If you’re looking for ways that the Golden State Warriors will be a different team in 2026-27 than they were last year, you might have to squint. They will add versatile rookie forward Yaxel Lendeborg, their No. 11 overall pick, and fringe wing prospect Lajae Jones (the No. 54 overall pick) and … well, that’s about it. In re-signing guard De’Anthony Melton on Wednesday, Golden State pretty much secured the same group that finished up the season in April.
The wildcard is LeBron James, and while there might have been the feeling of momentum toward James going to the Warriors early in the week, that has petered out. He might still wind up in the Bay, but he has ample other options to explore.
With Melton signed, the Warriors have also brought back Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis. That means the entire playing rotation from the team’s loss to the Suns in the final play-in game, with the exception of Gary Payton II, is lined up to be back for next fall’s opening night. And that’s a problem for coach Steve Kerr.
Steve Kerr Wanted More Continuity for Warriors
As Nick Friedell, Warriors ace beat reporter, pointed out at The Athletic, when Kerr was yanked back from the brink of retirement from the Warriors job in May, one of the things that Kerr pointed out was that things would have to change next season, that the team could not go through another full season needing to be delicate with its aging and oft-injured roster.
Horford could not play in back-to-backs. Porzingis, after arriving from the Hawks at the trade deadline, never seemed to know from game to game whether he would be available, or for how long. Melton had to be dealt with carefully, as he was coming back from knee surgery.
Then, Jimmy Butler blew out his knee in January, and Stephen Curry followed with a pesky runner’s knee problem. Moses Moody followed with a nasty knee injury of his own.
Steve Kerr Used 43 Starting Lineups
Kerr used 43 starting lineups, and 19 different players got starts for the Warriors. There was one lineup that Kerr used 15 times–no other starting five was together for more than six games.
This group looks much the same. Friedell wrote, “The Warriors are on track to deal with many of the same issues Kerr was hoping to avoid.”
OK, but let’s try a bright side view. Yes, adding James is not exactly a solution, given that he is 41 years old. But James does play. He was in 60 games last year, after missing the first 14 with sciatica–after that, he was a regular fixture as a starter, and played in most back-to-backs even after declaring himself TBD in those situations.
Even without James, the situation should be better. Melton should be healthy. The Warriors can pray that Porzingis somehow still has a 65-game season in him. Kerr can ask more of Horford. Curry’s knee issue should be in the past. Green and Podziemski should have no limitations.
Warriors Will Have Reinforcements
If the Warriors can produce for the first three months of the season–again, with or without James–they will get Butler back around January 1, and maybe Moody thereafter.
Part of the issue Kerr had last year was self-imposed–the Warriors did not want their older players racking up minutes early in the winter, forcing Kerr to mix and match starting groups in November and December. Starting in late January, though, the Butler, Curry, Porzingis and Moody injuries gave Kerr no choice but to scrape together five starters from whatever was on hand.
The Warriors are not much younger than they were last season. That’s a problem for Kerr, who said: “We need some younger legs for sure. We know that. How do you do that? It’s a difficult job. So that’s up to Mike (Dunleavy), and obviously he will consult with me on moves, and we’ll hash that stuff out.”
He’s just going to have to hash it out with some familiar, if well-aged, faces.
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