Report: Warriors Targeting Center, 4 Guards for Final 3 Roster Spots

The Golden State Warriors have three open roster spots left and can't spend more than the veteran minimum on any of them.

That means the top free agents like James Harden and Jalen Duren and are out of their price range, and even the second-tier free agents like DeMar DeRozan could be unattainable as well.

With that said, there are always bargain-bin free agents who outperform their contracts, and the Warriors will be hoping to find a couple of those this offseason.

ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel reported that the Warriors are targeting center Kelly Olynyk and guards Brandon Williams, Gabe Vincent, Gary Payton II and LJ Cryer (on a two-way contract) for their last three standard contracts.

Though the Warriors would likely love to get another lengthy wing, the available forwards leave much to be desired.

So it's not shocking that they are focusing on bolstering the depth of the other positions.

Warriors Need a Backup Point Guard

Of the four guards mentioned above, Williams is the closest thing to a true point guard.

The former Maverick averaged 13.0 points and 3.9 assists in 2025-26. The reason he's not signed yet is his poor three-point shooting, and the Warriors will have to decide if they can afford to have another unreliable shooter on a roster that already has Draymond Green.

Vincent and Cryer are capable of doing some ball-handling responsibilites, but they aren't dynamic enough to run an offense consistently.

However, Vincent is a solid all-around player who holds his own on defense, and Cryer is far and away the best shooter of the five.

After losing Pat Spencer to the Suns, the Warriors don't have a true backup point guard. That might mean Williams is the most likely of the three to get a standard contract.

Payton Should Be Warriors' Top Target

The two issues with rostering Payton are a) his three-point shooting and b) his potential for injury as a 33-year-old with an injury history.

If the Warriors look past those two things, he should be their obvious top target.

For example, here is the 2025-26 EPM of all five players the Warriors are targeting:

Player	Offensive EPM	Defensive EPM	2025-26 EPM
Payton	-0.2	1.0	+0.9
Cryer	+0.1	-1.1	-1.0
Williams	-0.5	-0.9	-1.4
Olynyk	-1.6	-0.1	-1.8
Vincent	-1.8	-1.1	-2.9

Payton and the Warriors reportedly have mutual interest in the guard returning for his seventh season with Golden State.

Predicting Who the Warriors Land

I'm not convinced that the Warriors need a fourth center, and I doubt Olynyk is that interested in being in a rotation that crowded, so I don't think he ends up in Golden State.

My prediction is the Warriors sign Williams and Payton. If they miss on Williams, they'll sign Cryer and Payton.

The last roster spot will go to someone not mentioned in this article. It could be an external wing like Ochai Agbaji, or it could be a player from their summer league team such as wing Lajae Jones or center Graham Ike. The latter two would make more sense on two-way contracts, but perhaps one will get a standard contract if the Warriors' three two-way spots are already taken.

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