The Golden State Warriors have their fair share of players on the roster fighting for their opportunities this season. They have Brandon Williams and Georges Niang, both of whom entered the season on partially guaranteed deals, and they have a number of pieces, like Kristaps Porzingis and Draymond Green, who are entering campaigns that will determine their NBA futures.
But that's a reality that faces many players across the NBA—including numerous former Warriors. With the roster overturn we've seen in the recent years of the Stephen Curry era, that shouldn't come as a surprise.
Here are three players, fighting for their opportunities on other teams this season, who will be worth keeping an eye on as the campaign unfolds.
3 former Warriors fighting for their next opportunites as 2026-27 kicks off
1. Ryan Rollins, Milwaukee Bucks
We can debate the merits of the Warriors moving on from Rollins all day—it's unclear if he would've ever played a major role here, but he's certainly proved himself as an NBA-caliber guard within the last year or so. Across 74 games last season with the Milwaukee Bucks, Rollins posted career highs in nearly every statistical category, cementing himself as the lead guard in the Bucks offense and averaging 17.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists while knocking down 40.6% of his attempts from beyond the arc.
But things are obviously changing in Milwaukee now that Giannis Antetokounmpo has officially packed his bags for Miami. Rollins will likely still be the starting point guard, but he'll have Tyler Herro next to him in the backcourt and both Brayden Burries and Kasparas Jakucionis potentially pushing for minutes over the course of the season.
If Rollins is able to replicate last season's production, though, you can bet he'll be declining his $4 million player option for 2027-28 and seeking out a pay raise, either in Milwaukee or elsewhere.
2. Jordan Poole, New Orleans Pelicans
Poole has always been an interesting—and relatively polarizing—player, and that's played out so far during his time in New Orleans. He was limited to 39 games in his first season with the Pelicans due to various injuries, and he operated primarily as a bench piece even when he was available. He was also as inefficient as he's been at any point throughout his career, averaging just 13.4 points and sinking just 37.2% of his field goal attempts over the course of the campaign.
He still represents a jolt of energy off the bench, but it's going to be a tall task for him to replicate the four-year, $128 million rookie-scale extension he originally signed with the Golden State Warriors on his next deal. He's going to need to prove himself as a more reliable NBA player to earn another real opportunity this offseason, and the cards don't necessarily look to be dealt in his favor in New Orleans in 2026-27.
3. James Wiseman, New York Knicks
Wiseman, no matter what, seems to keep popping back up on the NBA radar after fizzling out in just a season and a half in Golden State. This time, it's with the New York Knicks, who chose to keep Wiseman on their 15-man roster at the expense of veteran guard Bruce Brown. Wiseman, of course, fits a positional need for New York given the fact that it lost Mitchell Robinson in free agency this offseason. But Mike Brown and company must see something more than an extra body if they were willing to let a player of Brown's caliber walk.
Wiseman played in just five games over the past two seasons with the Indiana Pacers, but there's still theoretically some upside there as an athletic, rebounding big man. Whether Wiseman is able to unlock that this season behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond will determine his NBA future. This is Wiseman's best shot since he left the Warriors, but it may very well be his last if it doesn't pan out.
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