The Golden State Warriors have a current two-year window they’re not straying from, having clearly prioritized flexibility in the 2027 offseason as a means to potentially adding their next superstar player without needing to go through difficult trade negotiations.
Key pillars Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green are all contracted until that point, while the Warriors are not currently willing to offer more than a two-year deal to restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga. In fact, only young wing Moses Moody has a guaranteed deal for the 2027-28 season.
Warriors 2027 offseason dream might be over before it even gets close
Golden State clearly have this grand plan to target one or multiple big-name players scheduled to come out of contract in 2027, likely starting with their biggest dream acquisition in 2x MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The issue is that it’s extremely unlikely that Antetokounmpo or many of the star-level players even reach free agency. Obviously the Milwaukee Bucks will be doing everything in their power to re-sign their franchise superstar, but if they can’t manage that within the next 12 months, then they’ll most likely try to obtain serious value in a trade rather than let Antetokounmpo walk for nothing.
In that scenario, some other teams will be able to outbid the Warriors, leaving their only hope that Antetokounmpo flexes his muscles and demands a trade specifically to the Bay and that he won’t sign an extension with another team. Clearly that would be great for Golden State, but they’d still have to send out matching salary and something of value to Milwaukee.
Even if Antetokounmpo or other stars do reach free agency in 2027, what will make the Warriors more appealing than their rivals? They’re not the only team to be setting up for that offseason, with the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers both shedding long-term salary with the idea of lofty ambitions in the summer of 2027.
Are the Warriors going to be able to convince Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic or another superstar free agent to join them over the Lakers when Curry will be 39 in contrast to Luka Doncic being 28? That’s a tough sell to make after the Slovenian just cemented his future with the Lakers on a three-year extension earlier this week.
One look at the current free agent class of 2027, combined with the natural aging of Curry, Butler and Green, and you can see why Golden State are undertaking this plan. Yet at the same time, it comes with no guarantees and could easily be doomed before it even begins if some of these free agents agree to extensions or are traded to teams they’re willing to sign with.