{"id":197481,"date":"2026-05-27T11:13:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T15:13:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=197481"},"modified":"2026-05-27T11:13:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T15:13:48","slug":"warriors-targeting-impactful-guard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/05\/27\/warriors-targeting-impactful-guard\/","title":{"rendered":"Warriors Targeting Impactful Combo Guard To Play Next To Steph Curry, Potential Draft Options"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Golden State Warriors<\/a> will need to make significant roster improvements this coming season if they plan to compete in the West. What can the Warriors do?<\/p>\n

Warriors Targeting Impactful Guard To Play Next To Steph Curry<\/h2>\n

Golden State is coming off its worst season since winning 15 games in the Covid-shortened 2019-20 campaign. The Warriors finished 10th in the Western Conference with a 37-45 record, 12 games behind sixth-place Minnesota and 24 games back of Oklahoma City. They fell to the Phoenix Suns in the last Play-In contest, marking the fourth time in the last seven seasons the Dubs have missed the playoffs.<\/p>\n

Golden State ranked in the bottom half of the league in offensive (19th) and defensive (19th) ratings. The Warriors were not a great shooting team, connecting on just 46.1% of their field-goal attempts (24th) and 35.6% of their 3-point attempts. They also struggled on the boards and with turnovers.<\/p>\n

Granted, injuries played a major part in the Warriors’<\/a> struggles.\u00a0 De’Anthony Melton<\/a> (51), Al Horford<\/a> (47 games), Stephen Curry<\/a> (45 games), and Jimmy Butler<\/a> (38) played in a combined 181 games out of a possible 334 (including NBA Play-In games). Additionally, Moses Moody<\/a> missed 24 games, and Kristaps Porzingis<\/a> sat out 16 of his 33 contests with the Dubs.<\/p>\n

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What Can the Warriors Do This Offseason?<\/h3>\n

More significantly, the Warriors enter the offseason with just nine players under contract with a salary cap hit of $181 million. The Warriors are over the cap, though they are about $20 million under the tax threshold. Draymond Green<\/a> ($27.6 million) holds a player option, which he is expected to exercise or renegotiate to a more team-friendly deal. Meanwhile, Horford’s ($5.96 million player option) and Melton’s ($3.4 million) status is up in the air. The\u00a0 Warriors own the No. 11 pick and the No. 54 selection in June’s draft<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While Steve Kerr<\/a> is back at the helm for his 13th season, general manager Mike Dunleavy has lots of important decisions. Dunleavy is expected to keep their older core of Curry, Green, and Butler together. But, Butler and Moody are expected to be out at least until December as they continue to recover from their major injuries.<\/p>\n

Golden State also lacks frontcourt or point guard depth. The Warriors do own Porzingis’ Bird rights, and he may return, but at a much lower cost than his 2024-25 salary ($30.7 million). They, as usual, have been linked to several stars<\/a>, whether via trade or free agency: namely, Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a> and LeBron James<\/a>.<\/p>\n

James may be a possibility if he wants to play with Curry and is willing to sign a team-friendly deal. However, it doesn’t sound like Antetokounmpo will be headed to the Bay Area.<\/p>\n

“I think [the Warriors] are not 1st in line, not 2nd, or 3rd in line, really, at this point as far as packages that appeal most to Milwaukee [for Giannis], ESPN’s Anthony Slater said recently on 95.7 The Game.<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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"I think [the Warriors] are not 1st in line, not 2nd, or 3rd in line really at this point as far as packages that appeal most to Milwaukee [for Giannis]." \ud83e\udd26\u200d\u2642\ufe0f<\/p>\n

– @anthonyVslater<\/a> on @WillardAndDibs<\/a>. pic.twitter.com\/5SJ9sdusH1<\/a><\/p>\n

— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) May 20, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n