The Warriors’ 2026-27 schedule dropped Thursday, and it handed Golden State a pair of eye-catching matchups right away.
The season also features four games that stand out above the rest, starting with the kind of homecoming that can get loud in a hurry. Jonathan Kuminga is still unsigned, but wherever he ends up, he’ll be back at Chase Center this season.
That alone makes the matchup worth circling. Last season, Kuminga saw the Warriors in Atlanta and had a rough night, finishing with two points on 1-of-9 shooting.
There’s plenty of reason to think he’ll be eager to make a point against Steve Kerr and Mike Dunleavy Jr.
The Lakers game brings a completely different kind of intrigue. LeBron James spent eight straight seasons in Los Angeles, but this offseason he moved on to the 76ers, triggering major changes around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
The new group includes Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton, Jaden Hardy, Cameron Carr, Kevon Looney, Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle. Los Angeles is again the favorite to win the Pacific Division, just as it was last season, but there’s no easy read on how all of those pieces will fit together.
Golden State also gets an early look at Stephen Curry as he opens his 18th season. At 38, he’ll have every reason to remind everyone he’s still got plenty left in the tank.
Then there’s the Spurs matchup, and Yaxel Lendeborg helped make that one even more interesting. After beating Cameron Boozer’s Grizzlies in the summer league championship game, Lendeborg said, "I think about [revenge] every time I play [Boozer]," Lendeborg said.
"Every game we play, them refs be saving him. … It is a competitive nature [with] everybody that gets drafted ahead of me."
He was talking about Boozer’s Duke team beating his Michigan team in February, and now the idea of a running rivalry adds another layer to what was already going to be a compelling first week of regular-season games.
The Spurs matchup already had the makings of a show because of Curry and Victor Wembanyama. Curry scored 95 points against San Antonio in two games last year, which raises the obvious question: is his style of play Kryptonite for the Spurs’ defense, or can San Antonio adjust and force Golden State to find another way through? Either way, it should be a test.
The final game on the list has its own web of storylines. Jimmy Butler faces his former team, Jaylen Brown could bring a little extra edge after losing to the Warriors in the 2022 Finals, and Curry and James may be staring at one last stretch of head-to-head meetings. The rematch is set for March 31, and if the health holds up, that game should give everyone a clean look at how the Warriors handle the 76ers’ star power.
In Other News...
Joe Lacob Just Reopened A Painful Warriors Draft Debate
Jonathan Kuminga has been out of Golden State for more than six months, but the debate around how the Warriors handled his arrival has not really gone anywhere. Drafted more than five years ago, Kuminga was supposed to be part of the franchises next wave, and his departure only sharpened the scrutiny on a pick that was once viewed as a major swing for the future.
Joe Lacob recently stepped back into that conversation by defending the decision to draft Kuminga, saying he does not consider it a mistake even with the forward no longer on the roster. The timing makes the topic linger a little longer, too, with Kuminga still unsigned several weeks into free agency and now being mentioned as a possible target for the Los Angeles Lakers. [Read more 🡒]
Stephen Curry Still Has One Thing The Warriors May Be Wasting
The Warriors have spent years leaning into stability, keeping the same core of players, coach and ownership intact while much of the league has churned around them. Even as the Lakers have gone through another ownership change and remade their roster around Luka Doni, Golden State has mostly stayed the course, trusting continuity to keep the window open for Stephen Curry and the rest of the group.
But that patience can also raise a harder question: when a franchise protects its structure this aggressively, is it getting the most out of its greatest asset, or simply preserving what it already knows? Curry remains the face of everything Golden State wants to be, and the contrast with teams willing to move quickly to secure a superstar future only sharpens the sense that the Warriors may be relying on continuity at a moment when a little more urgency could matter. [Read more 🡒]
Juan Toscano-Anderson Still Means Something Special To Oakland Fans
Juan Toscano-Andersons return to Oakland this week carried the kind of easy familiarity that has made him a favorite far beyond his box score value. He took part in the unveiling of a refurbished basketball court and mural at the OK Program of Oakland, a nonprofit centered on mentoring Black youth, and used the moment to speak about his path to the NBA and the pride that comes with representing your hometown.
Toscano-Anderson also spent time on the court with the kids, mixing conversation with a little basketball and spending time with program leaders and participants. For Warriors fans who still connect him with the citys basketball roots, it was another reminder that his bond with Oakland is about more than the memories he made there as a player. [Read more 🡒]