The Golden State Warriors will once again go star-hunting this offseason. In a recent appearance on 95.7 The Game, NBA insider Marc J. Spears said All-Star point guard Stephen Curry "knows" a star will join him, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green next summer (h/t NBC Sports). LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo are specifically cited.
Marc Spears (@MarcJSpears) on Stephen Curry and the Warriors’ young players:
— Chef (@CurryForGame) March 7, 2026
"[Stephen Curry] wants to play this season. He wants to play in the postseason. Does he have championship aspirations? I think he's realistic about that. He mentioned to me that Jimmy Butler is not… pic.twitter.com/PtZ7BPpmYB
That is naturally much easier said than done. But Golden State is a glamorous market with a rich history, and Steph has undeniable pull as the face of a franchise. Another star joining the Dubs is not out of the question. Whom and how are yet to be determined, but here are some (pipe dream) possibilities.
Michael Porter Jr.
Expectations were understandably low when Michael Porter Jr. arrived in Brooklyn last summer, talking about his excitement to take on a larger role. Skepticism was the natural — and probably correct — outlook for a guy who fell out of favor in Denver. Lo and behold, Porter has put together by far his best season to date, not only in terms of production, but impact. He has taken on career-high usage without his efficiency suffering much at all. He's averaging a 24.2 points and 7.1 rebounds on 59.5 percent true shooting.
Porter has put in more effort on defense than he ever did in Denver. It really feels like being "the guy" has reinvigorated his soul. Is Porter really a guy you want to build your locker room around? Probably not, but the Nets passed up several lucrative offers at the deadline. Brooklyn's owes a first-round pick swap to Houston in 2027, so the Nets' tank efforts will pause next season. As such, a trade feels less likely than it did a month ago. Brooklyn has a great coach and the cap flexibility to build a winner, hopefully with a top prospect helping lead the charge next to Porter.
So, while Porter's size and shot-making on the wing align rather neatly with Golden State's current roster, it won't be easy to pry him out of Brooklyn. I am also more than a little dubious of Porter, Draymond Green and Steve Kerr all getting along harmoniously. How fully does Porter buy into Kerr's notoriously complex scheme? Maybe it's for the best if this opportunity passes Golden State by.
Trey Murphy III
The Pelicans may be just good enough to avoid disaster with the Derik Queen trade, which is all but guaranteed to hand a top-10 pick to Atlanta. If that pick jumps into the top four on lottery night, New Orleans will be rightly ridiculed into oblivion. No matter the outcome, though, the Pelicans can officially tank with their own pick in mind next season. That will make the summer a critical inflection point for Joe Dumars and the front office.
Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears are good enough to headline a full-fledged rebuild. Zion Williamson has reclaimed a bit of trade value this season and New Orleans can squeeze plentiful assets out of Trey Murphy and Herb Jones, should it choose to. Murphy in particular could net three or four first-round picks, much like Desmond Bane last offseason. He does not have the star cachet of others on the list, but it's hard to imagine a more seamless fit for Golden State.
Murphy has developed into a truly complete offensive player. He's 6-foot-8 with limitless shooting range, which is the root appeal for the Warriors. But Murphy can also beat closeouts, finish smoothly at the rim, and he's even becoming a playmaking fulcrum (3.8 assists with a 2.1 AST:TO ratio). He gives the Dubs a much-needed spacer between Draymond and Jimmy Butler on the wing.
Bam Adebayo
Bam Adebayo's historic 83-point outburst against the Wizards on Tuesday still does not feel real. He more than doubled his previous career high; he attempted 22 3s and 43 free throws. It's probably the most absurd individual stat line in NBA history when considering the normal context of Adebayo's stardom. That said, it was a cool moment, and it forces Adebayo into the national spotlight more than he has been in recent months. The Heat are quietly surging in the East, too.
Pat Riley is vociferously anti-tanking, but Adebayo's name popped up in trade rumors at various points over the last year. A trade never really felt probable, but if Miami flames out in the playoffs, there is something distinctly purgatorial about this Heat team. What exactly is Miami building toward? Unless Giannis becomes available at their price point, it's hard to imagine the Heat winning in a serious way with its current core.
There's a world in which Adebayo becomes legitimately available this summer. The Heat can recoup significant draft capital, potentially setting up a bigger star acquisition down the line. The Warriors have all their picks and would love a defensive-minded center who can also space the floor and work two-man actions with Steph. This is a pipe dream, to be sure, but dreams can become reality.
Joel Embiid
The Sixers are in the Play-In Danger Zone, without control of their first-round pick unless it lands top four on lottery night. Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Kelly Oubre Jr. are all hurt, while Paul George remains suspended for PEDs. The Sixers will try to salvage this season, but if their current trajectory holds, it feels like a cleaning of the house — starting with Daryl Morey and Nick Nurse — is wholly possible in the offseason.
It's hard to imagine Embiid wearing another uniform. He has given so much of himself to Philadelphia and received so little in return. If the Sixers decide it's time to pivot toward the future, however, offloading Embiid's contract is theoretically step No. 1. He's still a dominant offensive force when healthy. Few players command so much attention as soon as they touch the rock. The Sixers probably won't get much value relative to Embiid's talent, but for the Warriors, it's not illogical to cough up a couple first-round picks just to see what happens.
On paper, Embiid and Steph is the most dangerous offensive duo in the NBA. Embiid commands a double every time in the post, and he has a long history of working with gravity shooters on the perimeter. All those countless DHO actions for JJ Redick or Tyrese Maxey would be doubly effective with Steph. If the Dubs can find a way to keep Jimmy Butler, too, that reunites Embiid with perhaps his favorite NBA teammate to date. Embiid and Curry were partners at Under Armour once upon a time, so there's an established relationship there. This probably is not as crazy as it sounds, even if the risk potentially outweighs the reward.
Kawhi Leonard
The Clippers just became the first team in NBA history to move above .500 after dropping 15 games below .500 earlier in the same season. It has been a miraculous turnaround for the Clippers, led almost entirely at this point by Kawhi Leonard, who is enjoying his most productive regular season at 34 years old.
None of this makes sense, really. The Clippers moved off of James Harden and Ivica Zubac at the deadline, which felt like an admission of defeat. Leonard straight-up told reporters he didn't think the Clippers could contend this season. And yet, the team is red-hot and Leonard's postseason track record is practically unassailable. The Clippers could make more noise than folks expect.
Assuming L.A. does not topple the Western Conference giants, however, it's clear L.A. is preparing for a future without Leonard. There won't be many more opportunities to trade a mid-30s star with his injury history for actual value. Plus, the Clippers might want to quiet the noise around this tree-planting scandal. As such, the Clippers trading Leonard and finally hitting the reset button is entirely plausible. Trading him to a division rival might be a bridge too far, but Kawhi-Steph-Draymond is a fun old man trio for the Warriors to go out swinging with.
LeBron James
This is not the first time we've heard rumblings of LeBron James and Stephen Curry teaming up in Golden State. Rich Paul famously put a stop to trade talks between the Lakers and Warriors in 2024. LeBron and Steph are longtime rivals and clear off-court friends. Draymond and LeBron are marquee Klutch Sports clients and also longtime friends. If James is ready to depart L.A., which it feels like he is, the Warriors make a ton of sense for business and basketball reasons alike.
My money is still on Cleveland if LeBron is going to take a pay cut and try to win one more championship. The Cavs are a more competitive team and there's a deep-rooted spiritual connection between James and Cleveland that simply cannot exist in San Francisco. But, if James wants to play with Steph and explore business interests in Silicon Valley, that's an equally believable next chapter.
Call me sentimental, but we've all been dreaming of a LeBron-Steph team up for years. How can you not kind of hope it happens? There would be immediate on-court synergy. LeBron's playmaking feel, combined with Steph's constant motion and gravity, could render Golden State extremely difficult to contain. James isn't quite the player he was in his prime, but even as he approaches his 42nd birthday, LeBron can score at all three levels and he probably looks better in Golden State, with a chance to really run the offense, than he does as Luka Dončić's sidekick in L.A.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
This is the dream outcome for Warriors fans and probably the most realistic outcome, too. The Bucks have no real path to building a contender around Giannis at this point. He can talk about bringing another star to Milwaukee, but absent picks to trade or cap space to weaponize in free agency, it's unclear how the Bucks actually go about bringing in this elusive second star. The Damian Lillard trade was their last gasp and it blew up in their face.
Giannis was involved in trade talks at the deadline, which should pick back up in the offseason. Golden State has the benefit of all its picks, plus a it's desirable destination. The links between Antetokounmpo and the Warriors are vast. Other teams can, in theory, outbid the Warriors, but it will require the right intersection of trade capital, competitive urgency and a favorable market, as the two-time MVP only has one more guaranteed year left on his contract. A team trading for Giannis will want to be sure he's willing to stick around long term.
There are some concerns out there with regards to how exactly Giannis ages into his 30s. Players so reliant on athleticism don't always have the smoothest second act. That said, Giannis is an outlier. Even as his speed deteriorates, his size and strength provide an instant matchup advantage. He has also really improved as a mid-range shooter and facilitator over the years. Giannis should be able to give the Warriors a couple MVP-type seasons at least, especially when Steph is opening up driving lanes with his gravitational pull.