber

Team Murdock
This pick surprised everybody, because Webber played only one season with the Warriors. In 1993-94, he was named NBA Rookie of the Year after averaging 17.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.2 blocks and 1.2 steals. Oh, what could have been.

8) Klay Thompson

Team Liffmann
"Game 6 Klay" is a three-time NBA champion, five-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection. He has a 100 percent approval rating with Warriors fans, and it's quite shocking he fell this far.

9) Draymond Green

Team Liffmann
He was the second-most important player on the 73-win Warriors, and probably is named 2016 NBA Finals MVP if Golden State beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7 (when he recorded 32 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists and two steals).

10) Mitch Richmond

Team Murdock
The No. 5 overall pick in the 1988 draft averaged 23.9 points and 5.9 rebounds for the 1990-91 Warriors, who upset the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs. Unfortunately, the "M" in "Run TMC" was traded to the Sacramento Kings six months later.

11) Tim Hardaway

Team Shiller
Over a three-year span from 1990-91 to 1992-93, the "T" in "Run TMC" averaged 22.7 points and 10.0 assists per game. He was an All-Star all three seasons.

12) Latrell Sprewell 

Team Poole
"Spree" averaged 21.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.2 steals in 1993-94 (his second season in the NBA). He took home First-Team All-NBA and Second-Team All-Defense honors. That's pretty incredible.

13) Nate Thurmond

Team Poole
"Nate the Great" -- a seven-time All-Star and five-time All-Defensive selection -- was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985. 

14) Andre Iguodala

Team Shiller
The 2015 NBA Finals MVP eventually will have his No. 9 jersey hanging in the rafters at Chase Center. It was a big deal for the franchise when he badly wanted to join the Warriors as a free agent in 2013. 

15) Stephen Jackson

Team Murdock
"Stack Jack" averaged 22.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.0 steals in the Warriors' historic upset of the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2007 playoffs. In Game 6, he went 7-for-8 from 3-point range.

16) Andrew Bogut

Team Liffmann
The 2014-15 Second-Team All Defense selection was vital in helping turn the Warriors into one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. On the other end of the floor, he set terrific screens and kept the ball moving.

17) Jason Richardson

Team Liffmann
The two-time NBA dunk champion was traded on draft day 2007 for Brandan Wright (the No. 8 overall pick). He averaged 19.1 points and 6.7 rebounds in the 2007 playoffs.

18) Antawn Jamison

Team Murdock
He started all 82 games in the 2000-01 season, averaging 24.9 points and 8.7 rebounds over 41.4 minutes. Remember when he scored 51 points in consecutive games against the Seattle SuperSonics and Los Angeles Lakers?

19) Monta Ellis

Team Shiller
Dub Nation did not like it when Monta was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in March 2012, but it was the right move. He is revered locally and has nothing but love for Warriors fans everywhere.

20) Gilbert Arenas

Team Poole
The first pick of the second round in the 2001 draft exceeded all expectations. As a result, he became too expensive and left in free agency after just two seasons with the Warriors. He became an All-Star three times with the Washington Wizards.

21) Billy Owens

Team Poole
The No. 3 overall pick in the 1991 NBA Draft (by the Kings) was traded to the Warriors for Richmond. After three strong seasons in a Dubs uniform, he was traded to the Miami Heat.

22) Shaun Livingston

Team Shiller
A core member of the Warriors' run to five straight NBA Finals appearances from 2015 to 2019, Livingston was the consummate professional. Don't be surprised if he returns to the franchise in an official role at some point in the future.

23) Joe Smith

Team Murdock
The Warriors selected Smith with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1995 draft. He was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in the middle of his third season.

24) David Lee

Team Liffmann
In 2013, Lee became the first Warrior to make the All-Star team since Sprewell in 1997. Draymond ended up supplanting him, but Lee had a couple nice moments during the 2015 NBA Finals vs. the Cavs.

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