The Warriors have to change the roster. They finished 37-45, missed the playoffs, and now enter another offseason built around the final years of Stephen Curry.
Steve Kerr is staying, but even his public comments show where the franchise is. Kerr told ESPN, “What we had is gone, but we’re trying to hang on to it.”
That is the right description. The Warriors are still trying to compete, but the old structure is no longer strong enough.
Curry still produced at a high level. He averaged 27.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in 40 games while shooting 46.9% from the field and 39.3% from three. Jimmy Butler also gave them strong production before his ACL tear, averaging 19.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists on 51.6% from the field and 41.7% from three. But the team still finished below .500 when Curry had to miss the last stretch of the regular season.
The Warriors had a 115.0 offensive rating and a 115.6 defensive rating. That is average basketball. For a team with Curry, Butler, and Draymond Green, average is not enough. The front office has to remove players who are too old, too small, too limited, or too expensive for their role.
Some of these decisions are simple. Others depend on player options or market value. But these five players are the most logical names who may not be on the Warriors roster next season.
1. Pat Spencer
Contract 2026-27: Restricted Free Agent
Pat Spencer is not a bad player. He gave the Warriors real minutes this season. That was the issue. He should not have been needed that much.
Spencer averaged 7.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 66 games. He shot 42.7% from the field and 35.7% from three. Those numbers are acceptable for a deep rotation guard. They are not enough to make him a serious part of the next version of the team.
The Warriors already have too many guards who are not big enough to change matchups. Spencer can handle the ball, push pace, and make simple reads. He is useful in regular-season stretches. But he does not give them high-level shooting, elite defense, or positional size. That is a difficult profile for a team trying to survive in the West.
Spencer will also be 30 next season. This is not a young development case. He is closer to a finished player than a prospect. That makes the decision easier. The Warriors need to get younger and bigger around Curry and Butler. Keeping another small guard with limited playoff value does not help that goal.
Spencer is a restricted free agent with Early Bird rights. That gives the Warriors control, but control does not mean priority. They can keep him if the cost is low. But the better decision is to use that roster spot differently.
Spencer did his job. He earned respect. But the Warriors need a stronger bench structure than this. If he is back, it should only be as a deep guard. That is not the direction they should take.
2. Seth Curry
Contract 2026-27: Unrestricted Free Agent
Seth Curry made sense as a small idea. He is one of the best shooters of his generation, and the family connection with Stephen Curry gave the move more attention. But that is not enough for another season.
Curry played only 10 games for the Warriors. He averaged 7.1 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.0 assist in 13.3 minutes. The shooting was still excellent. He hit 49.0% from the field and 48.0% from three. Even at 35 years old, he can still punish bad defensive decisions.
The problem is the rest of the profile. Curry is a small guard. He does not defend at a high level. He does not give the Warriors size. He does not solve the athletic problem. He also dealt with a sciatic nerve-related injury and missed a large part of the season.
A team can carry that type of player if the rotation is already balanced. The Warriors are not in that position. They need wings, frontcourt defense, and players who can play through physical playoff matchups. Another small guard does not fit the main need.
Curry will head to unrestricted free agency this summer. That makes the decision direct. The Warriors can probably replace his role with a younger shooter, a bigger guard, or a draft pick at No. 11 in the Draft. They do not need to spend a roster spot on a 35-year-old specialist unless several other moves already fix the roster.
Curry can still help a good offensive team in limited minutes. But for the Warriors, the fit is too narrow. They already depend too much on Curry’s shooting. They need more two-way players around him, not another guard who must be protected defensively.
3. Gary Payton II
Contract 2026-27: Unrestricted Free Agent
Gary Payton II is the hardest emotional decision on this list. He understands the system. He defends. He cuts. He gives energy. He has been part of better Warriors teams.
But the current version is not the same player from the title run.
Payton averaged 7.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 73 games. He shot 58.3% from the field, which looks strong, but the number is based on his role around the rim. The three-point shooting was a bigger problem. He shot only 29.1% from three.
That is the issue with Payton now. He can still defend guards and smaller wings. He can still create disruption. But his offense is limited. Teams can help off him, ignore him above the break, and shrink the floor against Curry and Butler. The Warriors cannot afford too many players who do not make defenses respect them.
The Warriors also need more size. Payton is 6-foot-2. His strength and timing allow him to play bigger than that, but there is a limit. Against the best teams in the West, size matters on the wing. The Warriors need more players who can guard bigger scorers without creating offensive spacing problems.
Payton is an unrestricted free agent with Bird rights after a $3.3 million salary. That gives the Warriors the ability to bring him back, but the roster logic points the other way.
If the Warriors were already a contender, Payton could return as a 10th man. But they are not. They need a roster correction. Keeping the same veteran specialists does not move them forward.
Payton had a real place in this era. That place may now be finished.
4. De’Anthony Melton
Contract 2026-27: $3.4 million (Player Option)
De’Anthony Melton is the best player on this list. That is why his case is different.
Melton can still help the Warriors. He defends, creates deflections, rebounds well for his size, and can run offense in stretches. He played 49 games and became one of the team’s more important perimeter defenders. He averaged 12.3 points and 1.6 steals while shooting 40.7% from the field and 29.4% from three.
The problem is not whether Melton can play. He can. The problem is the contract.
Melton has a $3.45 million player option for next season. That number is low for a rotation guard with his defensive profile. NBC Sports Bay Area reported that he had already outplayed that player option, and testing the open market is on his mind.
If Melton opts in, the Warriors should keep him. That would be strong value. But that is probably not the likely outcome. If he opts out, the Warriors may not be able to give him the contract he wants. They do not have a simple path to major cap room, and they have other roster needs that may be more important than paying another guard.
The shooting also complicates the discussion. Melton’s 29.4% from three is not good enough next to Butler and Green. His defense is useful, but the Warriors already struggled to create enough spacing in certain lineups. If they pay him, they have to believe the shooting returns closer to his career level.
Melton should have a market. Teams always need guards who can defend, play with force, and survive in different lineups. That may price him out.
This is not a case where the Warriors should want him gone. It is a case where the market may make the decision for them. Melton is useful. He is also the easiest player here to lose because another team can offer more security.
5. Al Horford
Contract 2026-27: $6.0 million (Player Option)
Al Horford is still a smart player. He still knows where to be. He can pass, space the floor, defend with positioning, and settle lineups. But the Warriors cannot keep building around veterans this old.
Horford averaged 8.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 45 games. He shot 42.6% from the field and 36.1% from three. Those are respectable numbers for a 39-year-old center in 21.5 minutes per game. They are also a reminder that the Warriors were depending on a player near 40 to solve their frontcourt issue.
That should not continue.
Horford has a $6.0 million player option. ClutchPoints reported that Horford would strongly consider opting in if Kerr remained the coach. Kerr is now back, which makes a return possible. But possible is not the same as ideal.
The Warriors need more athletic frontcourt defense. They need more rebounding. They need a center who can play through a full season without the rotation constantly needing protection. Horford can still help in short stretches, but he cannot be the answer.
This is also about direction. If the Warriors bring back Horford, Payton, Seth Curry, and other older pieces, the roster remains too slow and too dependent on memory. They would be trying to recreate a version of themselves that no longer exists.
Horford could return if he opts in and the Warriors decide they value his experience. But if they want a real correction, they should look for a younger frontcourt player and move Horford into retirement, a buyout, or another situation.
He had value this season. He gave them structure. But the Warriors need more than structure now.
They need a different roster. Horford should be part of the past, not the next attempt.
