Last season, the Golden State Warriors missed the postseason for just the fourth time in the last 14 years. And the way head coach Steve Kerr embraced Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, it really did feel like the end of the greatest era in Warriors' basketball was finally here.
However, this offseason, all three of them agreed to new deals, which means that Golden State is going to keep searching for that elusive fifth title. But what does this iteration of the team look like?
As training camp gets set to begin, here is the Warriors projected starting lineup and rotation.
Projected Warriors starting lineup and rotation as the team searches for their fifth title
STARTER | POSITION | BENCH |
|---|---|---|
Stephen Curry | PG | De'Anthony Melton |
Brandin Podziemski | SG | Gary Payton II |
Yaxel Lendeborg | SF | Georges Niang |
Draymond Green | PF | Gui Santos |
Kristaps Porziņģis | C | Al Horford |
Curry and Green will obviously be in the starting five. As the fourth-highest paid player on the team (and a perfect on-court fit with Green), Kristaps Porziņģis is going to anchor the starting five spot (so long as he can stay healthy). Brandin Podziemski, the presumed heir to the throne once the old heads finally decide to hang it up, will be the starting shooting guard.
While he may be a rookie, the Vegas Summer League proved that Yaxel Lendeborg -- who the Warriors selected with the 11th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft -- is ready to take on significant responsibility right out the gate, as evidenced by him being named the Vegas Summer League MVP. This, and the team's dire need for a dynamic two-way wing, make Lendeborg a near shoo-in to claim the fifth and final starting spot.
Gui Santos showed a lot of growth in his third season, and given the injuries the team already has heading into the season, he'll be the main minute-getter off the bench. After him, expect plus-minus darling, De'Anthony Melton, to command a big role in the second unit. Gary Payton II will continue to be used as an energizer bunny. The sage master Al Horford is still around, and as of right now, he's projected to be their backup five.
The Warriors could go a lot of ways with the tenth spot. They just added Georges Niang and Brandon Williams. Niang is a sturdy body who can shoot the crap out of the ball. Meanwhile, Williams is a speedster who touches the paint whenever he wants to. Will Richard, a sophomore who had some excellent flashes as a rookie, is also a candidate to be a apart of their nightly rotation. Given the team's need for wings, my guess is that they go with Niang or Richard.
Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody will start the season on the NBA equivalent of the IR. However, once they return, look for Butler to get back into the starting five and Moody to be a premier component of the bench.
Are the Warriors good enough to compete in the West?
Unfortunately, they are not. The Warriors are just too old, too reliant on players with injury concerns, and not deep enough to withstand serious injuries to key guys (something they are already dealing with in Butler and Moody).
With that said, I do think they will be better than they were last year. A frontcourt of Lendeborg, Green, and Porziņģis could easily anchor a top ten defense. Butler will only further solidify this group. Podziemski and Santos got some good repetitions when the team was saddled with injuries last year -- the kind that could lead to a leap in 2026-27. Curry is still one of the top ten players in the NBA.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Houston Rockets are all better than the Warriors. But after that, it's anyone's game. If the Warriors can get the seventh or eighth seed, it will give them two chances to clinch a playoff berth. And if they do that, who knows what kind of postseason magic this team could muster up.
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