5 Players Who Won't Be on the Warriors Roster Next Season

The Golden State Warriors' season ended on Friday in a play-in game loss to the Suns, setting in motion an offseason of uncertainty.

Assuming Draymond Green, De'Anthony Melton and Al Horford decline their player options, the Warriors have just six players under standard contracts next season.

They are Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos and Will Richard.

Barring some megatrade that I'm not predicting here, those six will be back. But some of the other 12 players will not.

Here are five that will not be back.

Seth Curry

The Warriors will need to have more wing depth at the end of their bench with Butler and Moody likely out for at least half of next season, and one of the changes to fix that roster imbalance will be letting Seth Curry walk.

The younger Curry played just 10 games with the Warriors, and you have to wonder if he wants to return to the NBA at all after all the injuries he dealt with this season.

The 35-year-old might have trouble finding a new home even if he does want to play.

De'Anthony Melton

The Warriors would love to have Melton back, but he projects to be their most painful offseason cap casualty.

Melton has a player option for just $3.5 million that he will decline, which will make him an unrestricted free agent.

His market will be fascinating. He shot just 29.4 percent from three, which hurts his value. But he had plenty of positives, including finishing second on the team in net rating, per Cleaning the Glass.

The 27-year-old is the type of two-way guard who contenders would love to have, which is why I project someone will offer him more than the taxpayer mid-level exception of about $6 million.

The Warriors would have to do some cap gymnastics just to have the possibility of using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception of up to $15 million.

Expect Melton to be signed by a different team early in free agency. How the Warriors pivot is anyone's guess.

Al Horford

Losing Horford would be almost as painful as losing Melton, but the Warriors are surely bracing for it.

At 39 years old, Horford might not want to continue his career at all. But if he does, you have to wonder if he wants to play for a Warriors team that just went 37-45 and has Butler and Moody expected to miss at least half of next season.

To be clear, the Warriors would love to have Horford back at his player-option price of $6 million. But the more likely scenario is Horford declines that option and signs with a contender with more championship aspirations—if Horford returns at all.

If Horford departs, expect the Warriors to bring back restricted free agent Quinten Post.

Pat Spencer

This one could go either way.

I could see the Warriors keeping Spencer on a one-year, veteran minimum contract to fill one of their backup point guard spots. But I'd argue this would be a mistake.

The Warriors need backup point guards with more potential. Spencer had his moments this season, but the 29-year-old is not about to be a rotation piece for a playoff team. He's simply not tall (6'2") or athletic enough to be an average defender, which makes virtually unplayable in the postseason.

The Warriors can use their last few roster spots on players with higher ceilings. Maybe they'll find their 2022 version of Gary Payton II, who ended up being a star role player on a championship team.

It should also be noted that the Warriors have LJ Cryer on a two-way contract for next season. He can be Golden State's emergency point guard the way Spencer was this season.

Nate Williams

Williams impressed in 14 games with Golden State, averaging 8.0 points on 48.9 percent shooting and 43.3 percent from three. He should be on the Warriors' radar for a veteran minimum contract.

With that said, the Warriors didn't like him enough to give him a standard contract, instead of giving one to Charles Bassey. And now Williams is no longer two-way contract eligible, so if they want him back next season, he'll need a standard deal.

I wouldn't be shocked if the Warriors brought him back, but my guess is they will prioritize wings with their two draft picks and undrafted free agents.

And the other thing working against Williams is the fact that they have a very similar player under contract in Richard.

In contrast, the Warriors don't currently have a player like Bassey on the roster.

That's why I predict that the Warriors will keep Bassey and pass on Williams.