The Warriors’ latest roster move may matter less for Brandon Williams himself than for what he can do for Will Richard.
Golden State added Williams and Georges Niang on minimum deals this week to complete its 14th and 15th roster spots. Niang gives the team another frontcourt body and some extra rebounding and scoring punch with Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody sidelined, though he’s been out of the league for a year and there’s no certainty about how much he has left.
Williams is the more intriguing piece for the Warriors’ long-term shape. He brings a real chance to steady the second unit as a lead guard, and his numbers from last season with the Dallas Mavericks show why: 13 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game while shooting 47.2% from the field across 66 games. He’s not a starting-caliber option, but he can help Golden State’s bench offense run with more purpose right away.
That matters for Richard, who was selected with the 56th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and turned into one of the few bright spots for Golden State last season. He averaged 6.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 33.5% from 3-point range, and he even started 21 games, many of them early in the year. The production was uneven, but the minutes were real.
Richard’s best path, though, is not as an on-ball creator. His value projects more cleanly as a 3-and-D wing who can hit open shots and defend on the perimeter, using his size and strength to fit around better offensive talent.
The problem in his rookie season was that he often had too much to do. For a role player, that kind of load can slow the development curve.
If Golden State gets to 2026-27 healthy, Richard should be in a bench role. Yaxel Lendeborg and Draymond Green would handle the starting frontcourt spots, while one of Brandin Podziemski and De'Anthony Melton would pair with Curry in the backcourt. That would leave the second unit with Williams, Melton/Podziemski, Richard, Gui Santos and Al Horford.
It’s not being framed as a title-level bench group, but it is a more orderly setup than what the Warriors pieced together a year ago. Williams can run pick-and-roll as the main ball-handler and find shooters like Melton and Richard when the defense collapses.
Richard also looked more confident in Summer League, and the Warriors will hope that carries into his second season, with more comfort on catch-and-shoot chances and a little more polish in his offensive game. Williams may be the signing that helps stabilize the bench, and that could be exactly what Richard needs.
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In a recent interview, Myers talked about his tenure with the franchise and the part he says he misses most from those years, which is the part no front-office title can really replace. It is a reminder that for all the trophies and roster moves, the bond with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala was a big part of what made the whole thing work, and why the separation still carries some weight. [Read more 🡒]