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Warriors officially sign all three 2019 draft picks

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© Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports


Rook, rook, rook. The Warriors have signed all three of their 2019 draft picks, two of whom they made trades to acquire, in Jordan Poole, Alen Smailagic and Eric Paschall. With Klay Thompson out and the Warriors hard-capped due to the sign-and-trade acquisition of D’Angelo Russell, all three players project to see time on the court. It locks the Warriors into a 14-man roster (including the injured Thompson) due to that hard cap, and the Warriors’ necessity to stay under the apron.

Because all three players are signed to guaranteed contracts (Smailagic was the only one in doubt, but given the fact that the Warriors traded two future second-round draft picks to move up and select him, there was never too much doubt), and the Warriors won’t have enough space under the apron to sign another player, the roster will effectively operate at 13 players (plus the team’s pair of two players in Ky Bowman and Julian Washburn) until Thompson returns, or the Warriors can sign a player to a guaranteed deal late in the season.

Smailagic is the only one (at just 18, soon to be 19 years old) who figures to spend a significant amount of time with the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G-League, as he looks to become the floor-spacing stretch 5 the Warriors are hoping he becomes, by developing his shot and improving his skillset.

This means that the roster is all but locked in, unless the Warriors get rid of Washburn for another two-way player, or, as stated above, sign a player late in the season, and/or make a trade that opens up space to fill out that 15th roster spot earlier in the year. But for now, and at least until January 15, this is the roster:

UPDATE: According to Connor Letourneau, the Warriors offered Damion Lee a two-way contract, but he is waiting to see if he can secure a guaranteed roster spot elsewhere. If he accepts, the Warirors would waive Washburn for Lee.