The Golden State Warriors have until Tuesday night to decide whether Quinten Post remains part of their future.
Multiple NBA insiders believe that the decision is already trending in one direction.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Monday that the Memphis Grizzlies signed the restricted free agent center to a three-year, $30 million offer sheet, giving Golden State until 11:59 p.m. ET Tuesday to match.
Within minutes, the outlook around the league turned increasingly pessimistic for the Warriors.
“Golden State isn’t matching $10M a year for Post,” ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel wrote on X.
ESPN Warriors insider Anthony Slater reached a similar conclusion.
“The Warriors like Post as a reserve center they drafted 52nd overall in 2024,” Slater wrote. “But price tag could make it difficult to match.”
ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks then explained why.
Warriors Balancing Bigger Offseason Goals
According to Marks, Golden State’s financial outlook makes matching Post’s offer sheet difficult if the organization hopes to maintain flexibility below the NBA’s second apron.
“Based on their finances,” Marks wrote, “tough to see Golden State matching the offer sheet and having the flexibility to remain below the second apron.”
The Warriors’ projected payroll currently sits at approximately $183.8 million, but that figure accounts for only 10 players and does not include a new contract for Draymond Green, as Marks noted.
Golden State must still add at least four more players to reach the NBA’s 14-player regular-season minimum while also resolving Green’s contract situation.
Matching Post’s reported $10 million annual salary would add another significant commitment, making it far more difficult for the Warriors to remain below the NBA’s $222 million second apron.
That flexibility is especially important because Golden State remains one of the teams pursuing LeBron James.
League insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer have reported that the Warriors continue to receive consideration from James, and remaining below the second apron would preserve access to the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, potentially their strongest remaining tool to improve the roster should the four-time MVP choose Golden State.
Viewed through that lens, the Post decision extends well beyond one reserve center.
It is part of a broader effort to maximize roster flexibility around Stephen Curry during what could be another championship push.
Memphis Made Golden State’s Decision More Difficult
The Grizzlies clearly value Post as more than a developmental project.
Their three-year, $30 million offer averages $10 million per season, a substantial investment for a player selected with the 52nd overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
The annual salary is already half of what projected starting center Kristaps Porziņģis is expected to earn on his reported two-year, $40 million contract and exceeds the average annual value of veteran backup Al Horford’s reported two-year, $14 million deal.
For a player expected to enter training camp as a reserve, Memphis’ offer forces Golden State to weigh Post’s long-term upside against the opportunity cost of carrying another sizable contract.
Warriors Unearthed Another Late-Round Gem
Walking away would not come without consequences.
Post developed into one of the Warriors’ biggest success stories over the past two seasons.
After arriving as the No. 52 overall pick, the seven-footer averaged 7.8 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 36.4% from three-point range, emerging as a valuable floor-spacing center in Steve Kerr’s system.
His shooting touch, passing ability and basketball IQ made him an ideal fit alongside Curry and helped strengthen Golden State’s frontcourt rotation.
The Warriors have consistently praised Post’s development.
The challenge is whether that value justifies sacrificing broader roster flexibility.
Clock Is Ticking
Offer sheets of this magnitude have become increasingly uncommon.
Marks noted that the last restricted free agent to sign an offer sheet worth at least $5 million annually was Matisse Thybulle in 2023, while the last player whose offer sheet went unmatched was Bogdan Bogdanović in 2020.
Golden State still has until Tuesday night to make its decision.
But with the multiple insiders’ insights, all signs point toward Post’s time in the Bay Area coming to an end.
If that happens, it won’t necessarily reflect how the Warriors value the 26-year-old center.
Instead, it may illustrate the difficult choices required under the NBA’s new financial landscape, where preserving flexibility for bigger roster moves can outweigh keeping one of the franchise’s most promising young role players.
Warriors Get Troubling Quinten Post Update After $30 Million Offer Sheet