The Golden State Warriors had a disappointing season where multiple players underperformed, and nobody was worse than Jonathan Kuminga. The Dubs gave him a two-year $46.8 million contract in free agency to get a negative-0.2 value over replacement player (VORP) and the worst win shares per 48 minutes on the team. Kuminga was so bad that Golden State had to trade him to the Hawks at the deadline in a swap of problems. Sadly, he wasn’t the only player who stole money from Golden State this season.
The Kuminga trade looks even worse as he is thriving in the playoffs. Golden State refused to put him in trade packages of years, despite head coach Steve Kerr never fully trusting him. Things got worse this year. There was his messy restricted free agency, a disastrous 20 games played, and a trade request. He was worse than a replacement-level player, and the Dubs were 9-11 when he saw the floor. Kuminga wasn’t worth a minimum contract from the production he gave Golden State.
Kuminga wasn’t the only problem. Injuries crushed the Warriors, including season-ending ones for Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody. Things never seemed right, and there were plenty of on-court struggles to go with it. These three players joined Kuminga in robbing the Warriors blind this season.
3. Seth Curry
Cap hit: $1,755,198
Cash paid: $2,777,830
The Warriors signed Steph’s brother to a minimum contract, and he played well when on the floor. Curry shot 48.0 percent from 3-point range, but appeared in just ten games. He couldn’t stay healthy and get any rhythm. Seth had a sciatic issue and an adductor strain that cost him time. The 35-year-old has struggled to stay healthy in recent years and offered almost nothing to the Dubs this season.
The Warriors got 133 minutes from the 6’1 guard. That means Curry made $20,885.94 per minute of game action. A terrible return on investment for Golden State when fans consider the team had a negative-5.4 net rating with Seth Curry on the floor.
2. De’Anthony Melton
Cap hit: $3,080,921
Cash paid: $3.080,921
Melton made just over $3 million this season and produced a negative VORP. He generated strong counting stats, but was wildly inefficient. The 6’2 guard shot just 40.7 percent from the field and 29.4 percent on his 3-point attempts. His 47.5 effective field goal percentage was the worst on the Warriors among players who appeared in at least 26 games.
Melton’s 0.031 win shares per 48 minutes would have been the worst on the team if not for Kuminga. It truly was a disastrous season that didn’t help the Dubs.
Melton deserves some grace. He was coming off ACL surgery and needed time to get his legs under him. The percentages improved once the calendar flipped to 2026, but he still only hit 42 percent from the field and 31.6 percent of his threes. The struggles should make the Dubs’ offseason decision easy, especially if Melton is searching for a massive raise.
1. Draymond Green
Cap hit: $25,892,857
Cash paid: $25,892,857
This one hurts. Green played a central role in the four championships, but he is on the decline. The four-time All-Star had his lowest rebounding average since 2014 and his fewest assists since 2015. He is clearly heading downhill and had the third-worst win shares per 48 minutes on the team.
Draymond deserved his flowers for shutting down Kawhi Leonard in the Play-In Tournament. It was a turn back the clock moment, but that was not the player fans saw all season.
The Warriors had a negative-3.3 net rating with Draymond on the floor, and were 3.9 points per 100 possessions worse in his minutes. This is a player making $25.8 million or 16.7 percent of Golden State’s salary cap. Green has to impact winning if the Warriors are going to be in contention.
That is the goal in Curry’s twilight, and Draymond must be significantly better if he is going to finish his career in the Bay Area.
The Golden State Warriors had an incredibly disappointing season where they missed the playoffs for the second time in three years. It was far from ideal, and these four players robbed them blind.
Golden State needs more talent. They already dumped Kuminga, and the other three may be next. Stephen Curry only has a few more years left, and the Dubs must be better around him to make any noise. Don’t be surprised to see a massive shakeup this summer.
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