The Golden State Warriors could be in trouble. They have some All-Star-level talent led by veterans Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, and also have the exciting Yaxel Lendeborg, who was taken No. 6 overall in the 2026 Draft.
It’s that they don’t seem to know what they’re trying to accomplish with it.
It is obvious that the Warriors are avoiding win-now trades, but it is all very confusing. Perhaps Joe Lacob is taking advantage of Curry’s loyalty at this time. Whatever the case is, the Warriors’ summer has to be labelled a complete disappointment.
Curry is the best shooter in the NBA and can drop 25 PPG in his sleep. Draymond Green is back on a one-year deal. Jimmy Butler is expected to miss significant time but is still on the team.
Even Steve Kerr is back for another two seasons after being expected to walk away. And after all of that?
The Warriors still look like a play-in team.
That’s the part that makes this offseason so difficult to understand. The Warriors are not reshaping the roster around Curry. That’s why the Curry trade rumors are swirling, even if the point guard might use his upcoming free agency period to force some moves eventually.
The Warriors aren’t collecting young players and draft capital for the post-Curry era. Instead, the franchise appears to be trying to squeeze another competitive season out of a group that wasn’t good enough last year.
The Warriors won only 37 games in 2025-26, finishing 10th in the West and losing in the play-in tournament. Their season ended without a playoff run that would justify running the same basic formula back.
Curry is spectacular, but he turns 39 during the upcoming season. Butler is dealing with a serious injury. Green will be 37. Al Horford is 40. Kristaps Porzingis has battled availability concerns throughout his career.
At some point, the front office has to ask the uncomfortable question: What exactly are we building here?
Because the answer is likely another play-in appearance followed by an early exit, seven players on this roster should not be part of this deteriorating core.
7. Gui Santos
Santos ($4,629,630) isn’t a bad player at all, and that’s precisely why he belongs on this list.
The Warriors should be looking at him as an asset rather than pretending he’s going to suddenly become the missing piece of a championship rotation.
Santos is 24 and has shown flashes of being a useful NBA wing. He has the size to play multiple positions and has improving shooting ability to keep defenses honest. Last season, Santos posted 9.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game on 50.0% FG and 35.1% 3-PT FG.
But Golden State needs players who can help maximize Curry’s remaining championship window. Santos isn’t that player right now.
And if the Warriors aren’t planning to rebuild, waiting three years to discover exactly what Santos might become doesn’t make much sense.
His youth and inexpensive contract could make him attractive to teams looking for a developmental wing.
If Santos can help bring back a future pick, a younger prospect with a higher ceiling, or even a veteran who fills an immediate rotation hole, the Warriors should listen.
Keeping him simply because he’s young isn’t enough.
6. De’Anthony Melton
This one is much easier to understand from a basketball perspective.
Melton ($5,477,000) is useful as the veteran guard brings perimeter defense, shooting and versatility. He’s capable of playing next to Curry, can defend opposing guards, and doesn’t need the ball to be effective.
Those qualities have real value around the league.
Melton’s 2025-26 season reminded teams why he can be such a useful role player when healthy. He averaged 12.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game on 40.7% FG.
He gives contenders something the Warriors desperately need themselves: a dependable two-way guard who can play within a system.
So why keep him?
The Warriors have a 39-year-old franchise centerpiece, an injured Butler and a roster that finished with 37 wins last season. Melton is exactly the veteran a contender could value more than Golden State does.
A playoff team could potentially give the Warriors a younger player or draft compensation for him.
The Warriors don’t need to trade everybody, but need to trade players whose value is higher to a contender than it is to them.
5. Gary Payton II
This is where the Warriors’ roster decisions start getting confusing. Why bring the 33-year-old Payton back if the team doesn’t care about winning now?
There is a legitimate basketball case for him. Payton ($3,876,529) is one of the best perimeter defenders in Golden State’s system and has championship experience. But he’s a luxury for a championship team.
The Warriors are clearly not a championship team.
Payton will be 34 next season and has battled injuries throughout his career. His offensive limitations also become more pronounced when surrounded by other non-shooters. Last season, the veteran averaged 7.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game on 58.3% FG and 29.1% 3-PT FG.
If Golden State had Curry, Butler, Green, Porzingis and a deep group of legitimate contenders around them, bringing Payton back would make sense.
But if the team is heading toward another season of trying to sneak through the play-in tournament?
What’s the point? They appear to be preserving the past.
4. Al Horford
Al Horford has had an extraordinary career. Five All-Star selections. A championship with Boston. More than a decade of playoff basketball. One of the smartest big men of his generation.
But he’s 40 years old, and the Warriors aren’t one veteran center away from contention. He is on the books for $6,822,000, with a $7,163,100 player option in 2027-28.
At this point in his career, expecting him to dramatically alter the trajectory of a 37-win team is unrealistic. If Golden State had a legitimate championship roster, Horford’s experience could be invaluable.
If you’re asking Horford to help a team claw its way from the play-in tournament into the second round?
That’s not a championship plan.
Curry deserves a roster capable of competing now, and if Golden State can’t provide that, it should start preparing for what comes next.
Horford is coming off a season posting 8.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.7 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game on 42.6% FG and 36.1% 3-PT FG. At 41, those numbers might not stay where they are.
3. Moses Moody
Now we get to the player who might actually hurt to trade. Moses Moody is arguably the Warriors’ most interesting trade asset (making $12,500,000 and $13,425,925 over the next two seasons) outside of their obvious untouchables.
He’s still young at 24 years old. He’s a former lottery pick who was taken No. 14 overall. He’s shown legitimate shooting ability and has size for a wing and has become a more dependable defender. Last season, before hurting his knee, posted 12.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game on 44.0% FG and 40.1% 3-PT FG.
But Moody missed significant time (22 games) last season because of injury, which creates a difficult decision for Golden State. Do the Warriors bet on his continued development and hope he eventually becomes a core piece?
Or do they cash in while teams still view him as a young player with untapped upside?
There is no guarantee Moody becomes a star, and that’s the entire reason to consider moving him.
Golden State doesn’t have unlimited trade assets. If the front office wants to make a legitimate move around Curry, it needs players other teams actually want, and Moody is a hot asset.
The Warriors could potentially use that leverage to acquire a player who actually changes their rotation.
Instead, they risk keeping him until his trade value becomes clearer, and potentially lower.
2. Brandin Podziemski
This is the hardest one because Golden State genuinely believes in Brandin Podziemski, who might be signing an extension worth $24M per season.
The 23-year-old is competitive, tough, intelligent, and willing to do the little things. He rebounds well for his size, moves the ball, and has shown flashes as a playmaker. Last season, Podz averaged 13.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game on 45.5% FG and 37.1% 3-PT FG.
The Warriors have also invested heavily in his development. But there’s a massive difference between “we like Brandin Podziemski” and “Brandin Podziemski is a future franchise cornerstone.”
If Podziemski is the future, then fine. But if the Warriors aren’t completely convinced he can become an eventual star, his trade value should be considered.
He’s the type of player a team should consider including when attempting to acquire a legitimate star.
The Warriors have spent years trying to surround Curry with the right pieces, but if the franchise is serious about winning another championship before Curry’s career ends, it cannot become emotionally attached to every young player who might eventually become good.
That’s how teams get stuck. Podziemski could become an excellent NBA player.
The question is whether he’ll become good enough to justify keeping him instead of using him to acquire someone who is already great.
1. Kristaps Porzingis
This is the one that makes the least sense. Kristaps Porzingis is talented; there is no debate about that.
When healthy, he can stretch the floor, protect the rim, and create matchup problems that few centers can solve. A 7’3″ big who can shoot threes is a valuable basketball commodity.
But the Warriors need a star, and Porzingis isn’t that guy. The big man averaged 16.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game on 44.6% FG and 33.8% 3-PT FG in 32 games.
Golden State is paying him roughly $20 million this season, with a $20M player option for 2027-28. That’s a significant chunk of money for a player whose availability has repeatedly been an issue.
That’s the real concern. Porzingis has played more than 60 games in a season only three times since entering the NBA, playing 10 seasons. He only played 32 games with 23 starts last season.
For a team already dealing with Butler’s injury and an aging core, adding another player whose availability cannot be taken for granted is a dangerous strategy.
And then there’s the larger issue: Golden State already gave up Jonathan Kuminga to get him.
If you’re going to sacrifice Kuminga, the return should dramatically change your championship odds. Does Porzingis do that?
He isn’t going to carry the offense when Curry is trapped and isn’t going to replace Butler’s creation. He isn’t going to solve the Warriors’ aging problem.
And he certainly isn’t turning a 37-win team into a championship favorite by himself. That’s why Porzingis belongs at No. 1.
