Warriors run it back with same roster, but injury red flags are everywhere

Same core, older legs: Warriors run it back for another year

The Golden State Warriors have somehow built a roster even older than the one that limped to a 37-45 record and got bounced from the play-in tournament last season. After spending the summer hoping LeBron James might land in the Bay, general manager Mike Dunleavy was left with few options once James signed elsewhere and the front office locked up Draymond Green on an extension. The trade route was the only real path left to reshape the roster and it never materialized.

Instead, Golden State brought back almost every key piece from last year's disappointing squad. Aside from rookies Yaxel Lendeborg and Lajae Jones, the only real additions this offseason came late: veteran minimum signings Brandon Williams and Georges Niang.

Dunleavy's bet: 'This team underperformed, not underachieved'

Facing questions about the lack of roster turnover, Dunleavy has repeatedly pushed back on the idea that Golden State needed a full teardown, insisting injuries not talent were the real problem in 2025-26.

"This is a really good team that I would say underperformed last year based on injuries and some things we can control," Dunleavy said, essentially betting that health, not a roster overhaul, is the fix the Warriors actually need.

The new-look depth chart

With Williams and Niang now on board, the Warriors' roster sits at 15 full-time contracts, assuming Cryer and Jones open the year on two-way deals.

Niang was signed to add spacing and shooting off the bench, but he hasn't played since 2025 after a left foot injury that turned his previous contract into little more than trade filler. Williams, meanwhile, was brought in to address a glaring need for a shifty ballhandler and isolation scorer something this roster has lacked all along.

The real problem: this team simply can't stay on the floor

On paper, a Curry-Butler pairing should make the Warriors an automatic playoff team both are capable of taking over a game on their own. So why is Golden State projected to scrap for a play-in spot instead?

• Steph Curry, now 38, played just 43 games last season while battling runner's knee, and the issue remains a lingering concern.
• Jimmy Butler is rehabbing a torn ACL suffered in January after appearing in only 38 games before the injury.
• Moses Moody is also out for a significant chunk of the season with a torn patellar tendon.
• Draymond Green, 37, dealt with foot, ankle, and back injuries throughout last season.
• Al Horford, De'Anthony Melton, and Kristaps Porzingis combined to play just one back-to-back set all season long.
• Newcomer Georges Niang hasn't stepped on an NBA court since 2025.

Even the players who stayed relatively healthy didn't clear the bar teams usually look for. Podziemski suited up for all 82 games and Payton played 73, but neither hit the 70-game mark the season before hardly a reassuring trend for a roster this reliant on continuity.

Kerr wants a culture shift  but can it actually move the needle?

With largely the same faces returning for another run, head coach Steve Kerr has signaled that something has to change off the court if this group wants any shot at staying healthy through 82 games.

"Steph, Dray, our veteran players, we have to be willing and open to some new thoughts and ideas about how we're going about our day, our practice schedule, study habits," Kerr said earlier this offseason.

That's a meaningful admission but adjusting practice habits and load management can only do so much for a core that's simply getting older in a league built around speed and explosiveness. Even a fully healthy season from 24-year-old rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, widely viewed as the draft's most pro-ready prospect, won't be enough to offset chronic injuries elsewhere on the roster.

A brutal opening stretch could tell the story early

Making matters tougher, four of the Warriors' first five games are on the road against playoff-caliber opponents — an immediate stress test for a roster already flagged for durability concerns. Williams and Niang should provide some relief off the bench, but leaning on minimum-contract signings for major minutes is a risky proposition if injuries pile up early.

For Golden State to make any real playoff push, its aging core simply has to hold up better than it did a year ago. Whether that's realistic remains an open question — one the Warriors will start answering the moment the season tips off.