The Warriors’ path back to contention may run through Anthony Davis.
Golden State’s quiet 2026 summer has already pushed the franchise’s attention toward the next offseason, when the front office could finally have a real chance to reshape the roster around Stephen Curry. With Curry nearing the end of his career, the clock is ticking, and the 2027 free-agent class could give the Warriors a much-needed swing at star power.
That group includes Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Brandon Ingram, but the Warriors’ ability to land one of them may depend on whether they can add another headline name first. As SI’s Joey Akeley put it, “If the Warriors want to sign potential 2027 free agents like Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Brandon Ingram, trading for a player like Anthony Davis would give them a better shot at signing one of those star wings,” wrote SI’s Joey Akeley.
That’s where Davis comes in. He has been the subject of trade chatter for months, and Golden State has already tried to get involved. The idea is simple: Curry plus another proven star gives the Warriors a far more convincing pitch than Curry alone.
Jimmy Butler was supposed to be the piece that extended this era, but his contract has turned into a burden while he works back from a brutal ACL tear. There is no clear timetable for his return, leaving Golden State with a hole it can’t easily patch right now.
The bigger opportunity may not arrive until next summer, when veteran names could hit the market. The problem is that the Warriors won’t be the only team making a case, and they’ve already lost out on stars before, including Kevin Durant and LeBron James.
Davis changes the conversation because of what he still brings on the floor and how he’s viewed around the league. The 10x All-Star remains a major force despite his injury history. Last season, in 20 games for the Mavericks, he averaged 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game on 50.6% shooting from the field.
Golden State’s interest isn’t new. The Warriors tried to trade for Davis this summer, hoping that move could also help them chase LeBron.
The Wizards, though, are not eager to move him unless the return is massive. Davis is eligible for an extension next month, which could change the picture if no deal gets done.
Either way, the Warriors are expected to keep close tabs on the situation.
For now, they’re stuck trying to make do with what they have, and last season’s 37-45 finish and 10th-place spot in the West showed the limits of that approach. If the Warriors want to squeeze more out of the Curry years, they need a real answer.
Maybe that’s Davis. Maybe it’s one of the 2027 free agents.
And if neither path works, Kevin Durant remains a possibility, even as his future becomes more uncertain by the day.
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Warriors Are Making A Risky Bet Curry Fans Already Fear
The Warriors have spent much of this offseason acting like a team with one eye on now and the other on a much bigger prize down the road. Rather than loading up on immediate roster help, they have kept additions limited while preserving room for the 2027 offseason, a window they clearly view as their best chance to reshape the franchise around Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler.
The catch is that cap space only matters if the right stars actually hit the market, and that is far from a sure thing. Even if Golden State can keep its books clean, the likeliest payoff may not be a blockbuster chase at all but a more practical one, with the front office targeting the kind of depth pieces that can still move the needle without requiring a full-blown star hunt. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Missed Again And Now Steph Needs The Front Office To Nail This
The Warriors went into the offseason hoping to swing big, but the market has already pushed them back toward the more practical kind of roster work. With Stephen Curry and Draymond Green still at the center of the plan, Golden State now has to make the most of its remaining flexibility and find pieces that can fit around a core that is trying to stay competitive after a 37-45 finish.
NBA insider Brett Siegel said the front office still has room to maneuver, with open cap spots and a modest pool of money to spend before the apron becomes a real constraint. The names being discussed are more about fit than flash, and one of the more familiar possibilities is a return for Gary Payton II in a reserve role. For a team that just missed on its biggest swing, the pressure now is on the Warriors to get the smaller moves right. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Fans Have Every Reason To Be Furious Over Jaylen Brown
Before the draft and again later in the season, Boston reportedly reached out to Golden State about Jaylen Brown, setting up the kind of star-level trade talk that can reshape a franchises direction in a hurry. The Celtics ask was enormous, centered on four first-round picks and a pick swap, and for the Warriors it would have meant parting with major draft capital, including the No. 11 pick that eventually became Lendeborg.
Golden State never got past the price tag, and the conversations never moved beyond the exploratory stage. Browns path took a very different turn after that, with Boston sending him to Philadelphia for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks, a deal that later helped the 76ers land LeBron James. For Warriors fans, the frustrating part is obvious: the team had a chance to chase a premium wing, but the real question is whether the front office passed on the right player at the right time. [Read more 🡒]