The Golden State Warriors have done extremely well in recent years making the most of a certain night on the league's calendar, creating superstars out of NBA Draft steals. The current core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were all drafted by the team and with none of the three being top-five draft picks, the Warriors have really found some steals in the draft.
It's not just recently either. Throughout the teams' history, the Warriors have found exceptional talent fall onto their laps and it has made the franchise an overall success. These are the five greatest NBA Draft steals by the Golden State Warriors in their history — ranked for your pleasure!
5. Tim Hardaway
If Tim Hardaway had played longer in Golden State, he'd certainly be higher on this list. However, the 6-foot tall point guard spent only six seasons with the Warriors and missed the entire 1993-94 season due to injury. That is less than ideal.
Nonetheless, the Warriors found a gem when they drafted Hardaway 14th overall in 1989 out of — of all places — UTEP.
Hardaway made three of his five All-Star appearances as a Warrior and averaged an impressive 19.8 points, 9.3 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game during his tenure with the team. He was a member of the famed Run DMC era of Golden State Warriors history, leaving him forever immortalized in the annals of Bay Area lore.
4. Klay Thompson
When it's all said and done, Klay Thompson may very well be considered the second-best shooter in NBA history and will likely end up much higher on a list like this. Funny enough, he might only end up the second best shooter in league history because of another little fella we're going to talk about slightly later on.
Either way, the fact that Golden State was able to snag Thompson with the 11th pick of the 2011 NBA Draft is simply incredible.
A lack of team success during his three years at Washington State probably had something to do with his lower draft stock, as well as some — at the time — character concerns, but in eight seasons with the Warriors Thompson has become a bonafide star.
Five All-Star appearances, three NBA Championships, two All-NBA selections, and an All-Defensive Team selection are all part of Thompson's impressive resume less than a decade into his career. Not to mention, unlike most players in the history of the league, Klay has a habit of simply going off, capable of scoring buckets in bunches.
3. Chris Mullin
One of the best Warriors of all time, Mullin was selected with the seventh pick in the 1985 draft out of St. John's. Mullin's status as an NBA Draft steal becomes even more impressive when you look at the other players drafted before him that year.
Only two of the six previous picks (Patrick Ewing and Xavier McDaniel) ever made an All-Star game and Jon Koncak (pick No. 5) and Joe Kleine (pick No. 6) both averaged less than five points per game for their careers.
As for Mullin, the Hall of Famer was one of the best scorers in the NBA during his prime and made five-straight All-Star appearances from 1989-1993. Like the aforementioned Timmy, Mullin was a member of the glorious Run DMC.
2. Draymond Green
Drafting a future Defensive Player of the Year in the second round? That's the definition of an NBA Draft steal. The Warriors drafted undersized power forward Draymond Green with the 35th overall pick in 2012… and the rest is history. Well, really, it wasn't quickly as much, as Green didn't earnestly begin to start scratching at his full potential until Mark Jackson was booted in favor of Steve Kerr, but that's semantics or something.
Green has been the perfect complimentary piece to both Curry and Thompson throughout the team's recent run and while he may not be a star on his own, Green's impact, when in the right situation, is immeasurable.
Two All-NBA selections and five to the All-Defensive Team are incredible for any player let alone a second-round pick.
1. Stephen Curry
To be a top 10 pick and still be considered an NBA Draft steal, you have to be an incredible player. Curry is just that. The 7th overall pick in 2009 out of Davidson, Curry quickly transformed into the greatest shooter in the history of basketball.
The two-time league MVP is one of the best players in the league today and when you consider he was the fifth guard drafted that year, his steal status becomes even more apparent. In fact, the Minnesota Timberwolves selected two point guards (Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn) with back-to-back picks right before Golden State selected Curry.
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