Golden State Bought the Forty-First Selection
Ahead of the June 20, 2019 draft, the Warriors secured pick No. 41 from Atlanta by offering $1.3 million in cash and a 2024 second-rounder. The Hawks were collecting future assets while reshaping a roster full of draft choices, whereas Golden State wanted another prospect immediately. The agreement didn't guarantee which player the Warriors would select, and the future pick wasn't a present-day rotation player for Atlanta. The teams made opposite calculations about time: Golden State paid to act in 2019, while the Hawks accepted a distant chance and the immediate money.
Paschall Supplied an Unusually Productive Rookie Return
Golden State used No. 41 to draft Villanova forward Eric Paschall. Injuries and roster turnover created playing time for him in 2019-20, and he averaged 14.0 points and 4.6 rebounds in 60 games. He was selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, an unusually strong opening outcome for a mid-second-round selection. That performance is a concrete Warriors return created by the purchased pick, not a projected value assigned to whoever Atlanta might have picked. Paschall's later career was shorter than his rookie promise, but the original receiving franchise benefited immediately.
Atlanta's Cash and Deferred Draft Right Were Different Assets
The Hawks received a meaningful cash payment and a second-round choice five years in the future. The pick eventually resolved at No. 44 in 2024, associated with Pelle Larsson in the draft's rights history. That doesn't prove Larsson's subsequent NBA career was played for Atlanta; the selection's later movements need to be treated independently. The financial return and future optionality did have value, yet neither delivered the same kind of direct immediate player production as Paschall's first Warriors season. Atlanta accepted that timing trade-off deliberately rather than misplacing a prospect already on its roster.
The Outcome Shows Why Second-Round Picks Can Be Valuable
The Warriors found a real contributor and award-winning rookie with an acquired second-round choice, validating their willingness to pay an added cash cost. Atlanta's return offered money and another future selection but less measurable on-court output from this precise transaction. Paschall never became an enduring franchise cornerstone, so the trade should not be exaggerated into a dynasty-making acquisition. Nevertheless, sixty rookie appearances and 14 points a night constitute a more tangible payoff than most purchased second-round picks yield. The Golden State edge is grounded in his receiving-team performance.
Final Verdict
Warriors Win. Golden State earns C+ for purchasing the pick used on Eric Paschall, who averaged 14.0 points over 60 games and reached the All-Rookie First Team. Atlanta gets C- for $1.3 million and a future second-round choice that ultimately became the No. 44 selection in 2024. That draft asset had its own later routing, but it didn't match Paschall's immediate Warriors contribution.