The Golden State Warriors spent the early part of the summer chasing big names, but Anthony Davis and LeBron James never landed in the Bay Area. Since then, the offseason has settled into a much quieter pattern, with the team mostly keeping familiar pieces in place.
That has only sharpened the attention on Steph Curry. Golden State has already re-signed Draymond Green, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, and Gary Payton II this summer, which led NBA writer Jake Weinbach to note, “The Warriors are officially running it back despite missing the playoffs last season. Golden State re-signed Draymond Green, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, and Gary Payton II this summer,”
ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins thinks that reality should push Curry to think about what comes next. On 'NBA Today',"Perkins said, "Steph needs to be planning his exit strategy from the Golden State Warriors," "Think about it, over the last four years, the Warriors have been in the play-in tournament.
And this year, the way that the West is stacked up, they're gonna be a play-in tournament team again. You can't waste any more time hoping and banking that Mike Dunleavy is gonna get it right or is gonna make the moves that are needed to make sure that you can compete for a title, especially in a tough Western Conference."
If Curry ever does decide he wants out, one proposed deal would send him to the Charlotte Hornets in a blockbuster package. Hoops Habit’s Cal Durrett floated a trade that would send Naz Reid, Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale, Dorian Finney-Smith and three first-round picks to Golden State in exchange for Curry and De’Anthony Melton.
“The potential trade offer would see them ship out Naz Reid, Royce O'Neale, Grayson Allen, Dorian Finney-Smith, and three first-round picks for Curry and De'Anthony Melton. That might not be the return that Warriors fans would hope for, but it might be the most they could reasonably expect. Reid is an above-average starting power forward, while O'Neale and Allen are both good NBA players and reliable shooters,” Durrett wrote.
The idea would give Charlotte one of the most accomplished shooters in league history and a centerpiece for a young roster in the Eastern Conference. Golden State, meanwhile, would bring back four established veterans with real NBA mileage.
Reid, Allen, Finney-Smith and O’Neale have contracts that combine for $289 million. For the Warriors, that kind of return could help keep the team competitive while they move toward whatever comes after Curry.
In Other News...
Warriors Could Benefit If Detroit Lets Another Young Core Piece Drift
The Pistons have already entered one tricky restricted-free-agency negotiation with Jalen Duren, and another could be waiting right behind it. Detroit has time to work out extensions with its young core, but the clock is now part of the story, especially when teams know these conversations can spill into future roster planning and affect how long a front office can keep everyone in place.
For Golden State, the angle is simple enough: if Detroit cannot lock down every piece of its young group, the Warriors may have a chance to take advantage when opportunity opens up. With cap space to work with, they could be positioned to monitor a situation that goes beyond this summer and into next year, when another important decision could be looming for the Pistons. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Still Have A Big Wing Question Heading Into The Season
The wing depth chart already looked like a spot worth watching in San Francisco, and Moses Moodys injury only sharpens the issue. Moody is expected to miss the first half of the season while recovering from a torn patellar tendon, leaving the Warriors to sort through options before the games start to matter for real. His absence strips away one of the more familiar young pieces on the roster and forces the staff to think a little differently about how it wants to cover size and athleticism on the perimeter.
One name now entering the conversation is Dalen Terry, whom Golden State is reportedly weighing for a training camp spot as a possible stopgap answer. Terry brings a different skill set than Moody, but the overlap in age and physical profile makes him at least a plausible fit for the kind of short-term roster patch the Warriors may need. For a team that always values flexibility, the bigger question is whether the temporary answer can hold up long enough to keep the rotation from feeling Moodys absence too sharply. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Face A Jimmy Butler Decision That Could Reshape Everything
Jimmy Butlers return timeline has started to sharpen the picture for Golden State, and it comes at a moment when the Warriors are already weighing some of the biggest financial questions on their horizon. Butler is on an expiring $56.8 million deal this season, and the front office has to sort through how he fits alongside the roster core while also keeping an eye on the 2027 offseason, when the team could potentially have more cap flexibility.
The complication is that Butlers next contract wont exist in a vacuum. Golden State also has Stephen Currys extension considerations to navigate, and whatever it does with Butler will ripple through the franchises longer-term planning. For a team trying to stay competitive now without boxing itself in later, this is the kind of decision that can shape far more than one season. [Read more 🡒]