Why Warriors' 2027 Cap Space Projections After Curry Extension Are Conflicting

If you're a Golden State Warriors fan, I'm sure you've come across a number of different opinions about how much cap space the Dubs can have in 2027 after Stephen Curry signed a two-year, $116 million extension on Friday.

Some are saying they'll have nearly $80 million, while others have them a bit under $50 million.

I'll go over why there are so many different projections and which one is the most accurate number.

Porzingis' Unusual Contract

Kristaps Porzingis is listed as having a $20 million player option for the 2027-28 season. That's not inaccurate, as Porzingis can choose to opt out of the contract if he likes and become a free agent. But if he opts in, only $3 million of the contract will be guaranteed until it becomes fully guaranteed on July 7, 2027.

So for the purposes of deciding how much cap space the Warriors could have, it's best to treat Porzingis as someone they will release with a $3 million penalty.

How to Treat Melton, Horford Player Options

Al Horford and De'Anthony Melton have player options for the 2027-28 season. The Warriors have no control over what they'll decide, so I believe it should be assumed they will exercise those options.

But it's certainly possible Horford retires and Melton opts out to look for a bigger contract.

Replacing the salaries of Horford and Melton with two incomplete roster charges would increase the Warriors' projected cap space total by $10.6 million.

Don't Forget Incomplete Roster Charges

Every NBA team is required to have 14 players under standard contracts. For how many rostered players a team is short of that number, a $1.45 million roster charge is added to their cap sheet.

What to Do with Podz

Podz will be a restricted free agent next offseason if the Warriors don't extend before this season starts. In theory, they could choose to lose him for nothing in 2027 free agency to increase their cap space total by $17 million (that will be his 2027 cap hold).

But some writers are making the correct assumption that this is a non-starter for the Warriors. They will prioritize keeping the 23-year-old guard. So some writers are making their cap space projection with everyone else leaving and Podz staying.

Cap Space with Player Options Declined and Everyone Renounced

Assuming Melton and Horford decline their options and everyone else is renounced, the Warriors would have just four players under contract and a total of $98.5 million in salary commitments.

Player	2027-28 Salary
Stephen Curry	$55.7M
Moses Moody	$13.9M
Yaxel Lendeborg	$6.4M
Gui Santos	$5M
Porzingis Release Fee	$3M
Incomplete Roster Charges	$14.5M
Total Salary Commitments	$98.5M

The projected salary-cap line is $176 million. This means the Warriors would have $77.5 million in cap space (Note: Cap space is determine by the salary-cap line ($176 million) subtracted by the total salary commitments).

Cap Space with Melton and Horford Back

If Melton and Horford come back, the Warriors will have $109.2 million in salary commitments.

Player	2027-28 Salary
Stephen Curry	$55.7M
Moses Moody	$13.9M
Al Horford	$7.2M
Yaxel Lendeborg	$6.4M
De'Anthony Melton	$6.4M
Gui Santos	$5M
Porzingis Release Fee	$3M
Incomplete Roster Charges	$11.6M
Total Salary Commitments	$109.2M

This projection would leave the Warriors with $66.8 million in cap space.

Cap Space with Podz Brought Back

We don't know what Podz's salary will be in 2027-28. But we do know his cap hold will be $17 million if he's unsigned going into 2027 free agency.

My guess is Podz's starting salary will be $20 million, so I'm going to use that number for this projection. But other writers will use his $17 million cap hold, which is certainly not an inaccuracy.

Player	2027-28 Salary
Stephen Curry	$55.7M
Projected Podz Contract	$20M
Moses Moody	$13.9M
Al Horford	$7.2M
Yaxel Lendeborg	$6.4M
De'Anthony Melton	$6.4M
Gui Santos	$5M
Porzingis Release Fee	$3M
Incomplete Roster Charges	$10.2M
Total Salary Commitments	$127.8M

With Podz's $20 million contract, the Warriors would have $48.2 million in cap space.

Most Accurate Number

I believe the $66.8 million number, which assumes Melton and Horford come back, is the most accurate. That's the number the Warriors can get to fully under their control.

If you see a number slightly under that, it may be because the writer is assuming the Warriors will a) use their 2027 first-round pick (whose first-year salary will likely range from $3 million to $6 million) and/or b) guarantee Will Richard's non-guaranteed $2.5 million salary.

But the point is the Warriors can indeed cobble up enough cap space to offer a max contract.

With all this said, I don't believe the players worth a max will be available in 2027 free agency. So I believe the Dubs should instead re-sign Podz and use the cap space on multiple quality players.

Or better yet, they trade for Trey Murphy III at this year's trade deadline and essentially give up on this cap space plan altogether.

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