The Golden State Warriors have seemingly lined up their next three signings as soon as they resolve the Jonathan Kuminga situation. The problem is that all three share a fatal flaw that could doom the Warriors next season -- and make Steve Kerr's job nearly impossible.
The Warriors have been silent this summer in free agency, not executing a single trade or signing a single player. Everything is waiting on Jonathan Kuminga; the restricted free agent isn't willing to sign the offers the Warriors have put on the table, nor have the Warriors found a sign-and-trade situation they like. Until that situation is resolved, Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the Warriors don't want to lock in other signings in case they need the financial or roster flexibility.
Even so, the reporting around who they expect to sign has rolled in and created a queue behind Kuminga. The key name is Al Horford, fresh off a championship run with the Boston Celtics in 2024 and another solid season as a stretch-5 with real defensive chops, a remarkable transformation for a player who was once a high-usage All-Star.
In addition to using their Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception on Horford to fill their need at center, the Warriors are expected to bring back De'Anthony Melton, who signed a one-year deal with Golden State last summer only to tear his ACL early in his tenure. Getting him on the minimum seems like a fantastic piece of business if he can return healthy and at the level he was at before.
Finally, a familiar name is rumored to be joining his brother on the Warriors: Seth Curry. For all of his other deficiencies, Curry is a sharpshooter like his brother - and in fact boasts a better career 3-point percentage than Steph.
There is a problem running through all three of those signings, however, and it's one that will only be echoed by the rest of the roster, especially if Kuminga ends up on another team. The Warriors are planning to sign three players who are old, injured or both. And that's a recipe for disaster.
The Warriors are about to get really old and fragile
Al Horford has been relatively durable during his career, but he is 39 years old, the 5th-oldest player in the entire NBA this season. He cannot play every game at his age and expect to either remain healthy or be at his best when the playoffs roll around. He has played between 60 and 65 games in each of the last three seasons as the Celtics rested him occasionally to keep him fresh and healthy.
It's possible he drops off anytime this season as well, either due to nagging injuries or something more serious. Players rarely maintain a high level of play at this age; that Horford is defying the odds is impressive but, at some point, likely to change.
De'Anthony Melton, on the other hand, is coming off of an ACL tear. When the 2025-26 seasons begins he will not yet be a year removed from that injury, meaning he could miss the start of the regular season or be hampered for a time. The season before, Melton was limited to only 38 games due to injury. Expecting him to be and stay healthy is likely a fool's errand.
Finally, Seth Curry is a mixture of both. He will turn 35 years old this month, so he is hardly a spring chicken. Additionally, he has battled a number of injuries during his career, and while he played in 68 games last season (not exactly an iron man at that) he was limited to only 44 the season before.
The Warriors are already an older team, from Stephen Curry and Draymond Green to newcomer Jimmy Butler. Once they add in a trio of older or injury-prone players, the chances of significant players missing a high volume of games is going to skyrocket. For a team that has struggled with its depth as it is, this will be a major challenge for Steve Kerr to manage.
If everyone is healthy and available, the upside of this group will be extremely high. More likely, however, is that the yawning downside happens for at least one of these signings. If it happens to enough of them, this season for the Warriors could be doomed from the start.