The beat-up Golden State Warriors pulled off an upset victory against the Los Angeles Clippers before falling to the Phoenix Suns in the last play-in game.
With a roster full of players on the wrong side of 30, two players recovering from serious knee injuries and multiple expiring contracts, the Warriors are at another transition point. Here are five moves the Warriors need to make to keep the end of their dynasty chugging along.
1. Stop cutting corners with the bench
Golden State is hampered by having two of the NBA’s highest-paid players in Stephen Curry ($59.6M, first) and Jimmy Butler ($54.1M, fifth). That puts some limitations on roster-building, and the Warriors have dealt with this crunch by relying on second-round picks and unsigned players developed from the G League.
That approach has led to a few success stories, like 2022 No. 55 pick Gui Santos turning into an average power forward and Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis becoming passable backup centers. But it’s mostly led to NBA roster spots going to developing players who were late-round picks for a reason. Reliable veterans on minimum deals would be more able to contribute than late-second-round picks who could be long-term values — but short-term liabilities.
Golden State’s coach since 2014 is unsigned and reportedly hasn’t decided on his return, saying Friday that his job had an “expiration date.” As long as Curry is playing, the Warriors should offer Kerr whatever he wants — perhaps a two-year contract to align with Curry’s future — to keep the four-time champion coach on board. After all, coaches’ salaries don’t count against the salary cap.
Green still shows off the skills that made him arguably the best defensive player of his generation. He shut down Kawhi Leonard in the fourth quarter and stole the ball from him twice in a minute in the Warriors’ 9-10 play-in win. Still, he’s become a huge liability on offense due to his inability to shoot and score, often ignored entirely by opposing defenses, not to mention his propensity for flagrant and technical fouls.
Green has a player option worth $27.7M for 2026-27, and perhaps the Warriors would want to cut Green’s cap number for next season by giving him a lower-value long-term deal. But with Green’s technical fouls almost as frequent as his three-pointers, this summer is the time to shop the team’s aging defensive anchor.
4. Get lucky in the lottery
Admittedly, the Warriors have no control over the draft lottery’s ping-pong balls, even if conspiracy theorists believe the NBA often puts its thumb on the scale. Should the Warriors move up from No. 11 in June’s draft, there’s a significant difference in how much immediate help they could get from a top-four pick compared to a late-lottery selection, even in a draft with very solid long-term prospects — who might not be ready to help as rookies.
For some reason, the 23-year-old Podziemski has become a scapegoat for Warriors fans. He scored 13.8 points per game with the best efficiency of his three-year career and played all 82 games. Podziemski led the NBA in charges drawn as a rookie in 2023-24 and has a talent for drawing offensive fouls.