The Golden State Warriors, by any measure imaginable, need to maximize every spot on their roster this season. They're starting the campaign with close to $90 million in salary on the bench, and that's before factoring in the mandatory games missed for veterans like Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Al Horford.
For most teams, the three two-way contract spots don't often hold that much weight outside of long-term organizational flexibility. For the Warriors, there's a chance that all three of these players—Malevy Leons, LJ Cryer, and Graham Ike—will see semi-significant roles at some point over the duration of this campaign.
It would make sense, then, if the Warriors were to look to the post-roster cut market to try to maximize their talent in those three contract spots. Leons, first and foremost, was highly disappointing in the preseason, and he would be the obvious piece to swap out if the opportunity presented itself.
But Golden State has long favored continuity within its system, and Leons, at the very least, has some experience playing under Steve Kerr. Even with players like Walter Clayton Jr. and Koby Brea now available, it's hard to see this organization making that sort of move.
The Warriors seem to trust Malevy Leons—for better or for worse
Again, Leons' production in the preseason was more than underwhelming—especially because it was easy to pin the blame for his sub-par play during his extensive minutes last season on his wrist injury. Across six preseason outings with Golden State, Leons averaged just 3.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0.7 assists while shooting 28% from the field.
It seems as though he has a solid understanding of when to cut along the baseline in a Curry-led offense. But apart from that, you have to seriously squint to see the upside in keeping this sort of player on a two-way deal.
Steve Kerr, though, said in a press conference last week that he sees Leons playing at least a moderate role at the NBA level this season:
Roster note for #Warriors: Steve Kerr made pretty clear today he's expecting Malevy Leons to play a good amount of games up with GS this season.
— Luca Evans (@bylucaevans) October 12, 2026
"I think he can help us win some games, and he’ll also play some games in Santa Cruz. And we’ll see how it goes."
With options like Clayton and Brea on the market currently, sticking by Leons feels like the wrong move. Both players have their faults, but both also have major upside as outside shooters and relatively sizable perimeter players.
Brea—whom the Warriors traded away to the Phoenix Suns in the trade that landed them Will Richard and Alex Toohey—has struggled from beyond the arc to this point in his career, but the long-term upside is still there for him to turn into an effective shooter and at least an average defender. Clayton, meanwhile, only likely was cut from the Memphis Grizzlies as a result of their roster crunch. He deserves an NBA opportunity somewhere, and he has the outside shooting pedigree to prove it.
The list of potential replacements for Leons doesn't stop there. But even regardless of any positional needs the Warriors might feel they have at this point in the season, this is a team that steadily prioritizes continuity. It's why Gary Payton II is back this season, and it's why Pat Spencer stuck with the team on a two-way contract for as long as he did.
For now, it feels like Golden State is satisfied with its roster as it stands, and that means Leons likely stays—even if it's hard to see a path to him being productive on an NBA court.
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