5 Remaining Free-Agent Guards and Wings the Warriors Should Target

The Golden State Warriors continue to be in a holding pattern, waiting on LeBron James' free-agency decision.

But that shouldn't stop them from making a move before he decides.

At this point, every target the Warriors could realistically have should be gettable for a veteran minimum contract, and handing out a veteran minimum contract won't cause any financial problem in Golden State's James plan.

The following free agents are either a) expected to demand more than the Warriors can offer or b) have reason to avoid engaging with the Warriors, which is why you won't see them mentioned:

- James Harden
- Jalen Duren (restricted)
- Peyton Watson (restricted)
- Bennedict Mathurin (restricted)
- Jonathan Kuminga

After signing Charles Bassey, the Dubs are probably not in the center market, so we're focusing only on guards and wings.

I didn't include James and Draymond Green below. James is obviously the Warriors' biggest target, and Green is expected to return despite being an unrestricted free agent.

Brandon Williams, PG

The Warriors reportedly have interest in Williams, a 26-year-old point guard who averaged 13.0 points and 3.9 assists last season with the Mavericks.

The reason he's still available is he shot just 23.2 percent from three last season. The year before, he shot 40 percent, but note that he took only 1.8 threes per game.

Defenders tend to sag off Williams, both daring him to shoot and making it harder on him to use his outstanding quickness off the dribble.

Ideally, Williams would get back to his 2024-25 shooting levels, but even if he doesn't, he would provide the Warriors with paint-scoring ability the roster needs.

DeMar DeRozan, SF

My concern with adding DeRozan is Steve Kerr could treat him as a starter, which will stunt the development of Gui Santos.

But if the Warriors treat DeRozan as a microwave scorer off the bench whose role will be greatly diminished when Jimmy Butler returns, then he's definitely worth a minimum contract.

DeRozan would be a great piece to have during the non-Curry minutes. He could be the team's go-to second-unit option.

The reason he's likely still available is his defense. He posted a minus-2.3 defensive EPM last season, which ranked in the 1st percentile.

Gary Payton II, G

Payton and the Warriors reportedly have mutual interest for him to return.

That makes sense considering Payton has never thrived in the NBA outside of the Warriors organization, and the Warriors have benefitted from Payton's value.

Last season, Payton outperformed his veteran minimum contract by averaging 7.5 points on 58.3 percent shooting and continuing to play solid on-ball defense.

Spencer Jones, SF (Restricted)

The Nuggets will shoot past the second apron if they re-sign Peyton Watson, which will lead to major tax penalties that might have them looking for the cheapest option for their final roster spot.

That could be an opportunity for the Warriors or another team to pry Jones from them.

The Nuggets would probably match a contract offer sheet at Jones' minimum, but if the Warriors found a way to offer a bit more, the Nuggets might let him walk.

The 25-year-old averaged 5.5 points on 50.4 percent shooting and 39.6 percent from three last season. He improved on those numbers in the playoffs, averaging 6.5 points on 68.4 percent shooting and 69.2 (!) percent from three.

LJ Cryer (Two-Way)

Cryer isn't technically a free agent, as he's under a two-way contract for the 2026-27 season. But I'm including him here anyway as someone the Warriors should consider giving a standard contract.

If the Warriors miss on James, their most likely plan is to sign 2-3 free agents at the minimum and then give Green a multiyear deal.

But if they feel Cryer is worthy of a standard contract, there are benefits to giving him one now.

For one, they won't have to try to upgrade his contract midseason, which can be a pain when the roster is already full.

But the other is that the Warriors have four other players they could reasonably use on their three two-way roster spots.

I'm sure the Dubs would like to keep Cryer, Lajae Jones, Graham Ike, Malevy Leons and Lachlan Olbrich on their roster, but they will keep only three of them if none gets a standard contract.

If they give Cryer a standard contract, then they can use the two-way spots on three of the other four, meaning they will lose only one.

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