New Warriors Rumors on Plans for Roster Around Steph Curry After Losing LeBron Sweepstakes

After missing out on LeBron James, the Golden State Warriors could begin looking at what their franchise will look like without Steph Curry.

According to Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard, Warriors Governor Joe Lacob has his sights on turning the Warriors into a contender once Curry's run with the team concludes.

"What Lacob wants to do, and this might get Warriors fans mad. He wants to build the next team after Steph Curry," Kawakami said on the TK Show (12:58 mark). "I don't know how possible that is, but Lacob has a very keen interest in...this organization's going to show what it can do with Steph Curry and then after Steph Curry."

Kawakami also shed light on Jimmy Butler's status with the team as he continues to recover from a torn ACL.

"They're gonna play it out," Kawakami said of Butler. "There's no reason to do anything with his contract. If he plays it out and doesn't come back, that's $53 million that comes off their cap. They can trade him at the deadline as an expiring and get back money. They could let him go and get under the cap. I don't think there's any rush on this. I think they like him a lot."

"They don't want to trade him, but at some point they might as an expiring," he added. "But there's time for this to play out."

The Warriors were reportedly among the teams pursuing James before he signed a two-year contract with the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.

As for Butler, he underwent surgery to repair his torn ACL on Feb. 9 and has been steadily progressing in his recovery.

The six-time All-Star is currently set to receive $56.8 million for his 2026-27 campaign before becoming a free agent next summer (via Spotrac).

Meanwhile, Golden State is looking to bounce back after wrapping up a 37-45 finish last season. The Warriors weren't extremely active in free agency while they waited for James to make a decision, re-signing Kristaps Porziņģis to a two-year deal worth $40 million.

If Golden State isn't able to take a step forward to begin the 2026-27 season, trading Butler ahead of the trade deadline to build around Curry appears to be an option.