Problem sneaking up on the Warriors that could derail season

The Golden State Warriors lost a legend when Klay Thompson left for the Mavericks. It was time to move on, and the Dubs quickly focused on adding depth. Golden State wanted to trade for Lauri Markkanen but was forced to settle for signing De’Anthony Melton, Kyle Anderson, and Buddy Hield. The Warriors are arguably more talented but have some massive questions.

Most will immediately jump to their lack of star power. They still have Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, but need another marquee scorer. Golden State hopes Jonathan Kuminga or Brandin Podziemski can step up and fill that void. It is a massive ask for a young talent, and the Warriors may have an even bigger problem.

They added three players who expect to play significant minutes to a roster with depth. Chris Paul and Klay are gone, but head coach Steve Kerr will have to use his Team USA experience to figure out his rotation. The result could be unhappy players and a sour locker room may be enough to derail their season.

Warriors have too many rotations players and not enough minutes

Golden State has 12 players who expect to be in the nightly rotation. They must replace 56.1 minutes each night played by CP3 and Thompson. Fans could add Saric’s 17.2 per game to give them 73.3 to split between the newcomers, but that assumes nobody wants more run than last season.

Stephen Curry was the only player on the Warriors roster who got more than 30 minutes every night in 2024. Draymond is the second-highest returner at 27.1. Only five players coming back got more than 17.5 as Kerr played seven more than 26.3 minutes per game.

The Dubs have five players in contract years, including Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. The franchise’s extension talks with Moody will be fascinating as they have never bought into giving him more than 17.5 minutes per game. He believes he can play a larger role, and Kuminga wants a max extension.

Even Melton, Gary Payton II, and Kevon Looney will be unhappy if they are barely playing in the final year of their contract. All three are competing for a new deal and will want out if they are the odd man out of the rotation or are playing sparingly each night.

The Warriors view Podziemski as a building block, and he should play closer to 30 minutes per game in year two. Andrew Wiggins and Draymond will want starters' minutes as they attempt to bounce back from turbulent seasons. Kuminga, Moody, and Trayce Jackson-Davis hope to prove they have leaped. Stephen Curry is the leader and most important player. Add in the veterans in the final year of their deals and three newcomers to give Steve Kerr more players than he can get on the court.

Golden State will likely run a 10-person rotation to start the year. It means two will be on the outside looking in until someone goes down. The Dubs are ripe for a consolidation trade but have been unable to find a difference-making talent to acquire. It has left them with too many players and what could quickly become an unhappy locker room.

The Golden State Warriors must solve this problem as soon as possible. Curry is 36 and only has a few shots left at a fifth championship. The Dubs cannot afford to waste one with a misshapen roster, but it appears to be trending that way with just over one month remaining until training camp. Hopefully, Kerr can find a solution and keep everyone happy, but it is a situation to monitor.