Steve Kerr wanted the Golden State Warriors to add younger pieces this offseason, but the roster heading into 2026-27 looks a lot like the one that competed last season. Kerr addressed the reality of that outcome directly on Friday’s episode of the “Tom Tolbert Show.”
Steve Kerr has said multiple times the Warriors can’t have so many players who can’t play back-to-backs and he can’t rest such important players so often going forward
Kerr Explains Why Golden State Couldn’t Get Younger
Kerr drew on his own front office experience to explain how difficult it actually is to reshape a roster’s age profile in one offseason.
“Having been a GM, I know how hard it is to just magically say, ‘All right, we’re going to get younger,'” Kerr told Tolbert. “We obviously tried to get younger, but stuff has to materialize. You have to have the assets or the cap room to be able to do certain things.”
Kerr made clear the final call rests with Mike Dunleavy and Joe Lacob, though they consult him on major decisions.
“The stuff that came our way, I mean, it’s Dunleavy’s job and Lacob’s job, but they obviously run everything by me. I mean, there was nothing that made sense to me to make this huge move. So, look, we did the best we could to put together the roster,” Kerr said.
What Golden State Actually Added This Offseason
Instead of a major shakeup, the Warriors brought back familiar veterans like Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II and Kristaps Porzingis. They supplemented that group with free agent signings Georges Niang and Brandon Williams, along with drafting Yaxel Lendeborg 11th overall.
Kerr expressed real confidence in what that group of role players can provide, even without a marquee addition.
“I think Yaxel’s going to help quite a bit,” Kerr said. “He’s a really good player. He’s older, he’s mature. Watching him work out with our guys, he’s going to help us. Gui Santos, Brandon Podziemski, these guys are going to help us. George Niang, Brandon Williams, new signees. Nothing earth shattering, but really good players who can play a lot of minutes.”
Kerr pointed to overall roster depth as the answer to covering for the team’s age, particularly with Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody both still working back from injury.
“I think our depth is the answer to the question you asked. We’re going to have to rely on our whole roster, including our two-way players at times. And fortunately, I do feel really good about the guys we have who have kind of filled out the back end of the roster. And I think they can help us hold down the fort until Jimmy and Moses get back the second half of the year,” Kerr said.
“Look, we did the best we could to put together the roster. I think Yaxel is going to help quite a bit. He’s a really good player. He’s older. He’s mature. Watching him workout with our guys, he’s going to help
Final Word for the Warriors
For the first time since the 2021-22 championship season, Golden State enters the year with a full 15-man roster, an intentional move to help cover for the Butler and Moody absences early on.
Anchored by Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, Kerr’s group is banking on collective depth rather than any single addition to keep the Warriors competitive while the roster waits to get fully healthy.
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