Star Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green has issued a bold take on his team’s upside ahead of the 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n
Golden State only has nine players signed to its standard roster as of this writing. The Warriors are still trying to hash out terms on a new deal for 22-year-old restricted free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga, but allegedly have at least 3-and-D big man Al Horford and free agent former Golden State guards De’Anthony Melton and Gary Payton II waiting in the wings.<\/p>\n
Kuminga’s next deal will dictate whether he remains in town to at least start the season or is offloaded in a sign-and-trade. He’s a young, athletic, versatile combo forward with still-untapped upside.<\/p>\n
Why is Golden State so anxious to trade away Jonathan Kuminga?<\/p>\n
In theory, he’s the exact type of player an aging Warriors club could use next year. But in practice, it appears he and Steve Kerr have grown tired of one another.<\/p>\n
After bringing in six-time All-Star forward Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat as part of a blockbuster midseason trade, Golden State leveled up from what likely would have been a second straight lottery-bound season to instead making the second round of the playoffs last spring. The Warriors finished with a 48-34 record and the Western Conference’s No. 7 seed.<\/p>\n
But rocking with a core of 37-year-old All-NBA point guard Stephen Curry and the 35-year-old duo of Green and Butler ultimately proved fatal. Both Curry and Butler were limited by injuries by the second round.<\/p>\n
MORE NEWS:\u00a0Warriors predicted to bring back perfect backcourt partner for Stephen Curry<\/a><\/p>\n With Curry sidelined following the first game of the Warriors’ series against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Butler playing hurt, Golden State couldn’t stop the younger, bigger, more athletic Timberwolves.<\/p>\n Now, Butler and Green have embarked on some tandem offseason workouts as they gear up for, hopefully, a deeper playoff run in 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n Green and Curry are old hands at winning championships, having won four championships together between 2015-22. Butler brought his Miami Heat squads to a pair of NBA Finals in 2020 and ’24, both losses.<\/p>\n Green may no longer be making All-Star teams, but he’s still a heck of a defender. The 6-foot-6 Michigan State product was named to his fifth All-Defensive First Team this past spring, and his ninth All-Defensive Team overall. Green, who like Curry and Butler appears to be well on his way to a Hall of Fame bid, has also made four All-Star squads and two All-NBA teams.<\/p>\n