The Warriors are bringing back most of the same group this season, with 12 of their 13 players on standard contracts returning from last year. But one of the departures left a hole that stands out: Pat Spencer is gone, and Golden State suddenly does not have a backup point guard.
In a perfect world, Jimmy Butler would help solve that problem. He’s a small forward, but he’s also a sharp playmaker who can steer second units, which is why the Warriors could get away without a traditional backup point guard if he were available. The catch is that Butler will miss a chunk of the 2026-27 season with a torn ACL.
So the Warriors have a decision to make with one of their final two standard-contract roster spots, and the cleanest answer looks pretty clear: Brandon Williams.
The list of possible fits includes Russell Westbrook, LJ Cryer and Williams. Westbrook and Williams bring a similar style - speed, burst and the ability to attack the paint - but neither is known for knocking down threes. The difference is efficiency and age, and both matter here.
Westbrook’s career field-goal percentage sits at 43.8 percent, and last season with the Kings he dipped to 42.7 percent. Williams was much more efficient, shooting 47.2 percent last season and 52.1 percent the year before. That gap matters, especially for a team that finished 26th in points in the paint per game last year and needs more pressure at the rim.
Age matters too. Westbrook is 37, and his game has always leaned heavily on athleticism.
That usually doesn’t age gracefully. Williams is 26 and in his athletic prime, which leaves at least some room for growth - especially as a perimeter shooter.
Cryer is a different case. At 6'0" and 24 years old, he’s not really a point guard in the traditional sense.
He can shoot, and shoot well, but he doesn’t bring the ball-handling or downhill burst that a lead playmaker needs. Still, he fits the Warriors’ offense as a movement shooter.
The split-action and relocation concepts that free Stephen Curry also suit Cryer.
There’s no question he’ll have a place in Steve Kerr’s rotation this season. The real question is whether Golden State should turn that into a standard contract or keep him on his current two-way deal. If the Warriors decide to upgrade him, that’s an understandable move - he’s earned it.
Even so, Williams looks like the best blend of passing and paint scoring still available on a veteran-minimum deal. He averaged 3.9 assists per game last season, and only three Warriors topped that mark a year ago, one of them Butler. That’s the kind of number that shows just how thin the playmaking supply is for Golden State right now.
The Warriors reportedly had interest in Williams when free agency opened. If they haven’t acted yet, they should. A one-year, fully-guaranteed contract would make sense.
In Other News...
Warriors Already Have Early Proof They Nailed A Key Draft Call
Golden State had a chance to get cute on draft night, but instead the front office stayed put and used the 11th pick on Yaxel Lendeborg after declining Oklahoma Citys offer to move up. The deal would have brought back future second-round picks, but the Warriors passed, betting on the player they wanted rather than the extra assets, and that choice already looks like a smart one for a team trying to keep finding value wherever it can.
Lendeborg backed up the decision quickly in summer league, where he was named MVP and helped lead the Warriors to the championship. Oklahoma Citys Aday Mara, taken one spot later, flashed a few encouraging signs, but the early returns have tilted clearly toward Golden State, which at least for now seems to have found a clean win in a draft process that could matter well beyond July. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Get Encouraging Moses Moody Update After Trade Buzz
Moses Moodys recovery has taken a promising step forward, a welcome update for a Warriors team that has spent plenty of time this summer weighing roster possibilities and rotation stability. Four months after surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon, Moody is making good progress in his rehab, and the organization is expected to stay patient rather than push him back before he is ready.
The next checkpoint matters, though, because it will help frame just how soon Golden State can realistically count on him again. If the rehab keeps trending in the right direction, Moody should remain part of the conversation for the Warriors when he returns, which gives the team at least one encouraging internal storyline to monitor as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Face One Trade Dilemma In Pursuit Of Bench Scoring
The Warriors search for more bench scoring has only become more urgent as the roster has settled into its new shape, and one name floating in that conversation is tied to Milwaukees post-Giannis reshuffling. After Giannis Antetokounmpo was dealt to the Heat, the Bucks brought in several pieces, and among the players drawing outside attention is a young wing who turned in a strong season and has the kind of offensive profile that could help Golden States second unit.
Even so, the path to a deal does not look simple. League chatter has centered on the idea of using draft capital to make it happen, but the Warriors have been cautious about moving future picks, especially for a player whose contract situation adds another layer of complexity. Between the price in assets and the extension questions that come with it, this is the sort of trade idea that sounds helpful for a bench that needs scoring, yet still feels unlikely to become real unless the market shifts. [Read more 🡒]