Projecting what Warriors’ starting lineup might realistically look like in 2025-26

The Golden State Warriors' offseason has been pleasantly productive. Klay Thompson's departure stings for all of us, Warriors fan or not. That is a dynasty broken apart, a legacy seemingly tainted. Thompson will forever be connected to the Warriors. He already has a spot in the Hall of Fame locked up. But, watching him in a Dallas Mavericks uniform will be distinctly strange.

Still, it's hard to fault the Dubs for letting him walk. Thompson was often more harmful than helpful last season. It's a hard truth, but the truth all the same. His defense was a problem and the shots weren't falling at quite the same clip. Golden State has instead freed up financial flexibility and boosted the supporting cast around Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.

The Warriors were among the most active teams in free agency, adding Kyle Anderson, De'Anthony Melton, and Buddy Hield, among others moves. While the odds of trading for Lauri Markkanen appear slimmer by the day, Golden State has improved its roster this summer. After missing the playoffs in 2024, the Warriors should return with a vengeance in 2025.

Golden State is toeing the line between contention and transition. The Warriors are slowly, subtly undergoing a changing of the guard. It's not just Thompson's departure. There's a reason Golden State is so hesitant to trade Brandin Podziemski or Jonathan Kuminga. There is palpable faith in the Warriors' young core and a concerted effort to build a bridge to the future. That doesn't mean contending during Steph's final years is unimportant, but it does mean the Warriors are willing to make certain sacrifices to ensure that the team is still watchable in a few years' time.

That's what makes this summer so impressive. Markkanen or no Markkanen, Golden State has improved its roster without axing the future. This is a good team with an all-time great leader in Steph, as well as a postseason-tested coach, a DPOY candidate in Draymond, and plenty of depth.

Let's focus on the starting lineup, though, and project forward a bit. Here is what Golden State's first five will probably look like the season after next, when Curry turns 38 and Green turns 36.

Projected Warriors starting lineup for the 2025-26 season

Why the hell not?

The Warriors aren't going to trade for Lauri Markkanen, so we can cross that off the wish list. From there, other current popular trade candidates, such as Zach LaVine or Brandon Ingram, appear equally, if not more unlikely. LaVine's contract is an albatross and Ingram has a bad relationship with Steve Kerr.

So, expect Golden State to save its trade ammo and enter the 2024-25 season with the current roster, which is good enough to command respect in the Western Conference. One potentially available star connected to the Warriors earlier this summer was Jimmy Butler. He is expected to finish out this season and his current contract with the Miami Heat, but Butler's future sure is a compelling topic of speculation these days.

The Heat plainly aren't comfortable extending the 34-year-old. It has been hard to imagine Butler outside of South Beach, but the Heat are building toward a pivot. Bam Adebayo looks great, he just got a lucrative new extension, and the Heat surely aren't content with annual No. 8 seeds.

Butler's inconsistent health and playing time over the years has clearly irked Pat Riley. He's an All-Star and the bedrock of 'Heat Culture,' but Butler also takes his foot off the gas pedal in the regular season. Often. He's electric in the playoffs (when he's healthy), but age continues to infiltrate the Butler narrative. Butler is going to fall off eventually and he's a mediocre shooter, which raises concerns about how his game will age.

Golden State can take the plunge, probably via sign-and-trade. It's a risk, but there's no reward without first a great risk. We all know it. This is an avenue to potentially adding an All-Star wing without sacrificing either Brandin Podziemski or Jonathan Kuminga. The Dubs could engineer a sign-and-trade around Andrew Wiggins' contract and spare parts, committing to the Butler-Steph pairing for a few years and allowing Curry to go out swinging. Steph deserves to end his career earnestly gunning for a title, and we know Butler can perform in the playoffs.

There are obvious spacing concerns with this lineup. It will be particularly fascinating to see if Draymond is still starting games in 2026. Trayce Jackson-Davis was among the most underrated rookie performers last season. He's still undersized for the center position at 6-foot-9, but he has the potential to offer more consistent rim protection and rebounding than Draymond. Father Time has been circling Green for a while and it's unclear how long he can maintain his elite, five-position defensive status.

That said, for now, Green gets the starting center spot out of respect. We have to assume Kuminga and Podziemski quickly rise to the level of unchallenged full-time starters, while Butler slides into Andrew Wiggins' spot on the wing (poetic, I know).

Projecting Butler in Golden State is undoubtedly bold, but the other team heavily connected to Butler this offseason just signed Paul George. While there will be other suitors, the Warriors are perhaps the most motivated and well-equipped contender if Butler hits the open market. It's a real possibility, folks.