Golden State’s offseason has been built around a very specific idea: keep the books clean now, then swing big in 2027.
That’s the thread running through nearly everything the Warriors have done, and it’s also why so many fans are uneasy. After a 37-45 season that left them out of the playoffs, the only new player on the roster on a standard contract is rookie Yaxel Lendeborg. For a team that just missed the postseason, that’s a thin return.
The bigger picture is the cap plan. Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Brandin Podziemski, who is restricted, and Charles Bassey are not signed for the 2027-28 season.
Kristaps Porzingis has only $3 million of his $20 million guaranteed for 2027-28. That setup gives Golden State a path to max cap space, with the idea of chasing a star in the 2027 offseason.
And the dream target is obvious: Nikola Jokic.
The three-time MVP has a $62.8 million player option for the 2027-28 season, and he’s likely to decline it. On paper, that opens the door. In reality, it’s a lot messier.
There are several reasons the Warriors probably won’t land Jokic even if they clear the room to try. The first is simple: he may never actually reach free agency.
Jokic could sign an extension with the Nuggets this season. He has said he’ll wait until next offseason to sign one, which technically leaves the door open for free agency, even if he has no real intention of leaving.
For Golden State to even get a shot, Denver would likely have to have a rough enough season that Jokic changes course and tests the market. And even then, the Warriors still face the harder problem: why would he choose them?
Beyond the ability to offer a max deal, the pitch isn’t especially strong. Curry would be 39 years old by then, and Jokic would almost certainly prefer a younger running mate.
If Golden State needed to make room for him, Butler might have to go. Even with Butler still around, the roster would not exactly scream contender.
Denver has its own issues, but its current supporting cast still looks better than what Jokic would be walking into with the Warriors in 2027. The more likely outcome, even if the Nuggets stumble in 2026-27, is that Jokic stays put.
The same caution applies to the rest of the supposed 2027 free-agent class. It’s a long list, but “could” does a lot of work there. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Karl-Anthony Towns and Kevin Durant all have player options, but the source of this plan says most, if not all, of the top names probably have no desire to leave where they are.
Anthony Davis is the one realistic possibility mentioned as someone who might decline his player option. Even that comes with a catch: he’d probably only do it if someone is willing to hand him a max contract. So yes, the Warriors can imagine giving Davis a max deal when he’s 34 years old.
If this cap-space strategy produces anything worthwhile, it may look less like a superstar chase and more like what the Lakers did this offseason. They used cap space to trade two first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps to sign Walker Kessler, then added quality depth in Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Collin Sexton.
That doesn’t mean Golden State would need to hand over that kind of draft capital to get a player of Kessler’s level. But it does point to the kind of market the Warriors might be shopping in if they go all-in on 2027: useful players, not necessarily franchise-changing ones.
Those names would help. No question. The issue is whether that kind of return is enough to justify passing on a more meaningful move now and banking everything on a future that may never open up the way the Warriors want.
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Brandin Podziemski sits right in the middle of that calculation. After a strong late-season push, he has positioned himself for a real payday, and Golden State has to decide whether to lock him in this offseason or let the process play out in restricted free agency. With limited room under the second apron and the need to preserve flexibility for the years ahead, the Warriors are staring at a choice that could shape both Podziemskis future and their own. [Read more 🡒]
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Lakers Already Seem To Regret One Part Of Their New Center Plan
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For Golden State fans, Looneys move now sits in an awkward light, because the Lakers appear to be rethinking the very addition that was supposed to stabilize them. Kessler carries the bigger burden as the headline acquisition, but the pressure on him to stay healthy and justify the investment is only growing as the center market thins and the Lakers keep looking for another answer. [Read more 🡒]