Golden State did not take a center in the second round of the NBA Draft, and that leaves Quinten Post with a cleaner path back to the Warriors. He is entering restricted free agency after a disappointing second season, but the draft board did not add another body to the same spot.
Golden State Holds the Line
The Warriors had already reached the draft without a center guaranteed to be on the roster next season. That made the second round a real fork in the road, because one selection could have pushed the depth chart away from Post.
Instead, Golden State left the board without a center. Felix Okpara was gone early in the second round, Henri Veesaar went to the Atlanta Hawks after they jumped both Golden State and the Los Angeles Lakers, and Ugonna Onyensu came off the board to the Houston Rockets one pick before the Warriors were set to choose.
Post Keeps His Lane
That sequence matters for Post because the Warriors still have a center spot tied to him rather than to a new draft pick. He now enters restricted free agency with a clearer route to stay in the mix for 2026-27, even after a second season that did not go the way the team wanted.
The center picture had already been unsettled around the offseason. Kristaps Porzingis is set to enter unrestricted free agency, and Al Horford had a player option before he opted out and returned to Golden State on a two-year, $14 million deal one day after the draft.
Porzingis, Horford, and the Gap
Golden State also did not take Aday Mara out of Michigan at 11th overall, so the team passed on another center option before the second round even arrived. That left the roster move without a clean replacement and made the Post path more direct.
The practical result is simple: Post enters free agency with less draft pressure around him and one fewer center taking his place. Golden State still has to decide whether the next answer at the position comes from its own return agreement or from somewhere else, but the draft did not close the door on him.
