Warriors Reportedly Not Eyeing 'Major Shakeup,' Want 'Retooled' Rotation Around Stars
The Golden State Warriors are reportedly planning to keep their core together for the 2025-26 NBA season following their elimination in the second round of the playoffs.
According to Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic, the Warriors are not eyeing a "major shakeup" of their roster, as they instead intend to create a "retooled middle of the rotation" in support of veterans Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green.
Shams Charania of ESPN also added that the Warriors will prioritize finding a "playmaking wing defender or a center":
After going through the play-in tournament, the Warriors reached the second round of the playoffs. They beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1, but Curry suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out for the rest of the series, allowing the T-Wolves to win four in a row en route to the Western Conference Finals.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob reflected on the loss to the T-Wolves, giving his team some grace due to the fact that they were without their best player in Curry, saying:
"It's in some ways kind of a win to get here, to get [to] the second round. Yeah, we lost four games to one. Not good. But to a team that is playing very well. They took the Lakers out four to one also with two of the greatest players in the world on their team. We didn't have one of ours. So we can all sit here and make what-ifs, judgments, but I can't be really upset with what happened, given that we just didn't have our biggest force."
Taking out the second-seeded Houston Rockets in the first round suggests the Warriors may have something moving forward, as does the fact that Golden State was highly successful after acquiring Butler in a trade with the Miami Heat in February.
After the trade was made, the Warriors went 23-7 in the 30 regular-season games Butler played for them, making them one of the hottest teams in the Western Conference over that stretch.
As part of the trade, Butler signed a two-year, $110.9 million contract extension with the Dubs, so they are committed to him for at least two more seasons as a key piece of the puzzle.
Curry discussed Butler's commitment to the team and the importance of putting the right players around the core, saying:
"On the surface, that's why [Butler] signed for two more years—our belief we can make it work. And we've proven that the last three months. Just gotta figure out what is going to get us to the next level as a whole. One guy can't win it. Two guys can't win it. It’s gotta be a team."
Like Butler, Curry is also signed for two more seasons, as is Green, should he exercise his player option for 2026-27.
Given that they are all north of 35 years old, there are no guarantees that they will stay healthy or maintain their level of play, but they give the Warriors their best chance to win now.
The biggest question marks on the roster come after Curry, Butler and Green, as veterans Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II are impending unrestricted free agents, while forward Jonathan Kuminga will be a restricted free agent assuming he receives a qualifying offer.
Potential rotation members under contract for next season include Buddy Hield, Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody and Trayce Jackson-Davis.
It can be argued that none of the young, promising players on the team such as Kuminga, Podziemski, Moody and Jackson-Davis lived up to expectations this season, leaving the front office with some tough decisions regarding whether they should keep them or use them in possible trades.
Trading any of those players comes with risk since they could blossom elsewhere, but the Warriors have a two-year window to win another championship. They should feel a sense of urgency to get the right supporting cast in place quickly.
