The Golden State Warriors are the only NBA team not to have made a signing in free agency this offseason, but that is set to change soon. NBA insider Marc Stein reports the Warriors will be signing Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, and Seth Curry once the Jonathan Kuminga situation is resolved.
“There is a strong expectation leaguewide now that the Warriors will also be signing Seth Curry in addition to the Horford/Melton/Payton trio. Golden State currently has six roster spots open. It’s believed they will be filled by Horford, Melton, Payton, Stephen Curry’s younger brother Seth, second-round pick Will Richard, and, of course, Kuminga.”
The Kuminga situation will be resolved sooner rather than later. The deadline for him to accept the $7.9 million qualifying offer is Oct. 1, so this long, drawn-out contract saga will end in about a week at the latest.
Once that’s done, the Warriors can officially welcome in the players that they have been strongly linked to all offseason.
Horford would be perhaps the most notable addition of the bunch. The 39-year-old averaged 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game for the Boston Celtics in 2024-25.
Horford was a man in demand earlier this offseason, and the Warriors look to have beaten out a fair few teams for his signature. The 2024 NBA champion is past his prime now but remains a solid defender and rebounder who can also hit threes (shot 40.9% over the last three seasons).
Next, we get to Melton, and there is, of course, a sense of deja vu here. The Warriors signed him to a one-year, $12.8 million deal in 2024, but he tore his ACL after playing just six games for them in the 2024-25 season.
The Warriors opted to trade Melton to the Brooklyn Nets in December 2024, but he appears to have done enough in that short period of time to convince them to bring him back. The 27-year-old averaged 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in that brief stint.
Melton has been a solid 3-and-D guard for some time now, but it will be interesting to see if he can get back to his best quickly after tearing his ACL.
The Warriors also look to be bringing back Payton, who has been with the team since 2021, a brief stint with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2022 aside. The 32-year-old averaged 6.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in 2024-25.
It was reported that Stephen Curry had been pushing the Warriors to bring Payton back on a two-year deal, and the team appears to have obliged. The veteran remains a quality defensive guard and would strengthen the Warriors on that end of the floor.
Lastly, we get to Stephen’s younger brother, Seth. The younger Curry averaged 6.5 points. 1.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game for the Charlotte Hornets in 2024-25. He remains one of the premier shooters in the NBA, having shot an excellent 45.6% from beyond the arc last season.
Seth had signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Warriors back in 2013, but was waived after preseason. He has never gotten to play alongside his brother Stephen in an NBA game, and it would be incredible to see them share the court as teammates.
We saw Draymond Green boldly declare earlier this offseason that the Warriors will win the NBA championship in 2026. They will be better than they were last season once these moves are finalized, but still won’t be regarded as one of the favorites.
The Warriors, though, will be backing themselves to prove the doubters wrong, as they have done so many times over the years.
