With less than 1 week until training camp, the Warriors’ roster is starting to crystallize

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The Warriors have gone about as far into the summer as possible without making a roster move, but that’s about to change by default.

Training camp starts Monday, and the team’s first preseason game is set for Oct. 5. Although Jonathan Kuminga’s restricted free agency has held up business thus far, it would behoove both parties to settle on a resolution before the Oct. 1 deadline to accept the qualifying offer.

Meanwhile, Golden State has been widely expected to sign veterans Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton for months. According to NBA reporter Marc Stein, the same goes for Gary Payton II and Seth Curry.

In a vacuum, each veteran individually makes sense for Golden State’s roster. Steph Curry’s younger brother brings more shooting, Payton gives Golden State familiarity on the court and in the locker room, Horford is a perfect fit on both ends of the floor, and Melton looked fantastic in his six-game audition with the team last season.

Coaches and staffers have already started to game out what lineup combinations and rotational decisions could look like with Kuminga, Horford, Melton, Curry, and Payton II in the mix. Here’s an educated guess for a fully healthy roster (with expected minutes per game).

• Guard: Steph Curry (32), Brandin Podziemski (28), De’Anthony Melton (20)

• Wing: Jimmy Butler (32), Buddy Hield (20), Moses Moody (20)

• Frontcourt: Draymond Green (28), Al Horford (25), Jonathan Kuminga (20)

• Utility: Quinten Post (9), Gary Payton II (6)

• Reserves: Seth Curry, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Gui Santos, Will Richard (two-way)

Head coach Steve Kerr will have a lot of options — and a lot of decisions to make. Kuminga’s return, regardless of his contract, will come with an early-season priority to see how he can mesh with Butler. That duo had a -6.1 net rating when they shared the court last year in 118 minutes, though Kuminga was returning from a severe ankle injury.

Even if the Warriors take a hard look at the Butler/Kuminga combination, their ability to also share the court with Green is a concern giving the lack of spacing. Three of the team’s most talented players likely being incompatible together will require creativity from the coaching staff.

Kerr’s starting and closing lineups will probably look different from night to night, especially as the veterans need to pace themselves through the regular season to reach the spring healthy.

That’s where the new additions factor in, one way or another.

The 39-year-old center won back-to-back NCAA titles and entered the league when George W. Bush was president. He spent 16 years searching for an elusive NBA championship before finally lifting the Larry O’Brien with the Celtics in 2024. Before 2022, he set the NBA record for playoff appearances without participating in a Finals game.

Horford is entering his 19th NBA season. But there’s no reason to think he can’t be relied on for 20 to 25 strong minutes per night with the proper amount of rest.

Last season, Horford averaged 9.0 points and 6.2 rebounds in 27.7 minutes per game. He didn’t play back-to-backs and finished at 60 total games (including 18 off the bench) for Boston.

Horford became an elite 3-point shooter about halfway through his career, reinventing himself for the modern game. He shot 36.3% from deep on 5.2 attempts per game last year. Although his release is slow, he’s proficient both in the corners and above the break, which makes him an incredibly dangerous floor-spacer from the center position.

Horford’s ability to spray it from behind the arc is massive for the Warriors. He’ll be able to play both with and without Green and pull away rim-protecting centers to open up driving lanes for wings such as Butler and Kuminga.

Even at his advanced age, Horford remains a strong defender, both at the rim and on the perimeter in switches. He hardly ever fouls and is almost always in the right place to contest shots. Especially in short bursts, he can be a real defensive difference-maker.

Horford is also regarded as a consummate professional and excellent locker-room presence — significant with the departure of Kevon Looney.

Horford might be the most Warriors-y player to never play for Golden State. Until, apparently, this season.

Melton is likewise a wonderful fit for the Warriors’ system, as he displayed in his brief stint last season. But he comes with much more risk.

The veteran guard beat out incumbent Brandin Podziemski on the two-guard depth chart and started two of his six games played.

The Warriors went 4-2 on those nights, with wins against Oklahoma City and Dallas. Melton scored in double figures four times, and Golden State won his minutes by 27 points.

Melton’s point-of-attack defense, outside shooting, and second-side, on-ball threat makes him an ideal backcourt partner for Curry.

The question remains whether he can stay on the floor.

He’ll be coming off an ACL tear and has a history of chronic back issues. He’s consistently effective when available but has played 44 total games over the past two seasons.

Especially when Horford, Curry, Green, and Butler are in their late 30s, betting on Melton’s availability is a risk. That’s a common theme with how the Warriors are filling out their roster.

A reunion with the Warriors was always the likeliest outcome for Payton, who likely didn’t garner a groundswell of outside interest given how his 2022-23 stint in Portland went. He’s at his best when he’s with the Warriors, and the Warriors are better with him.

Payton, 32, remains a solid on-ball defender and supplies valuable energy off the bench. Kerr trusts him, and that goes a long way. He knows how to play with Curry, setting screens, diving, and always hunting for his relocations.

Like Kuminga, Butler, and Green, Payton isn’t much of a threat from behind the arc, though. That can make lineups with their combinations tricky.

Payton is also a health risk. Soft tissue injuries, illnesses, and his core muscle issues have limited him in almost every season outside of the 2022 title campaign. He has played 62, 44, and 22 games in the past three seasons.

With a full-strength roster, Payton is a luxury, an energy boost and a security blanket for Kerr. That’s potentially a lot of value from an 11th man — again, if he can stay off the trainer’s table.

At 45.6%, Seth led the NBA in 3-point percentage. His 43.29% career mark ranks seventh in league history.

He’s not just a spot-up shooter, either. Like Hield, Seth is a movement shooter adept at navigating screens. He has also improved in recent years at pulling up off the dribble and getting to his midrange spots.

Every team needs more shooting, and Seth is about as deadly from range as it gets.

Seth is a real offensive weapon. The defensive end is another story. Although he’s smart, he’s liable to get picked on at 6-foot-1.

The 35-year-old missed the entire 2017-18 season with a lower left leg fracture and has dealt with back, knee, and ankle issues. But he has been durable over the past few seasons and should be viewed as excellent insurance for Hield.

Uniting the Curry brothers is more than just a feel-good story; the Warriors could do a lot worse at the end of their bench than Seth.