The Golden State Warriors were one of the biggest winners at the trade deadline. They finally landed a third star in Jimmy Butler, who grew frustrated with the Miami Heat.
But more importantly, the Warriors didn’t even need to give up some of their cornerstones. But while Golden State snagged a huge fish, that doesn’t mean the team is built perfect enough to capture another title.
In fact, there are still glaring holes in their roster that need to be addressed. After the Butler trade, the Warriors tried to pursue stretch shooting center Nikola Vucevic of the Chicago Bulls.
Unfortunately, a deal never materialized, leaving a problem in the team’s frontcourt. The Warriors’ fatal flaw that must be fixed after the 2025 NBA All-Star break is the lack of a veteran stretch-shooting big man who can also make a mark defensively.
Quinten Post is still a rookie
Steve Kerr isn’t exactly known for trusting young players. But with the Warriors ravaged by injuries, the former player-turned-coach dug deep into his options by enlisting Quinten Post into his rotation. Post was selected in the second round with the 52nd overall pick at the 2024 NBA Draft by Golden State. After a call-up from the NBA G-League, the 7-foot-0 rookie center answered the call.
He is averaging 7.5 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 48.0% from the field overall and 39.7% from downtown. While Post has been a revelation for the Warriors, he’s still just a rookie that leaves plenty of room for improvement.
There’s no question that Post has brought up a different dimension to the team’s performance. His outside shooting is providing some much-needed floor spacing, making it so much easier for Stephen Curry. Furthermore, as an outside threat, Butler should also benefit as an elite slasher. The only knock into his game, however, is his defense.
Post has yet to prove that he’s capable of containing some of the best big men in the NBA.His shortcomings on the defensive end prevent Kerr from giving him major minutes. The four-time NBA champion coach would even resort to small-ball lineups featuring Draymond Green at center, whenever he needs defensive versatility. Although he has made a tremendous impact offensively, the Warriors need a more playoff-ready big man who can also make an impact on the defensive end.
Floor spacing will be key
With the arrival of Butler, it’s safe to say that the Warriors need floor spacers. Butler’s bread and butter in scoring has been attacking the rim. For him to do that effectively, the team needs to surround him with shooters.
While they already have the best shooter in the world in Curry and a hot shooting Buddy Hield, the frontcourt is still lacking in that department. Post has shown that the Warriors system is more effective with a stretch big man. But outside of Post, Golden State doesn’t have plenty of options.
Green has featured in Kerr’s small ball lineups for the most part. While his versatility has been a main ingredient to the franchise’s success in the past, he’s not a knockdown shooting threat that commands respect from defenses. Jonathan Kuminga is the next best option, shooting the three-ball at 34.5% clip. However, he mainly does his damage around the rim. But more importantly, he continues to recover from an ankle injury.
Other options at center include Kevon Looney and Trayce Jackson-Davis. Although they’ve shown glimpses as solid contributors to the team’s rotation, none of the two are stretch big men that the Warriors need right now.
One final roster spot
The buyout market frenzy has already begun with a handful of teams signing some grizzled veterans for last-minute upgrades. After making a splash at the trade deadline by landing disgruntled the Miami Heat star in Butler, the Warriors found themselves needing to fill up their vacant roster spots.
They first converted Post’s two-way contract into a standard one before calling up Kevin Knox from the Santa Cruz Warriors. This leaves the team with one more roster spot to fill for the postseason.
With only $1.3 million below the first apron hard cap, Golden State doesn’t have plenty of wiggle room to fill out its roster. As a result, it isn’t surprising that the Warriors are being patient in navigating the buyout market.
Some potential names who can provide some floor spacing at the frontcourt include Kelly Olynyk, Chris Boucher, and Daniel Theis. However, it looks like these players aren’t going to find new teams anytime soon.
Golden State might need to get creative, as the Dubs expand their player search in the NBA G League and overseas if they want to fill out their final roster spot. However, if they were able to find a hidden gem in Post, don’t be surprised if the Warriors sign another one like him.
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