The Golden State Warriors have hit pause on the rest of their roster business, at least for now, while the LeBron James sweepstakes play out.
That may or may not be the right call, but it does leave one obvious question hanging over the summer: if James doesn’t land in Golden State, where do the Warriors turn with the money they still have available?
The answer starts with the exceptions. The Warriors have 10 players under contract for about $183 million, and their spending room is still in flux.
De'Anthony Melton’s two-year, $11.2 million agreement was built to fit the bi-annual exception, which would hard-cap Golden State’s 2026-27 roster commitments at $209 million. But that deal still isn’t officially signed, which leaves open the possibility that it could be handled through the taxpayer mid-level exception instead.
If the Warriors go that route, they’d be hard-capped at the $221.7 million second apron. More likely, though, they’ll use the bi-annual exception on Melton and preserve part of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception for another move. They probably won’t be able to spend the full NTMLE anyway, since they’re already about $26 million from the first apron and Draymond Green’s expected contract will take a bite out of that room.
So if James is not the answer, the Warriors still have a path to add a meaningful piece. And among the remaining free agents, Rui Hachimura is the name that stands out.
The Warriors have reportedly been in contact with Hachimura, which tracks. He’s the best remaining free agent outside of James who could realistically end up settling for an MLE deal.
The appeal is obvious on offense: he can shoot from deep and score in isolation. The concern is just as clear.
Hachimura’s defense has been a problem, and on a Warriors roster that would already include healthy forwards like Gui Santos, Yaxel Lendeborg and Draymond Green, only Green projects as a quality on-ball defender in 2026-27. Add in how poorly Kristaps Porzingis defends on the perimeter, and Hachimura’s weaknesses could get magnified.
Still, his offensive talent is hard to ignore, and Golden State would have to at least make the offer.
Another name worth watching is Jerami Williams. He hasn’t scored efficiently enough to build much NBA value so far, but the defensive impact is real.
At 24 years old and 6-foot-9, he’s the kind of wing who doesn’t usually reach unrestricted free agency. He may never be an above-average three-point shooter, but if he nudges his numbers up from the last two seasons, when he hit 34.2 percent combined from deep, he’d be basically average.
Pair that with his defense, and he becomes a rotation-caliber player.
Williams could end up costing more than the minimum after averaging 13.0 points last season, but most front offices are likely to hesitate before spending MLE money on him after he shot just 23.2 percent from three last season. The Warriors are reportedly interested, though, and that makes sense given their need for more dynamic guard play.
Gary Payton II is another familiar option. He played last season on a veteran minimum deal and clearly outperformed it, putting up 7.5 points while shooting 58.3 percent across 73 games.
The question is whether Golden State wants to bring back a 33-year-old when it could use that roster spot on someone younger with more long-term upside. The front office may have felt boxed in by bringing back Al Horford, who is 40, and Kristaps Porzingis, who is 30, but letting Payton walk would at least open the door to a different kind of investment.
The Warriors also know they’ll eventually need a third center. Porzingis’ injury and illness history, along with Horford’s age, means that whoever fills that role has a real chance to play meaningful minutes.
If Post gets an offer sheet above the minimum, Golden State might have to move on. But if he can be had for the minimum, it’s an easy call.
Post took a real step forward defensively in his second season. He’s not going to be a stopper, but he can hold up.
The reason he hasn’t drawn a bigger market is the dip in his three-point shooting, down to 33.6 percent last season. Even so, the shot looks like the kind that should eventually make him an above-average shooter.
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Warriors Put Immediate Pressure On Melton With This Curry Backcourt Bet
DeAnthony Melton is back in the mix for Golden State, and the move says plenty about how the Warriors want to shape the backcourt around Stephen Curry. The club brought Melton back on a two-year, $11 million deal, betting that his defense and versatility give them a better fit than a more offense-first option would have, even if the debate among fans has already started to tilt toward firepower versus balance.
Meltons first run with the Warriors never had much time to breathe, and that is part of what makes this next stretch so interesting. Golden State is clearly comfortable with the idea that Melton can answer a real need next to Curry, but the pressure is immediate: he has to stay available, settle into the role quickly and show that the fit the front office sees is more than just a theory on paper. [Read more 🡒]
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Greens criticism landed in the middle of a broader back-and-forth about how to judge the deal, with some seeing Philadelphia as the clear winner and others pointing to the uncertainty around Paul Georges recent play and health as a reason to slow down. Even in a league that lives on bold swings, this is the sort of transaction that can look one way on the day it happens and another way once the dust settles, which is why the discussion around Boston is far from finished. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors May Already Regret Passing On This Draft Night Opportunity
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Instead, the player drawing the most attention has been the one they watched land elsewhere, and he has already started to look like more than just a Summer League flash. His recent run has only sharpened the sense that Golden State may have passed on a chance to add a wing with real long-term value, especially with other names the team liked still waiting to make their own summer debuts. [Read more 🡒]