The Warriors have opened the season with almost everything breaking right. They’ve stacked eight straight wins, can make it nine against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night, and the roster has stayed mostly intact outside of Brandon Williams and Will Richard. Even the offseason additions have largely checked the right boxes, with the Kristaps Porzingis situation standing as the big exception.
That kind of stability has kept Golden State from needing to dig too deep into its two-way stash. For now, the rotation has held up well enough that those players have mostly been afterthoughts, aside from the team’s frequent blowouts.
LJ Cryer has logged only 50 minutes this season. Malevy Leons has played 30.
Graham Ike leads that group with 80, which fits his role in the frontcourt.
That could change soon. Richard is reportedly trying to play through a torn UCL in his thumb, while Williams is expected to miss at least the next week with a hamstring strain. If that lingers, the Warriors may need to lean more heavily on Cryer and Leons.
Cryer looks like the safer bet because Golden State can always use more shooting on the perimeter. Leons, though, has done little to earn trust at the NBA level. If the Warriors need him again, they should be asking a simple question: is he worth keeping on the floor, or is it time to look at another two-way option?
Right now, the answer leans heavily toward caution. Leons may not be needed much if Richard and Williams bounce back quickly, but that won’t always be the case. At some point, the Warriors will have to reach this far into the roster, whether that comes from a longer injury absence or a stretch of rest for Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
Two-way spots are often treated as developmental space, and that’s how this has played out in Golden State so far. But Leons hasn’t shown much progress, and he hasn’t given the Warriors much reason to believe he can handle a steady role if called upon. Even setting aside last season’s numbers because of his wrist injury, he still hasn’t shown a reliable feel for what Golden State wants offensively, and his touch around the rim has been almost nonexistent.
His preseason line did not help his case. In six appearances, Leons averaged 3.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 11 minutes per game, while shooting 28% from the field. That was a steep drop from his 56.1% mark in Summer League.
This isn’t a crisis for Golden State, but it is the kind of roster decision that can quietly matter later. The Lakers already made a two-way swap this week, adding Carson Cooper and moving on from Lawson Lovering.
Cooper had become available after the Memphis Grizzlies dropped him in exchange for Richie Saunders. Moves like that happen around the league all the time.
The Warriors also have an internal answer if they want one. Alex Toohey, their second-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, has looked excellent at the G-League level this season.
However the early part of the season unfolds, Golden State has every reason to treat these roster spots seriously. If Leons gets another chance and the result looks the same, the Warriors should be ready to act on it.
In Other News...
Jimmy Butler's Rehab Just Raised A New Warriors Question
Jimmy Butlers recovery from a torn ACL has already become one of the more closely watched storylines around Golden State, and his latest step has only added another layer to it. Butler has said he wants to get into a G League game for the Santa Cruz Warriors before he makes his way back to the Warriors lineup, a plan that would give him a live-game test in a lower-pressure setting as he works his way through rehab.
For Golden State, the idea is intriguing because it would offer a clearer bridge between the training room and the NBA floor, but it still depends on medical clearance from the teams staff. Steve Kerr has welcomed the possibility, though it remains unclear whether the Santa Cruz appearance would become an official part of Butlers rehabilitation path, leaving the Warriors with one more question to sort out as his return draws closer. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Trade Need Suddenly Feels Real After Curry Injury
Stephen Currys oblique injury has changed the temperature around Golden State almost overnight, turning a roster conversation into something far more urgent. Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported that the Warriors are now looking at potential trade targets such as Wendell Carter Jr. and Naz Reid as they try to steady a frontcourt that suddenly looks thinner than expected.
Carter has been performing well this season for the Orlando Magic, and the idea of adding a player with a similar profile to Kristaps Porzingis gives the Warriors a clearer sense of the type of move they may be chasing. For now, though, it remains speculative, with any real path forward depending on negotiations between Golden State and Orlando, and on how aggressively the Warriors decide to respond to Currys absence. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Face A New Trade Problem In Porzingis Pursuit
The NBAs draft lottery reform has quietly changed the trade market, and it may be making life harder for the Warriors as they try to sort through a Kristaps Porzingis pursuit. With the incentive to bottom out reduced, fewer low-performing teams are eager to move veteran pieces, which means the usual pool of sellers is thinner than it once was. For Golden State, that can turn a straightforward search for a deal into a much narrower hunt.
So the Warriors may have to look elsewhere for a workable path, and that likely means teams dealing with financial pressure rather than teams chasing the lottery. The Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic stand out as possible partners in that kind of framework, but the broader point is clear: this is no longer just about finding a team willing to trade, it is about finding one with the right mix of need and flexibility. [Read more 🡒]