The Golden State Warriors‘ decision to re-sign Kristaps Porzingis may have complicated their salary-cap picture.
It did not eliminate their biggest offseason dream.
Moments after Porzingis agreed to a two-year, $40 million extension to remain in Golden State, ESPN salary cap expert Bobby Marks and Third Apron cap analyst Yossi Gozlan both outlined pathways that could still allow the Warriors to pursue Anthony Davis in a trade and LeBron James in free agency.
The math has become tighter.
The possibility, however, remains.
Kristaps Porzingis Deal Changes Warriors’ Cap Outlook
Marks noted that the Porzingis extension likely removes Golden State’s ability to access one of the Warriors’ key roster-building tools under its current roster construction.
“The Porzingis extension with Golden State likely restricts Golden State from having the $15M non-tax mid-level exception,” Marks wrote on X.
Marks added that the Warriors project to sit roughly $27 million below the NBA’s first apron after the extension, though that figure does not include a new contract for Draymond Green.
“You can exceed the apron to sign your own players,” Marks explained. “Using more than $6.1M of the exception hard caps a team at the first apron.”
Golden State suddenly faces a delicate balancing act as it attempts to contend immediately while navigating the NBA’s increasingly restrictive collective bargaining agreement.
Anthony Davis-LeBron James Scenario Still Works
While Marks highlighted the financial challenges, Gozlan demonstrated that the Warriors’ blockbuster vision remains mathematically possible.
According to Gozlan, Porzingis’ contract could begin at approximately $19 million annually, creating enough flexibility to keep Golden State’s long-discussed superstar scenario alive.
“My projection featuring Anthony Davis and LeBron James at the mid-level exception, while staying under the first apron hard cap, features Porzingis at that amount,” Gozlan wrote.
Gozlan later expanded on that projection.
He explained that Golden State could theoretically acquire Davis in a trade centered around Jimmy Butler and draft compensation before signing James to the approximately $15 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
Draymond Green, Moses Moody Become Key Pieces
The financial gymnastics do not end there.
According to Gozlan’s projection, the Warriors would also need additional cooperation throughout the roster.
He noted that Green would likely need to accept a contract similar in annual value to Porzingis’ new deal after declining his player option, while Golden State would also have to move Moses Moody’s salary to create enough room beneath the first-apron hard cap.
Those moves would allow the Warriors to complete the roster while remaining compliant with league spending restrictions.
It is an ambitious path.
Cap experts, however, no longer view it as impossible.
Warriors Continue Chasing Another Championship
Golden State has spent the offseason exploring nearly every avenue to maximize Stephen Curry’s remaining championship window.
The Warriors have already secured Porzingis, continue to explore Anthony Davis trade scenarios and remain linked to James following reports that the Lakers have yet to present him with a contract offer.
Whether every piece ultimately falls into place remains uncertain.
Multiple transactions would still be required, and every step depends on cooperation from several players and teams.
Still, the latest salary-cap analysis offers a notable takeaway.
Rather than closing the door on one of the NBA’s most ambitious offseason scenarios, the Porzingis extension may simply have narrowed the pathway.
For the Warriors, that pathway—and the possibility of pairing Curry with Davis and James—remains open heading into free agency.
The blueprint still exists. Whether the Warriors can actually pull it off is another question begging for an answer this summer.
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