With or without Steve Kerr, Warriors quickly approaching key offseason dates
SAN FRANCISCO – Will Steve Kerrreturn as the Warriors' coach?
The question that the rest of the Warriors' offseason hinges upon remains unanswered, with no hard deadline aside from Kerr's vague promise to take a few weeks to ponder his future before meeting with owner Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy.
That uncertainty has no bearing, however, on the onslaught of other important dates soon approaching the franchise during a pivotal offseason in which the Warriors wrestle with how to handle the final years of Steph Curry's career.
The team's draft position, whether certain unrestricted free agents will lock in for another season, and if Curry will sign an extension, will all be decided over the next few months.
May 10: NBA draft lottery
The Warriors own the 11th-best odds in the lottery, but still have a 9% chance of landing a top-four pick. Otherwise, Golden State will draft between No. 11 and No. 13.
The team cannot fall past 13, or pick between Nos. thanks to how the lottery's complicated ping-pong ball combinations work. Whoever is the coach will have a say in what direction the franchise takes with this selection.
June 23-24: NBA draft
Although nabbing a talented player late in the lottery is possible, getting a top-four pick would provide the Warriors an opportunity to more easily add a franchise-changing talent – either in the draft or via trade package.
The top two prospects in the draft have Bay Area ties, as both Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa spent part of their high school careers at Prolific Prep in Napa.
June 29: Deadline to accept player options
Draymond Green's decision to opt in for one more guaranteed year at $27.7 million, or sign an extension that will restructure his deal at a lower per-year cost, will be one of the big dominoes to fall this offseason.
Al Horford and De'Anthony Melton were the Warriors' big new additions last season, with neither signing until after training camp began thanks to the Jonathan Kuminga free agency saga.
Both played well in spots but struggled with injuries. Horford played in only 45 games, and Melton played 49. Horford has a $6 million player option but is considering retirement, while Melton is expected to decline his $3.5 million player option in favor of testing free agency.
June 30: First day teams can negotiate with free agents
Aside from the aforementioned trio, Kristaps Porzingis is the biggest question when it comes to the Warriors' free agency. He averaged 16.7 points per game and was a threatening scorer when healthy, which was not often as he played in only 32 games and battled illness and injury throughout.
Porzingis made $30 million last season, but will command far less from the Warriors in unrestricted free agency. It is unclearwhich other teams will take a chance by offering a bigger contract to the talented but brittle big man.
July 6: Free agents can sign
Unlike last season, when the Warriors went the entire offseason without making a single signing while waiting for the Kuminga situation to resolve, Golden State will hope to have a more normal timeline.
With most of their cap space tied up in Curry, Green and Jimmy Butler's contracts ($145 million if Green picks up his player option), the Warriors will be relegated to signing new role players to smaller contracts.
July 9-19: Las Vegas Summer League
The Warriors have hosted their own mini four-team Summer League showcase at Chase Center in early July, but have not announced whether it will come back. That means Las Vegas will be the first time fans will have a chance to watch the Warriors' exciting new rookie.
Aug. 29: Curry extension eligible
Curry is entering the final year of his contract, but during his exit interview, Curry expressed interest in signing an extension this offseason. Per ESPN, Curry can sign a two-year $136.7 million extension, which would take him through his age-40 season.
When on the court, Curry remains one of the best players in the league and averaged 26.6 points per game. The issue is, he has finished the past two seasons battling injuries and played in only 43 games last season.
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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 2:03 PM.