The Warriors are still waiting on LeBron James, but that doesn’t mean they have to sit on their hands.
If Golden State wants to keep moving while James weighs his free-agency decision, the path is pretty clear: veteran minimum deals. At this stage, that’s the lane for the realistic targets, and those contracts shouldn’t create any financial issue for the Warriors’ James plan.
There are plenty of names the Warriors won’t be chasing. James Harden is off that list, along with Jalen Duren, Peyton Watson, Bennedict Mathurin and Jonathan Kuminga. Those players are either expected to command more than Golden State can offer or have reasons not to engage with the Warriors at all.
And after adding Charles Bassey, the Dubs are likely done shopping in the center market, which leaves guards and wings as the focus.
One obvious name is D’Angelo Russell Williams, a 26-year-old point guard the Warriors reportedly have interest in. He put up 13.0 points and 3.9 assists per game with the Mavericks last season, but the real issue is the shot. Williams hit just 23.2 percent from deep, a steep drop after shooting 40 percent the year before, though that came on only 1.8 attempts per game.
Defenses are comfortable giving Williams space, daring him to fire and making it tougher for him to use his quickness off the dribble. Even so, he’d bring something Golden State needs: paint scoring. If the shooting rebounds to where it was in 2024-25, even better.
DeMar DeRozan is another name worth watching, though there’s a catch. The concern is that Steve Kerr could view him as a starter, and that would cut into Gui Santos’ development. But if DeRozan is used as a bench scorer - especially with Jimmy Butler expected to return and shrink that role further - then he looks like a strong minimum-contract fit.
That kind of second-unit punch would matter during the non-Curry minutes, where DeRozan could be the offense’s go-to option. The reason he may still be on the market is his defense. Last season, he posted a minus-2.3 defensive EPM, which ranked in the 1st percentile.
Gary Payton and the Warriors also reportedly have mutual interest in a reunion. It fits. Payton has never really found the same NBA success outside Golden State, and the Warriors have already seen what he can give them.
Last season, he beat his veteran minimum deal by averaging 7.5 points on 58.3 percent shooting while continuing to provide solid on-ball defense.
Another possible target is Tyus Jones, and the Nuggets’ money situation could open the door. If Denver re-signs Peyton Watson, it would push them past the second apron and bring major tax penalties, which could leave them hunting for the cheapest option to fill their final roster spot.
That could give the Warriors - or someone else - a chance to steal Jones away. Denver would probably match an offer sheet at his minimum, but if Golden State were able to go a little higher, the Nuggets might let him leave.
Jones, 25, averaged 5.5 points on 50.4 percent shooting and 39.6 percent from three last season. He was even better in the playoffs, putting up 6.5 points per game while shooting 68.4 percent overall and 69.2 percent from deep.
Then there’s Ryan Cryer, who isn’t technically a free agent because he’s under a two-way contract for the 2026-27 season. Still, he belongs in the conversation as someone the Warriors should think about signing to a standard deal.
If Golden State misses on James, the likeliest route is to add two or three minimum free agents and then give Draymond Green a multiyear contract. But Cryer offers a different kind of value if the Warriors believe he’s ready for a standard deal now.
That move would spare them the headache of trying to upgrade his contract during the season, especially once the roster is full. It would also help with the team’s two-way situation, since the Warriors have four other players they could realistically use on those three spots.
Golden State would probably like to keep Cryer, Lajae Jones, Graham Ike, Malevy Leons and Lachlan Olbrich around, but only three of them can stay on two-way deals if Cryer doesn’t get bumped up. Give him a standard contract, and the Warriors can use the two-way spots on three of the other four, losing just one.
In Other News...
Warriors Fans Just Got A Real Sign On LeBron Watch
LeBron James has become the latest star whose future is drawing leaguewide attention, and Warriors fans have reason to pay close attention to the noise around him. The Lakers forward was recently spotted on a golf outing with Draymond Green and Kevin Hart, a setting that at least put the two longtime rivals in the same orbit at a time when James is weighing his next move.
Other teams are also in the mix, with the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers mentioned among the possibilities, but no official decision has been announced. For Golden State, the intrigue is obvious: any conversation involving James and Green is going to linger, especially when the summer market is still wide open and the biggest name on it has not tipped his hand. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Prospect Alex Toohey Is Finally Nearing A Crucial Turning Point
Alex Tooheys rehab has reached a point where the next step finally feels close. The former Warriors second-round pick has been working back through summer league activities after a long recovery from knee surgery, and he has moved from the early grind of rehab into individual drills with the team while continuing to build back toward full basketball work.
Tooheys progress matters because he is no longer just trying to get healthy, he is trying to get back into the kind of live action that tests everything at once. He has been clear he has no regrets about the surgery, and after months of rehabbing and gradually adding on-court work, the focus now is on when he can rejoin scrimmages and games rather than simply how the knee responds day to day. [Read more 🡒]
This Wild 2017 Warriors Afterparty Story Feels So Perfectly Klay
A new bit of 2017 Warriors lore surfaced this week, and it has the kind of loose, slightly surreal energy that always seemed to follow Klay Thompson around a championship run. Blake Anderson, best known from Workaholics, looked back on ending up at Golden States official title afterparty after the Warriors beat the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, a night that still sits comfortably inside the franchises golden era and one of Thompsons four rings before his 2024 departure.
Anderson said the whole thing began with Thompson in a black SUV, then turned into an invitation into the celebration itself, with Anderson and his brother suddenly part of the scene. The detail that really sells it, though, is the one only Klay could provide: Thompson was close enough to be touched, and his hat was still wet with champagne. It is the sort of small, weirdly specific memory that makes the story feel less like a celebrity anecdote and more like a perfectly Klay moment that still hasnt lost its shine. [Read more 🡒]