Warriors' Cryer vs. Williams Choice for Play-In Roster Spot Should Be Obvious

The Golden State Warriors have gotten significant contributions from LJ Cryer, Nate Williams, Malevy Leons and Omer Yurtseven recently, but none of them will be eligible for the play-in tournament unless they sign a standard contract.

Yurtseven's second 10-day contract expires Friday, which means he'll be a free agent. The other three are on two-way contracts, and players on two-ways are ineligible for the play-in tournament.

The Warriors have one open roster spot for a standard contract. They will assuredly fill it in the next few days. The question is who they should fill it with.

With Al Horford (calf) and Quinten Post (foot) injured, one might think the Warriors will choose a player with the ability to play center. But Horford is expected to return by the play-in tournament, and even if he doesn't, Draymond Green can play small-ball 5 when Kristaps Porzingis is on the bench.

More importantly, Leons and Yurtseven haven't been impactful enough to get play-in tournament minutes.

So this last spot will likely come down to Cryer or Williams.

Why Williams Should Be Chosen Over Cryer

Cryer has arguably been more impressive than Williams, making 39.3 percent of his 5.2 three-point attempts per game. He's also shown more defensive resistance than expected for a 6'0" rookie.

But there are two reasons Williams is the obvious choice.

First, the Warriors need a wing much more than another guard. Cryer would be unlikely to play in the play-in tournament, whereas Williams might get some run when Gui Santos is getting rest.

At 6'5", Williams has the length to bother elite wings. Most notably, he had some good reps against Kawhi Leonard in a March 2 Clippers win over the Warriors. Golden State has a decent chance of playing the Clippers again in the play-in tournament.

Second, Cryer is under contract for next season, whereas Williams is not.

Cryer signed a two-year, two-way contract earlier this season. That means the Warriors don't have to think about converting his contract to a standard one until deep into next season. Two-way players are eligible to be active for 50 games of a season. The Dubs can play Cryer more than half of next season and then give him a standard contract.

Meanwhile, Williams was ineligible for a two-year, two-way contract. He will be out of two-way contract eligibility at the end of this season.

Of course, all of this contract talk is moot if the Warriors believe Cryer can help them much more than Williams in the play-in tournament. If they believe that, they should give Cryer a standard contract and hope they can sign him to a multiyear deal so they don't lose him for next year.

But just to drive the point home, take a look at the Warriors' projected depth chart for the play-in tournament:

PG: Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Pat Spencer
SG: De'Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, Will Richard, Seth Curry, LJ Cryer (?)
SF: Gui Santos, Nate Williams (?)
PF: Draymond Green
C: Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, Quinten Post

Cryer is arguably the team's fifth-string shooting guard, whereas Williams is arguably the team's second-string small forward.

Should the Warriors Give Williams a Standard Contract for the 2026-27 Season?

If the Warriors keep Draymond Green (player option), Al Horford (player option), Kristaps Porzingis (UFA) and Pat Spencer (RFA) in the offseason, this is what their depth chart will look like:

PG: Stephen Curry, Pat Spencer
SG: Brandin Podziemski, Will Richard, LJ Cryer (two-way)
SF: Gui Santos, Jimmy Butler (injured), Moses Moody (injured)
PF: Draymond Green, Malevy Leons (two-way)
C: Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford

Obviously, this roster is incomplete. It has just 10 players with standard contracts and two players with two-ways. At the minimum, the Warriors would have to get to 14 standard contracts.

Their biggest issue will be small forward depth.

With Butler and Moody likely out until at least February, the Warriors will need wings, which makes Williams an option.

The Warriors will surely look to free agency and the draft to improve their wing rotation. But quality wings are rarely available for cheap on the FA market, and the Warriors don't have the cap room to make competitive offers for them.

How Williams plays over the next two weeks could be the difference between getting a Warriors contract offer and being passed over in the offseason.

To this point, he's been solid, averaging 7.2 points on 48.5 percent shooting and 42.9 percent from three.

If his shooting and defense hold firm in a play-in environment, that could sell the Warriors or another team on a 2026-27 standard contract.