The Warriors opted out of the NBA draft this week.

Seeing as they didn’t have a first-round pick and were only slated to pick at No. 52 — a pick they traded away Thursday — it’s a move that can’t be considered a surprise.

And now the question is if general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. can do anything to surprise us before the weekend.

The Dubs are up against two significant deadlines. The first is Chris Paul’s contract guarantee date, which is Friday. The second is the new league year, which kicks off July 1 and brings new rules pertaining to spending and trading.

If the Warriors want to do something big and bold this offseason, they better do it fast. Forget weeks — realistically, this team has hours, not days.

And no matter what that big, bold thing is, it’s going to require Dunleavy to show some serious creativity.

Does he have it? We don’t know yet.

I know that his predecessor didn’t have it.

Don’t get me wrong: Bob Myers was an exceptional general manager who turned the Warriors into champions and later a dynasty, but the fair knock on him was that until his final season in charge, he did not make a three-way trade. (When he finally did in the James Wiseman deal in February 2023, it was as part of a four-way trade that, frankly, seemed like two separate deals.)

So, no, transactional creativity is not a prerequisite to being a good GM. But when you’re in charge of a team at a crossroads like the Warriors, having a bit of flair can go a long way.

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