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The Warriors exercised team options on Gui Santos and Quinten Post, keeping the frontcourt players on cheap, cost-controlled deals on Sunday.
Santos’ 2025-2026 option is worth $2.2 million and Post will be back on a $1.9 million deal. The decisions to bring back the young, inexpensive contributors were easy ones, especially given the Warriors’ position of having three stars — Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green — on big-money contracts.
The bit of housekeeping came on the eve of free agency. Teams can officially begin negotiating with all eligible free agents on Monday at 3 p.m. (though deals can only be finalized after July 6).
Santos, 23, emerged last year as a high-energy connector at the forward spot, earning Steve Kerr’s trust with his intensity and instincts. He averaged 4.1 points and 3.1 rebounds in 13.6 minutes per game, appearing in 56 contests.
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Post, meanwhile, started the season with Santa Cruz before getting promoted when the Warriors desperately needed an offensive jolt. He shot 40.8% from 3-point range while averaging more than four attempts from per game as a stretch center — a particularly useful player archetype next to Green.
If Post, 25, improves on his lateral quickness and toughness inside, he could have a case to start alongside Green in the frontcourt. The Warriors don’t want Green to play the entire season as a full-time center, and Post’s outside stroke makes it easy to plug him into a variety of lineups. Post started 14 games as a rookie, but faded to the periphery of the rotation as the playoffs went on.
With Post and Santos, the Warriors have nine rostered players. That doesn’t include Alex Toohey and Will Richard, the Warriors’ second-round picks who could join the team on either two-way deals or minimum-scaled deals like Post’s. Jonathan Kuminga and Taran Armstrong are restricted free agents. Kevon Looney, Gary Payton II, Kevin Knox II, and Braxton Key are unrestricted free agents.
Because the Warriors didn’t extend a qualifying offer to Pat Spencer, he’s also unrestricted.
The first order of business — if the Warriors have it their way — would be to resolve Kuminga’s situation sooner rather than later. Because he’s a restricted free agent, the Warriors have the right to match any offer sheet Kuminga receives. They have the option to bring him back into the fold that way (or by agreeing to an offer of their own) as well as possibly manufacturing a sign-and-trade.
Movement around the league started to heat up on Sunday as it marked the deadline for qualifying offers and team options. LeBron James picked up his $52.6 million player option to return to the Lakers, though his agent told ESPN that “We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career.” Naz Reid, a potential Warriors target, returned to Minnesota on a five-year, $125 million contract extension. James Harden (Clippers) and Bobby Portis (Bucks) also reportedly reached deals to return to their respective teams.
Entering free agency, the Warriors are roughly $17 million below the luxury tax threshold and $25 million shy of the first apron.