What Role Will Two Re-Signed Warriors Have with the 26-27 Team?
The Golden State Warriors have decided to take a more aggressive approach this offseason, and it’s already bearing fruit. Last summer, the Warriors didn’t make a single move during those three months. Instead, their first non-draft decision came on September 30th, when the team extended Jonathan Kuminga to a two-year deal. This week marked the second and third signings for Mike Dunleavy’s front office, after inking head coach Steve Kerr to a multi-year agreement. Former Grizzly and 76er De’Anthony Melton ensured his return to the Bay for at least the next two seasons for $11 million, while Kristaps Porziņģis will also remain a Warrior through 2028 for $40 million. To further analyze their role for the upcoming campaign, it’s important to note both how the two players performed last season and what other pieces will complement them. Since they comprise the first two player signings thus far, it’s difficult to discuss the latter aspect of Porziņģis and Melton’s stay. So let’s review what these relatively new Warriors have already offered, starting with the unicorn.
In truth, Golden State didn’t receive the Latvian center in good health after the 2026 all-star break. Porziņģis played only 15 games under Kerr, so he naturally wasn’t able to establish any flow, leading to underwhelming performances. The former all-star finished below his career average in every major statistical category except for assists per game, which took a slight bump from 1.9 to 2.3. When on the court and fit, the seven-footer can finish on smaller defenders inside, while still able to knock down threes at a less efficient rate. I believe his floor-stretching ability will be used more sporadically than before, with Kerr prioritizing his usual size mismatch in the paint. However, his offensive versatility, as well as swatting 1.7 blocks per contest, makes Porziņģis one of the more valuable additions this team can make.
Melton provides a unique toolkit that Golden State greatly lacks. In his first years in the league, the USC alum quickly became a fierce defender whose rating impressively got below 110. A major injury later, and now at 28 years old, Melton has perhaps eclipsed his peak physical shape. He remains a solid option for perimeter defense and should still clock 25+ minutes by unlocking another dimension to his game. In 2025-2026, the veteran notched a career high of 12.3 points per game and gelled well with Stephen Curry. Kerr would often deploy those two guards together, with one carrying the attack while the other set the tone defensively. For that reason, I’d expect to see increased usage for Melton this upcoming campaign. However, that will only last the entire season if the six-foot-two guard improves his perimeter shooting back to above 35%.
