The Warriors need to fill their roster. Do these 10 free agents fit?

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Have you heard the Warriors are the only team in the NBA yet to make an offseason move? 

Steph Curry has. 

“For real?” he joked on Aug. 15 at his Curry Camp event in Menlo Park. 

As the Jonathan Kuminga contract stalemate continues, the Warriors’ roster still has just nine players. Their unfinished depth chart looks something like this: 

Guards: Steph Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield

Forwards: Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody, Gui Santos

Bigs: Draymond Green, Quinten Post, Trayce Jackson-Davis

The Warriors are widely expected to add veterans Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton whenever they resolve Kuminga's restricted free agency.

The fits there are obvious. Horford’s ability to space the floor on offense and play a versatile role on the other end of the floor can make him a lineup chameleon. He should be able to play with and without Draymond Green while opening up driving lanes from the perimeter for players such as Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody. Melton, meanwhile, showed how impactful he can be as a two-way guard in his six-game stint to start last season. 

Melton and Horford would make 11. Kuminga — if the Occam’s Razor outcome of remaining a Warrior holds — would give Golden State 12 players. Assuming the Warriors roster one of their two second-round rookies, Will Richard or Alex Toohey, the team could have two vacant spots to play with. 

There are several free agents remaining — some big names, even — in a strange offseason that has skidded to a halt. Examining how they may or may not fit with Golden State is a useful exercise in thinking about the Warriors’ roster as it takes shape.

Ben Simmons, 29, forward

The former Rookie of the Year and three-time All-Star is just 29 years old, but injuries and his unorthodox game have made his career unfold unceremoniously. 

Simmons enjoyed some memorable moments last year in his 18-game stint with the Clippers after getting bought out by Brooklyn. He was most impactful as a backup center, using his size, defensive versatility, and playmaking to operate as a small-ball five. 

In theory, perhaps Simmons doing a Draymond Green impression for five-minute bursts could work. But sharing the court with Jonathan Kuminga, Jimmy Butler, or Green would create a spacing nightmare. 

Simmons still has talent and is an elite defender, but he really, really doesn’t want to shoot — don’t get tricked by the annual offseason workout videos — or get to the foul line. That makes his fit anywhere clunky, and Golden State is no exception. 

Verdict: Only if you squint really, really hard 

Russell Westbrook, 36, guard 

The Chris Paul experiment of 2023 proved the Warriors can handle the addition of a future Hall of Famer into their ecosystem. 

Westbrook, the former MVP, is beloved around NBA locker rooms, too. But that’s about where the parallels end. 

Westbrook was in a perfect role last year with Denver, playing off Nikola Jokic and filling in for Jamal Murray when he was sidelined. Fans of Westbrook should root for a Denver reunion at this stage of his career. 

Like Simmons, Westbrook would be another non-shooter who needs the ball. His energy and intensity are unmatched in the NBA, but there’d be nowhere for him to play in the halfcourt off the ball (even if he has grown as a screener in recent years). It would make more sense for the Warriors to let Butler and Brandin Podziemski handle second-unit playmaking responsibilities than to turn bench lineups over to Westbrook and his all-gas-no-brakes style. 

The Warriors need less chaos, not more. 

Verdict: Surely not

Malik Beasley, 28, guard

Last season’s Sixth Man of the Year runner-up is the best unrestricted free agent available. He’s only still unsigned because he was named as a person of interest in a federal gambling probe right before free agency opened. 

Now, he’s no longer a target of that U.S. Attorney’s investigation, according to his lawyers, so his market may reopen. 

At this point in the offseason in which no team has remaining cap space, Beasley will likely have to settle for a veteran’s minimum contract. And if he’s cleared to play, he could become one of the biggest bargains in the league. 

For Detroit, Beasley averaged 16.3 points per game while shooting 41.6% from behind the arc. He made 319 3-pointers, one shy of Anthony Edwards for the league lead. Any team would sign up for that kind of threat from deep. 

Verdict: Yes, if he’s in the clear legally and in the eyes of the league office.

Seth Curry, 35, guard 

ESPN’s Anthony Slater has reported that there’s “mutual interest” between the Warriors and Curry, and it doesn’t take a genius to guess why. 

Steph and Seth haven’t been teammates since they overlapped for a year at Charlotte Christian High School. Pairing up the brothers would be a sentimental touch on the final era for the Warriors’ greatest player ever. 

Adding Seth wouldn’t just sell jerseys and feed the content machine. Seth led the league in 3-point percentage (45.6%) last year and is a career 43.3% marksman from beyond the arc. Imagine the split action between the Curry brothers. 

Seth has had injury issues, playing more than 65 games in just three of his 11 seasons. He also wouldn’t help the Warriors get any younger. But as a plug-and-play option with no concerns of baggage, Seth would be a solid addition.  

Verdict: Would be more than just cool 

Malcolm Brogdon, 32, guard

The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer linked Brogdon to Golden State. Brogdon remains unsigned after barely playing last year for the tanking Wizards. 

As a low-risk floor general, Brogdon could be a nice contrast to Curry and Green’s occasional looseness. But his medical bill includes ankle, foot, achilles, back, thumb, and hamstring injuries. 

Brogdon has played more than 60 games just twice since his rookie season. The Warriors already have aging or injury-prone players who will need to be managed through the regular season. They therefore should probably prioritize availability with their final roster spots more than the average team. 

Verdict: Not worth the risk

Gary Payton II, 32, guard

The Warriors know what they’re getting with Gary Payton II when he’s available: tough on-ball defense, smart off-ball cutting and an innate ability to play with Steph Curry. 

He’s just not always available. His games played total the past three seasons: 62, 44, 22.  

He possesses institutional knowledge and the trust of Steve Kerr. Does that give him the edge over, say, a younger and bigger player like Dalano Banton? 

Verdict: Sure 

Dalano Banton, 25, guard

Defend, run the floor, and rebound. 

That’s what Dalano Banton excels at, and that’s what the Warriors would ask of him. 

The 6-foot-9 guard has had moments for the Blazers over the past two seasons even as he still develops his outside jumper. As a slasher and ace defender, perhaps he could be a GPII facsimile. He’s younger and probably more reliable at their respective points of their careers, but is less of a known commodity in a Warriors context. Banton would also have to improve as a cutter, as he has been most effective with the ball in his hands. 

The Warriors would be right if they think they already have a 6-foot-9 energy wing on the roster who rebounds and dives for loose balls in Gui Santos. But Banton has much more playmaking juice and is a more stout defender. 

If Golden State’s objective is to fill out the back-end of the roster with role players who can complement its stars, Banton makes a lot of sense. It doesn’t hurt that he’d make them younger and more athletic. The most impactful players don’t have to be the sexiest names. 

Verdict: See the vision? 

Precious Achiuwa, 25, C 

The undersized center has turned himself into one of the best rebounders in the league (91st percentile defensive rebounding rate, 72nd percentile offensive rebounding rate) and played important playoff minutes for the Knicks two years ago. 

Achiuwa is a complete non-threat from the perimeter, though, so spacing would be a real concern. Bigs generally can struggle acclimating to Golden State’s offensive system, and Achiuwa doesn’t represent a hand-in-glove fit. 

There’s probably not enough upside to warrant crowding out young centers Trayce Jackson-Davis and Quinten Post. 

Verdict: Trust the internal, younger bigs 

Cody Martin, 29, wing 

The lesser-known Martin brother had one outlier shooting season in 2021-22, when he recorded a 38.4% clip from behind the arc. His career 30.8% mark is more indicative of his track record. 

A hard-nosed 6-foot-5 wing, Martin can definitely defend and rebound. But he doesn’t have great size for his position and has been an inefficient scorer for almost all of his career. 

At this stage in Martin’s career, he’s probably in the camp invite/non-guaranteed zone. 

Verdict: Could do better 

Markelle Fultz, 27, guard 

One of the most bizarre careers for a No. 1 overall pick is fizzling out. 

After years of physical and mental hurdles, Fultz had appeared to turn the corner in Orlando, but he struggled to make the most of his opportunity in Sacramento toward the end of last season. The Kings, desperate for a point guard after trading De’Aaron Fox, signed Fultz after the trade deadline. But the bouncy guard ended the season with a string of DNPs and only averaged 8.8 minutes in his 21-game trial run. 

Firmly in win-now mode and with a need for dependable bench options, the Warriors aren’t in a position to take a flier on a player like Fultz. 

Verdict: Not a chance