The Warriors’ next big swing may already have an answer attached to it: don’t sit around waiting for free agency.
Golden State has a major choice to make before the February mid-season trade deadline, weighing whether to package expiring contracts and draft capital into a sizable deal or hold back and chase cap space a few months later. But after coming up short in its pursuit of LeBron James this summer, the case for waiting looks a lot weaker.
On the latest episode of The Hoop Collective, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst pointed to the wave of pre-agency moves around the league, including the Washington Wizards’ trades for Trae Young and Anthony Davis, plus the Utah Jazz’s deal for Jaren Jackson Jr.
"That was absolutely pre-agency for the Jazz, they're saying, hey, instead of having a bunch of cap space, let's go get the guy we want now and not have to recruit," Windhorst said.
Golden State will have reasons to see its situation differently. The team can point to a stronger free-agent class next summer than the one available this year, especially if some stars decline their options for the 2027-28 season. And unlike Washington or Utah, the Warriors will view themselves as a big-market club with the kind of pull that can make cap space matter.
The Los Angeles Lakers took that route this summer, choosing to protect their flexibility and lean into free agency.
Still, the Warriors’ recent history cuts the other way. Being in the Bay with Stephen Curry hasn’t been enough to land James or other stars who have passed on Golden State in recent years. That track record makes a strong argument for acting sooner rather than banking on a player deciding to come later.
A trade-deadline move would also give the Warriors a chance to shape both the present and the future, depending on where the season is headed. Much will depend on who becomes available, but Golden State is clearly hoping to find a situation it can exploit the way it did with Jimmy Butler last year.
Butler could be on the market again at the deadline, and Draymond Green is in that same bucket as a veteran trade candidate. Together, they account for more than $80 million in expiring contracts, giving the Warriors a real mechanism to chase a major move if they choose to push in.
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