The Warriors’ opener laid bare a problem that’s been nagging them: when the lineup gets thin, the margin for error disappears fast. On Wednesday, Golden State found itself in a spot where only one guard was on the floor for a stretch, and the lack of size showed up in a hurry.
With Brandin Podziemski out because of low back soreness, De’Anthony Melton slid into the starting lineup next to Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Gui Santos and rookie Yaxel Lendeborg. Steve Kerr also tried to keep Curry and Green aligned on their substitution patterns so the two could share the floor as much as possible.
Once they sat, the Warriors went as big as they could, with Brandon Williams as the lone guard alongside Al Horford, Georges Niang, Santos and Lendeborg. Even then, the group was “too small and unathletic enough to keep the Lakers in check,” California Post’s Evan Webeck wrote.
That kind of outing is exactly why fans are already pushing for help. But Kerr has made it clear he isn’t interested in chasing another title by gutting the future.
“Do we throw away our entire future to build around a 39-year-old Steph? He turns 39 in March, right?
Does it make sense now to throw away all those picks? H*ll no,” Kerr said.
Still, not every upgrade has to come with a massive long-term cost. CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn floated a more measured swing: Toronto Raptors guard RJ Barrett.
“He's on an expiring contract, and the Raptors simply need other things more than his individual scoring. If they can use his salary to beef up their guard rotation or add a dead-eye shooter, that probably makes them a better team.
Someone with the financial flexibility to extend him and a real need for a spare creator. Golden State comes to mind if the Warriors miss on their bigger-name targets,” Quinn wrote.
Barrett’s appeal is obvious for a roster that could use more size. He’s a big, physical guard who can also play forward, and that gives Golden State a different kind of piece than the smaller options it’s been forced to juggle. He’d also give Curry another scorer to work with and could strengthen the second unit when the star point guard sits.
Barrett is well liked in Toronto, but from Golden State’s side, he looks like the type of fit worth serious consideration if the Warriors want to add more sturdiness without blowing up their future.
In Other News...
Raptors Win Again But One Early Concern Still Lingers
The Raptors checked off another early-season win Wednesday night in Washington, holding off the Wizards 112-102 at Capital One Arena and backing up a strong start to the week. Toronto looked organized on both ends from the jump, built a lead it never gave back, and got enough from Scottie Barnes to keep the game under control even as the three-point shot continued to come and go.
Barnes paced the team in scoring and rebounds, but the turnover count offered a reminder that the Raptors still have some rough edges to smooth out as the schedule settles in. The defense and energy traveled well enough to produce a second straight victory, yet the missed shots from deep and the sloppy possessions around Barnes are the kind of issues that can linger if Toronto does not clean them up soon. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Defense Just Did Something Fans Rarely See Against Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis arrived in the next matchup after a big opening night and promptly ran into a Toronto defense that looked nothing like the one opposing stars usually prefer to see. The Raptors, undersized as they were, kept him out of rhythm all game and turned a difficult individual assignment into a team win, taking control of the matchup enough to leave with a 10-point victory.
For Toronto, the bigger takeaway may be how rare this kind of night was against Davis. He finished with 9 points on 25% shooting, the first time the Raptors had held him below 20 since November 2022, and it fit the early-season pattern of a group that has opened with a sharp defensive edge. Through two games, Toronto has already shown up near the top of the league in several defensive categories, a promising sign for a team trying to build its identity on that end. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Showed Something Fans Needed To See In 2-0 Start
The early returns are encouraging for the Raptors, who left Washington with a 112-102 road win and a 2-0 start to the 2026-27 season. Even with the offense going through the kind of shooting patches that can sink teams on the road, Toronto found enough answers elsewhere, leaning on Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett and Kawhi Leonard while getting real help from the glass and the bench.
Darko Rajakovi pointed to that resilience afterward, and it is the sort of message fans have been waiting to hear after seasons where Toronto too often had to be perfect to win. The shot-making will come and go, but the Raptors showed they can stay in control when the jumper is not falling, which is a meaningful sign this group can win in different ways as the schedule starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]