The Golden State Warriors teetered on the irrelevance line last season, making it seem like their days of winning another title with Steph Curry were officially over. That is when the front office stepped in, pulling off the surprise Jimmy Butler trade and signing him to an extension before he played a single game. The season didn't end as the Warriors hoped it would — Curry's injury derailed it — but the title window remains open with their superstar guard, Butler, and Draymond Green.
As ESPN's Bobby Marks said, the Warriors' free agency relies on what happens with Jonathan Kuminga, who will be a restricted free agent. If he re-signs with Golden State, that will severely hinder what else the team can do in the offseason.
Like other teams in the world of the CBA, the Warriors need to find a way to improve their roster without paying a high price. Is there a proven winner out there that Golden State could get for cheap? Yes, there is, and it happens to be someone who fans have wanted to see on the Warriors in the past.
Bruce Brown will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. He spent the last half of the 2024-25 season with the Pelicans, a team he shouldn't want to stay with if he wants to win another title. The new regime in New Orleans might not want to keep Brown, anyway.
Warriors could target Bruce Brown in free agency
Golden State could take a page out of Denver's book, signing Brown to a low-cost contract and hoping he'll help them win a championship. He did that with the Nuggets as a key contributor off the bench in what was his best season in the league. Brown averaged 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 steals per game in Denver (80 contests), shooting 48.3% from the field and 35.8% from three.
Brown upped his value so much that season that the Nuggets couldn't afford to keep him. He signed a two-year, $45 million contract with the Pacers. Brown spent half a season in Indiana before he was traded to Toronto as part of the Pascal Siakam deal.
Having Brown's playmaking, scoring, and defense off the bench would be especially beneficial when the playoffs roll around. He's the kind of high-impact winning player that the Warriors need, but that quality is why other contenders will be interested in him this summer. Brown could reunite with the Nuggets. He loved the time he spent in Denver so much that he has visited several times since leaving (including sitting courtside at one of the Nuggets' playoff games a couple of months ago).
Brown should undoubtedly be on the Warriors' radar, although it seems the stars are aligning for him to return to Denver. It'd be hard for him to turn down an opportunity to play alongside Curry and Butler.