The Warriors’ Anthony Davis plan looks almost dead right now. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that their original dream was to put Davis and LeBron James next to Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, but the Wizards asked for Jimmy Butler, several first-round picks, second-round picks, and pick swaps. Golden State wasn’t willing to empty every remaining asset for a 33-year-old big man with a long injury history, and Davis’ agent, Rich Paul, has now said he expects his client to play for the Wizards next season.
Walking away from that price is understandable, but doing nothing isn’t a great option either. The Warriors finished 37-45 and ranked only 21st in total rebounds per game. Curry is 38, while Butler and Moses Moody are expected to remain out until at least February following major knee injuries. Kristaps Porzingis played only 15 games last season, Al Horford is 40, and Quinten Post left for the Grizzlies on a three-year, $30.0 million offer sheet. The roster has a lot of names, but the frontcourt is old, injured, and very difficult to trust for 82 games.
That should keep Golden State focused on frontcourt stars instead of another small scorer. There isn’t a direct report connecting the Warriors to every player below, so these are trade frameworks based on reported availability, contracts, roster direction, and basketball fit. Some are easier than others, but none require pretending Nikola Jokic or Victor Wembanyama is suddenly available.
6. LeBron James
This one goes sixth because the whole idea seems connected to Davis. Charania reported that the Warriors believed James probably wouldn’t choose them without his former Lakers teammate coming too, and other reports have the Heat, Cavaliers, and 76ers receiving more serious consideration. Curry publicly said he hopes the partnership happens, but hope isn’t the same as momentum.
LeBron James still deserves a place here because he remains the biggest available name and wouldn’t cost a trade package. At 41, he finished last season with 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.6 blocks across 60 games. He converted 51.5% from the field, although his three-point shooting fell to 31.7%. The Lakers went 39-21 in the games he played, so he can still move a winning team forward.
Basketball-wise, the concept is obvious. James could play power forward, organize the second unit, screen for Curry, and give the Warriors another huge playmaker. Golden State wouldn’t need him producing 30 points. Something around 18 points, seven assists, and efficient transition offense would already make the roster much harder to defend.
The money is the issue only if James still wants a meaningful salary. The Warriors are over the cap and would need him to accept a veteran minimum or create room through another move. That makes this less of a front-office negotiation and more of a personal choice from James. Without Davis involved, it currently looks like the least likely option.
5. Julius Randle
Golden State Warriors Receive: Julius Randle
Brooklyn Nets Receive: Kristaps Porzingis, Moses Moody, 2028 first-round pick (top-10 protected)
Julius Randle was only just traded to the Nets, so this isn’t something Brooklyn appears ready to do today. He has already spoken positively about becoming a leader for their young roster, and the Nets clearly see some value in having an experienced scorer around Egor Demin and their other prospects. Still, a 31-year-old veteran on a rebuilding team can become available quickly if the season starts badly.
The Warriors would be buying a strong regular-season creator. Randle posted 21.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.0 assists last season, hitting 48.1% from the field but only 31.5% from three. His playoff numbers dropped to 16.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists on 39.0% shooting across 12 games, which is a pretty important warning for any contender.
Still, he would give Golden State size and physical scoring. Randle can bring the ball up, attack smaller forwards, create from the elbow, and keep the offense moving while Curry rests. He is also much more durable as a high-minute scorer than Porzingis has been. The proposed package works around Porzingis’ $19.5 million salary and Moody’s $12.5 million deal, while the protected first-round pick gives the Nets a reason to consider moving a player they just acquired.
The fit is why he stays fifth. Randle, Butler, and Green would create heavy spacing issues, and Randle doesn’t give the Warriors the rim protection they wanted from Davis. He is more of an offensive Plan B than a full frontcourt solution.
4. Jarrett Allen
Golden State Warriors Receive: Jarrett Allen
Cleveland Cavaliers Receive: Kristaps Porzingis, Brandin Podziemski, 2031 first-round pick (lottery protected)
Jarrett Allen isn’t the loudest star here, but he might be the safest basketball fit. Sam Amick of The Athletic reported during the season that the Cavaliers were gauging Allen’s trade value as a path toward larger roster changes. His three-year, $90.7 million extension begins in 2026-27, with a first-year salary of $28.0 million.
Allen had one of his strongest scoring seasons, putting up 15.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 56 games. He made 63.8% from the field and posted a 66.9% true shooting mark. The numbers got even louder without Evan Mobley, as Allen reached 19.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists across 15 games.
Curry has spent years making athletic centers look better, and Allen would be his best vertical target in a long time. He sets strong screens, finishes lobs, runs hard in transition, protects the rim, and doesn’t ask for post touches. A Curry-Allen pick-and-roll surrounded by Butler, Green, and shooting would at least give the offense a simple action whenever all the movement stuff becomes too complicated.
The Cavaliers’ side is about changing the frontcourt structure. Porzingis gives Mobley more spacing, Podziemski adds a 23-year-old connector guard, and the protected 2031 first-round pick carries value because Curry’s career will be over long before then. Porzingis signed a two-year, $40.0 million extension with only limited future guarantees, and he remains immediately trade-eligible.
Allen isn’t Davis. He can’t switch onto guards at the same level, create his own offense, or space the floor. But he is younger, cheaper, and more stable than most of Golden State’s current big men. That makes him one of the more believable targets.
3. Jalen Duren
Golden State Warriors Receive: Jalen Duren (sign-and-trade, four-year, $160.0 million contract)
Detroit Pistons Receive: Kristaps Porzingis, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, 2028 first-round pick
Jalen Duren’s restricted free agency has become messy enough to put him on this list. The Athletic reported that he was underwhelmed by the Pistons’ initial offer and planned to explore sign-and-trade scenarios. Michael Scotto later reported that Duren was looking for around $40.0 million per season, while Detroit held firm with the ability to match any offer sheet.
The production explains the price. Duren made his first All-Star team and landed on the All-NBA Third Team after recording 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds across 70 games. He is only 22, finishes around the rim at an elite rate, destroys smaller lineups on the offensive glass, and would immediately become the most athletic center Curry has played with in years.
There is a negative side. Duren fell to 10.2 points and 8.5 rebounds in the playoffs, and Detroit reportedly remains concerned about paying maximum-level money to a center who still has defensive questions. He can dominate regular-season paint matchups, but opponents pulled him into actions and made his positioning look much less comfortable during the postseason.
This package is expensive because the Pistons have almost every form of leverage. Porzingis replaces some center production, Podziemski gives Cade Cunningham another intelligent guard, Moody remains a young shooting wing if his patellar tendon recovery goes well, and the 2028 first-round pick adds future upside. A sign-and-trade at this salary would probably require extra CBA work or a third team because of base-year compensation and hard-cap rules.
The Warriors should still investigate it. Duren is young enough to help after Curry retires, but productive enough to help right now. None of the other big men here offer that combination.
2. Zion Williamson
Golden State Warriors Receive: Zion Williamson
New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Kristaps Porzingis, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos, 2028 first-round pick, 2031 first-round pick (top-four protected)
Zion Williamson is the biggest swing and also the most complicated. Pelicans executive Joe Dumars said in April that the team had no intention of trading him, although Marc Stein and Jake Fischer previously reported that New Orleans was willing to discuss several major roster directions around the deadline. So there is no current Warriors-Zion report, and the Pelicans would need to completely change their public stance.
Health finally went in a better direction last season. Williamson played 62 games, his second-highest total in seven NBA seasons, and supplied 21.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. He made 60.0% from the field and finished with a 64.4% true shooting mark, scoring almost everything without needing a three-point shot.
Putting him beside Curry would be almost unfair offensively. Zion could screen, catch on the short roll, attack four-on-three situations, and crush switches at the rim. Teams couldn’t send two defenders toward Curry without opening a runway for a 284-pound forward shooting 60.0% from the field. Golden State also needs athleticism badly, and Zion would instantly become its best transition finisher and strongest paint scorer.
That upside is why the package has to hurt. Porzingis provides the Pelicans with a different frontcourt style, while Moody, Podziemski, and Santos bring three younger rotation bets. The Warriors would also have to put both major first-round assets on the table. Williamson carries a $42.2 million salary for 2026-27, so the four-player outgoing package lands almost exactly in his salary range.
Of course, the defense could become strange, the spacing around Zion and Green needs serious planning, and his health history remains scary. But Golden State was ready to gamble on Davis. A younger, more explosive gamble at least deserves a call.
1. Domantas Sabonis
Golden State Warriors Receive: Domantas Sabonis
Sacramento Kings Receive: Jimmy Butler, 2028 first-round pick, 2031 first-round pick (top-four protected)
Domantas Sabonis is the best Plan B because there is actual reporting around his market. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said there is “a lot of interest” in Sabonis and that the Kings could explore moving him while pivoting the franchise. ESPN also reported that Sacramento had explored trades involving Sabonis and several other veterans.
Last season was basically destroyed by injuries. Sabonis played only 19 games before knee surgery, leaving him at 15.8 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists on 54.3% from the field. The previous season gives a much better picture of his normal level: 19.1 points, a league-leading 13.9 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 65.5% true shooting across 70 appearances.
The Warriors have always loved passing big men, and Sabonis is basically built for that system. He can run handoffs with Curry, create from the elbow, set brutal screens, find cutters, and fix a rebounding problem that has followed Golden State for years. Porzingis would help cover the two biggest concerns by spacing the floor on offense and protecting the rim on defense.
Sabonis isn’t close to Davis as a defender. He doesn’t switch the same way, and playoff teams will test him in pick-and-roll coverage. Still, Golden State isn’t replacing Davis because Davis was never on the roster. It is finding the best available frontcourt star after the original pursuit became too expensive.
The salary structure also makes more sense than most star trades. Sabonis will earn $45.5 million next season, while Butler is entering the final year of his contract at $56.8 million. Sacramento can take Butler under normal matching rules because Sabonis’ outgoing salary allows an incoming amount slightly above $57.0 million. The Kings would get two first-round picks and a giant expiring contract instead of staying attached to another expensive veteran timeline.
For the Warriors, this is painful but direct. Butler is 37, recovering from a torn ACL, and likely unavailable until around February. Sabonis is six years younger and would be ready to become Curry’s new offensive partner from opening night. Golden State keeps Porzingis, Podziemski, Moody, and its recent No. 11 pick in Yaxel Lendeborg, while turning Butler’s expiring salary into an established three-time All-Star.
Davis would have brought elite defense, shot creation, and championship-level star power. Nobody on this list gives Golden State that full package. Sabonis comes closest to checking the most important boxes without demanding every young player and every draft asset the franchise still owns.
