The offseason for the Golden State Warriors took another turn on Tuesday, when the team agreed to a contract with Draymond Green that will pay him almost $28 million, which is a healthy amount–but will do so for only one year, creating a sliver of cap space next summer. Yes, Green can be a free agent in the summer of 2027. As can fellow Warriors star Jimmy Butler. And fellow Warriors starter Kristaps Porzingis (on a team option). Oh, and there’s another potential 2027 free agent, too: the best player in the history of the franchise, Stephen Curry.
After Green’s signing, the Warriors now have just four players certainly under contract after this year–Moses Moody is the highest paid of them, at $13 million. Al Horford is on the books for $7 million and Yaxel Lendeborg is in for $6.4 million. Gui Santos is the only other guaranteed contract, at $5 million.
Conceivably, then, the Warriors have around $32 million on the books when next June 30 rolls around. With a projected salary cap of $174 million, the Warriors could have more than $140 million in cap space to open next summer. As one NBA executive said after Green signed, “They could have a field day in a year.”
Warriors Would Have Cap Holds, Other Obstacles
Of course, it is not quite that simple. The Warriors would have cap hold on the books for players they they don’t outright renounce, and that would include the likes of Curry and Green. There’s also the possibility of a Brandin Podziemski extension to be counted, too. So, $140 million of possible cap space is not entirely $140 million of cap space.
But Golden State does figure to be able to wrangle a sizable chunk of room if they are willing to go through a bit of a roster overhaul, letting the likes of Porzingis and Butler go, and could carve out even more room if both Curry and Green were willing to take discounted deals.
Free-Agent Targets Limited Even With Cap Space
The problem with that is there are not expected to be top-flight free agents on the board next summer for the Warriors to lure. The big fish would be Nikola Jokic, who has a player option, but he is expected to eventually re-sign with the Nuggets. On the slim chance that a restricted free agent like Jalen Duren or Peyton Watson takes a qualifying offer, either could hit the market next summer, too.
Michael Porter Jr. is potentially a free agent, and might be the top of the class if he does not sign an extension. It’s worth watching, too, what happens with Kawhi Leonard–he has indicated he will sign an extension with the Raptors, but if that trade is quashed amid the NBA’s cap-circumvention investigation, he could hit the market.
There’s a slim chance that Karl-Anthony Towns could be a free agent, too, if he can’t work out an extension with the Knicks.
Warriors Could Take Advantage of Cap Space Flexibility
But in today’s second-apron NBA, having cap space has advantages beyond free agency. Being able to facilitate trade by helping teams dump salary can yield picks and/or players–the Bulls got center Nic Claxton this summer for, basically, nothing. The Warriors would be in position to do that.
Either way, the team has decisions to make going forward. Curry is eligible for an extension next month, and The Athletic reports that he could wait on that deal in order to pressure the Warriors into being aggressive. Or, he could re-sign with the Warriors at a reduced rate and allow the team to do some shopping in 2027.
Maybe a field day awaits.
Warriors Eye $140 Million ‘Field Day’ Amid Stephen Curry Pressure