As the offseason continues for the NBA teams not in the playoffs, the next big event is creeping closer and closer: the draft lottery.

In less than a week, the bottom 14 teams in the league will find out if their subpar season will result in a favorable spot in the draft, and with this year's crop of rookies projected to be one of the best classes in recent years, a good spot can make a big difference for a franchise.

The Golden State Warriors currently reside in the 11th spot after their 37-45 season ended in the Play-In Tournament one game away from the playoffs. They'll have a 9.4% chance for their pick to jump into the top four, and a 2% chance to claim the illustrious top pick that would likely net them BYU phenom AJ Dybantsa.

Last week, ESPN's Jeremy Woo posted their mock draft ahead of the lottery, selecting picks as if they remain in their end-of-season standings. Thus, that meant Dybantsa goes first to Washington, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson heads to Indiana, Duke forward Cameron Boozer lands in Brooklyn, and North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson ends up in Utah.

For the Warriors at 11, Woo projected them to take an international forward: Karim Lopez. He is the top overseas player in this year's draft, growing up in Mexico before playing in Spain and spending this past season with the New Zealand Breakers in the NBL.

This season, Lopez averaged 11.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 31 games played. It is notable that, similar to EuroLeague, NBL stats are usually less impressive in their raw forms compared to college, as the opportunities are typically fewer for young players. 

Woo noted that Lopez's pre-draft workouts will be of the utmost importance to show off his athleticism, skill level, and perimeter shooting in a controlled, in-person environment, compared to just his limited tape.

In addition, Woo mentioned that Lopez's youth — he turned 19 years old less than a month ago — in combination with his potential to slot into the lineup early, thanks to his previous experience, makes him a good candidate to "mesh the short and long-term goals" the Warriors have.

Lopez is a bit of a wild card, since his spot in the NBL means his tape is less than even fleshed out than many college players, even for some of the one-and-dones.

Just last year could be a turn-off for this type of pick, as well. In the 2025 NBA Draft, the Warriors ended up with Alex Toohey after the Suns selected him with the 52nd pick and promptly traded him to Golden State. That NBL alumnus seemed solid in Summer League, but didn't pan out at all and was eventually waived in December due to a knee injury.

In the mock draft, there are also some players who could potentially be better options. Most notably, Woo has the player most often mocked to the Warriors going next at pick 12 to the Oklahoma City Thunder: Yaxel Lendeborg. The forward just won the national championship with Michigan, and though he's older, his athleticism and skillset seem to be more ready than Lopez's, at least heading into the Combine and pre-draft workouts.

Of course, any predictions right now must be taken with a grain of salt, and Lopez's highlights do look good, especially considering he's playing against professional, grown men compared to college players playing against similarly aged 19-23 year olds.

Only time will tell if the Warriors are even in a position to take Lopez, or if they may be blessed by the lottery gods.