If Warriors’ LeBron James recruitment fails, is there a viable Plan B?

Anfernee Simons sparked interest from the Golden State Warriors, but he reportedly landed a bigger offer from Philadelphia and signed with the Sixers. The Warriors also pursued Rui Hachimura, but he apparently wanted to stay in Los Angeles and joined the Clippers. 

That brings the count to 0-and-2. So if LeBron James takes his talents elsewhere, as is widely expected, does that qualify as a free-agent strikeout for Golden State?

Maybe not officially, but it’s getting close. 

There’s still time and other options for the Warriors. If James returns to Cleveland or Miami — or follows Jaylen Brown to Philly — Golden State could make a run at DeMar DeRozan, waived Monday by Sacramento. He would be cost-efficient and provide scoring punch on the wing, where the Warriors are thin with Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody recovering from major knee injuries. 

DeRozan turns 37 next month, but here are some other numbers worth considering: 76, 74, 79, 77 and 77. Those are his games-played totals over the past five seasons, highlighting his durability — a quality the Warriors desperately need.

As it stands, Golden State’s roster could look much like it did last season — accomplished, old and fragile. The Warriors brought back some of their own free agents: Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford are officially in the fold for next season, De’Anthony Melton agreed to a two-year, $11 million contract and Draymond Green almost certainly will return.

That’s a successful retention effort, but running it back with mostly the same crew — and Butler and Moody likely sidelined until at least February — will not excite fans after last season’s dispiriting 37-45 finish. 

Here’s what the depth chart looks like at the moment, assuming Melton and Green come back (and also assuming the Warriors do not match Memphis’ offer sheet to reserve center Quinten Post):

Point guard: Stephen Curry

Shooting guard: Brandin Podziemski, Melton, Will Richard, Moody (injured)

Small forward: Gui Santos, Yaxel Lendeborg, Butler (injured)

Center: Porzingis, Horford

That leaves four openings on the 15-man roster, plus three spots for players on two-way contracts. LJ Cryer (a potentially solid backup point guard) and Malevy Leons, who both were on two-way deals last season, are playing on Golden State’s summer-league team. 

Let’s add context here for Warriors fans demanding owner Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy make a splashy move. This roster needs significant upgrades, absolutely, but Lacob and Dunleavy took their big swing in February 2025 by trading for Butler — and it initially worked, igniting a 23-8 stretch run and first-round playoff series win over Houston.

This summer’s predicament traces directly to Jan. 19, the night Butler landed awkwardly and tore his right ACL. In that moment, everything changed for the Warriors. 

Now they’re absorbing a nearly $57 million salary cap hit for a player expected to miss at least half of next season. And nobody knows how effective Butler will be when he returns, given his age (37 in September) while rehabilitating from a devastating injury. 

So where does this leave Golden State’s projected lineup to start the season? Barring a stunning decision by James (or luring DeRozan), the Warriors need Curry and Porzingis to stay healthy and Lendeborg to make an immediate impact.

It’s hard to gauge the starting group with Curry and Porzingis, because they played in only three regular-season games together last season given injuries (and went 0-3). They were sensational in the play-in bracket win over the Clippers, but Curry is 38 and Porzingis has a well-documented history of missing time. 

Also worth remembering: The Warriors tend to sputter when Curry is sidelined. They went 24-19 with him last season and 13-26 without him. 

Podziemski and Santos made huge strides last season, but they would be better as the first two players off the bench. Green remains an elite defender, but he struggled offensively last season and has much less impact when Curry is out. 

This all helps explain why the Warriors became fixated on chasing James. Still, at some point they need to enact Plan B — and backup targets such as Simons (age 27 and a big-time athlete) and Hachimura (age 28 and a superb long-range shooter) now are off the board. 

Lendeborg offers hope, especially after his impressive start to summer league. He looks like exactly the kind of young, big, polished, multi-skilled player the Warriors need to pump fresh life into their operation. 

It also seems like a lot to ask of one rookie.