While the end of an era may be coming for the Golden State Warriors, it may be further down the road than initially thought. Last season, Golden State missed the playoffs for the third time in the previous five years. However, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were healthy for the first time, and the Warriors were left out in the cold.
Thompson left Golden State for Dallas after the 34-year-old didn’t get the four-year, $100 million deal he sought. The Warriors waived Chris Paul and lost Dario Saric in free agency. However, they did acquire De’Anthony Melton, Buddy Hield, and Kyle Anderson to replace Thompson and get a little younger.
“I think it would have been hard to run the same team back,” Dunleavy told Kendra Andrews of ESPN. “Although 46 wins is pretty good, we didn’t make the playoffs. But this isn’t something where it’s like broken completely. We just need to tune some things up. I think we’ve been able to do that, and we’re excited about this group.”
Warriors Rumors: Plans For 15th Roster Spot, Stephen Curry, And Potential Deals
Golden State has 14 standard contracts, including Gui Santos’ deal, which becomes guaranteed on January 10. Santos, a 22-year-old Brazilian national still in the developmental stages of his career, is guaranteed to make the opening-day roster. Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy told The Athletic’s Anthony Slater that keeping Santos and leaving the 15th spot open provides some flexibility as the Dubs are $533,000 from the first apron, where they are hard capped.
“Free agency stuff has calmed down. We’ve got 14 guys and are against the first apron, so adding in that regard right now would be tough,” Dunleavy said. “But you’re always looking around the league to get better, talking to teams and exploring stuff. I like our team, but there’s also some things that we can look to improve at.”
Golden State has some things to figure out. With Thompson gone and three newcomers, the Warriors must figure out their starting five and second unit.
Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, and Draymond Green also will start. But will Kuminga start at the three or four? That will likely depend on whether Green starts at center or power forward.
So, that leaves two open starting spots. If Green doesn’t start at center, Kevon Looney will. Looney is much more efficient when he starts. De’Anthony Melton and/or Buddy Hield figure to be the other starter.
The Warriors’ second unit will be a little tougher to decipher due to the starting lineup being up in the air, but it will include at least one of the three players in contention to start (Looney, Melton, Hield). Kyle Anderson and Brandin Podziemski are also definites on the second unit. Moses Moody, Gary Payton II, and Trayce Jackson-Davis are other options for the second unit.
Other than figuring out who starts, the Warriors need to improve in several areas. Defense, particularly playing on that end without fouling and committing turnovers, is the Warriors’ biggest area of concern. The Warriors also have to get to the free-throw line more often.
Steph Curry Extension
Dunleavy also talked to Andrews about extending Curry. While Dunleavy added that extending Curry was not a priority, the Warriors planned to discuss it with the 36-year-old. Curry’s contract runs through 2025-26, though he can get an extra year this summer.
“That guy can get whatever he wants. It’s been a sprint here getting through the draft and free agency and summer league, but all of that will get figured out. Steph, I think I can say pretty confidently, that he will be a Warrior for life.”
Curry’s production dipped a little from a year ago last season, but he still earned an all-NBA third-team selection. The 2023-24 NBA No. 1 clutch player still averaged 26.4 points, 5.1 assists, and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 45.0/40.8/92.3%.
Curry is set to make $55.8 million this year and $59.6 million next season. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, due to the over-38-year rule, Curry is eligible for a one-year $62.6M extension that would begin in 2026-27.
Curry is not the only Warrior who is extension-eligible. Kuminga and Moody also are.
Are Warriors Active In Trade Discussions?
Kuminga’s name came up a lot at the trade deadline last February, and for good reason. The 21-year-old forward produced a career season in 2023-24, compiling 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists with shooting slash lines of 52.9/32.1/74.6%. He produced five double-doubles.
95.7 The Game recently asked Warriors coach Steve Kerr whether Kuminga is on the trade market. While Kerr didn’t specifically address the question, he indicated that Curry was the only player considered untouchable.
“There’s very few players in the league who are not talked about in trade discussions. Steph Curry is not being discussed in trade talks. Everybody else is. If you went down the list of NBA teams, the Lakers (are) probably not talking to anybody about LeBron (James). Everybody’s got maybe one or two guys who are off the table. The vast majority of NBA players are constantly going to be discussed in trade talks because everyone’s trying to do the same thing, which is improve their team.”
The Warriors’ biggest trade chips are Wiggins, Moody, Kuminga, Jackson-Davis, and Podziemski. If the Dubs are out of contention early, Hield, Anderson, and Melton will probably be sought after at the trade deadline. Melton is the most likely player to be dealt of the trio as he is on an expiring contract.
