Now that the LeBron James sweepstakes has come to an end, the Golden State Warriors still have three remaining roster spots to fill.
Draymond Green claimed the 12th roster spot when he finalized his one-year, $27.7 million extension with the team on Tuesday. Barring a major deal, however, the rest will be occupied by contributors on the veteran minimum by the time the season starts.
As long as Klay Thompson's status with the Dallas Mavericks remains in limbo, his name will continuously pop up as a trade option. Even after the way his tenure in Golden State ended, fans would be ecstatic to have him back in the fold as both Stephen Curry and Green's careers come to a close.
But with Green's extension taking the Warriors above the first apron, they will no longer be eligible to sign him if he gets bought out by the Mavericks. Their only path to a reunion is through a trade, and Golden State likely won't be willing to move the salaries of either Brandin Podziemski or Moses Moody to get that deal done.
Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody aren't worth a Klay Thompson reunion
There's a certain angle from which you can see a path for the Warriors to the Play-In Tournament and, with Curry and the veteran mainstays of the roster healthy, perhaps a deep playoff run.
But if there's no big move coming, then these final seasons need to be about paying Curry his due as a legend of the franchise. The Warriors absolutely cannot be uncompetitive, but they cannot afford to sacrifice the little depth they have in exchange for another star. In another world, a move for Thompson on the buyout market would've made sense as a nostalgia play.
The Warriors, for their part, could likely have also sold Thompson on the nostalgia factor. It doesn't seem as though he holds the end of his tenure in Golden State against the organization, and a move back to where he played the first 13 seasons of his career could be far and away the most appealing option for the veteran.
But the buyout option is now off the table. Thompson's salary last season was more than the non-taxpayer mid level exception, making the Warriors, who are now a first apron team, ineligible to sign him. There also appears to be some level of trade interest in Thompson on the market— most notably from the Miami Heat, who need to add perimeter shooting around their new star in Giannis Antetokounmpo.
For the Warriors to even come close to rivaling what the Heat can offer, they would likely need to package the salaries of both Podziemski and Moody, who will make a roughly combined $17 million in 2026-27. But even as Podziemski's rookie extension looms, Golden State views him as a cornerstone of the future of the organization. The same likely goes for Moody— although his torn patellar tendon and doubtful availability for 2026-27 could make him available if the right opportunity were to pop up.
But what would the Warriors gain by shipping off two young players for one more season with Thompson? It wouldn't do much to help the short-term outlook of the organization, and it only serves to harm them in the long-term.
Frankly, it doesn't make sense, and it seems like a reunion with Thompson is off the table at this point for Golden State.
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