The Golden State Warriors' offseason business, to this point, has actually gone as well as one could've hoped.
Draymond Green opted out of his $27.6 million player option, likely granting the Warriors an extra $7-10 million to play with in free agency once his contract is actually signed. They inked both Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis to extensions, securing their center position for at least this upcoming season. While Horford's came in at a modest two years and $14 million, Porzingis's came in at two years and $40 million. It's slightly higher than was expected, but it's still a tenable number for Golden State.
But as we enter the start of free agency, rumors have abounded concerning a potential trade for Anthony Davis and how that might be linked to their LeBron James pursuit. The initial thought was that a trade for Davis might be required convince James to sign with the Warriors. Marc Stein put an end to that train of thought last night in his round-up of NBA intel, claiming that Golden State is not currently operating under that assumption.
That doesn't mean a trade for Davis is off the table, however. But the problem is that such a deal, while it would add another star-caliber player to the roster, doesn't come close to addressing the Warriors' biggest conundrum.
They need players who will consistently be available, and they have very few pathways to adding that this offseason.
An Anthony Davis trade only represents more risk for the Warriors to take on
Davis, when he's been healthy, is certainly still one of the top bigs in the NBA. Last season, across 20 games with the Dallas Mavericks, Davis averaged 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists while shooting 50.6% from the field. If the Warriors are able to pair Davis with Stephen Curry, Green, and James, that could easily be a formidable duo.
But just take a look at the players Golden State's roster is currently shaping up. Jimmy Butler is slated to be out until at least mid-season, although there have been promising signs recently in his rehab process. His salary would likely need to be included in a trade for Davis. There's also a distinct possibility Moses Moody misses the entirety of 2026-27 as he rehabs his torn patellar tendon.
Porzingis's availability issues are well-noted. He hasn't appeared in more than 60 games since he was with the Washington Wizards in 2022-23. Horford appeared in just 45 games last season. Both Curry and Green, even barring any major injuries, will need to miss 15-20 games if they want to enter the playoffs at full strength.
Davis has appeared in 60 or more games just twice since 2018.
The Warriors, for the most part, have already made their bed— this is a veteran team that will need to deal with health and availability issues over the course of an 82-game season. Given what they're left with in terms of financial flexibility, it will be hard to fill out the roster with anything more than veteran minimum players.
Any trade rumors surrounding Davis, while exciting, fail to address that central issue.
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