The Golden State Warriors enter the 2026 NBA Draft with one glaring need: size. Draymond Green is aging into a smaller role, Al Horford turned 40 on June 3, and Kristaps Porziņģis would be an unrestricted free agent.
This leaves Golden State searching for frontcourt help around Stephen Curry for what could be one of his final championship windows.
Warriors Could Draft Aday Mara at the 2026 NBA Draft
Multiple mock drafts now have the Warriors solving that problem with Michigan’s Aday Mara, a 7-foot-3 national champion who measured a staggering 9-foot-9 standing reach at the combine.
He spent two underwhelming seasons at UCLA averaging before transferring to Michigan, where he broke out as a junior, helped the Wolverines win the national championship, and earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors.
CBS Sports’ Isaac Trotter laid out exactly why Mara’s specific skill set lines up with what Steve Kerr needs.
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“At 7-foot-3 with a 9-9 standing reach, Mara makes big people look average. Mara has elite size for the position, and he’d be one of the top shot-blockers in the NBA from the jump. He got tougher at Michigan and also showed additional defensive versatility, along with his unique feel as a top-of-the-key playmaker who can make reads in DHOs.”
“That would be especially key in this Golden State offense, where he could set road-grating screens for Steph Curry and give Steve Kerr a much-needed changeup against the big fellas that litter the West,” he added.
Golden State’s entire offensive identity under Kerr runs through Curry working off screens, handoffs, and constant movement, and Mara’s size could make him a different kind of weapon in that system than anything the Warriors have had in a while now.
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The stat line backs up why teams keep circling back to him. Mara averaged 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, and 2.4 assists in just 23.4 minutes per game during his junior season, shooting an elite 66.8 percent from the field across 40 appearances.
The concerns are real, too. His 56.4 percent free-throw shooting and limited mobility mean he is not without flaws, and a 17.7 percent turnover rate suggests he can still play too loose with the ball for a non-primary ball-handler.
The Warriors could face tough competition from the Oklahoma City Thunder and Chicago Bulls, with the draft just hours away. The Warriors, with Curry’s timeline shrinking, may not have a more obvious fit available when the first round kicks off Tuesday.
