New York, November 30, 2025
The Golden State Warriors have entered the 2025-26 NBA season with a significant salary cap deficit, leaving them unable to sign free agents, including Seth Curry, under standard contract exceptions. This financial status impacts their roster moves and team strategy moving forward.
Warriors’ Salary Cap and Luxury Tax Position
The Golden State Warriors find themselves deeply over the NBA salary cap, with a negative cap space nearing $79.8 million. Additionally, their luxury tax space stands at a negative $17.4 million. This places the Warriors among the teams with the highest total salary commitments, reaching $228.6 million, ranking third league-wide. Such figures indicate the team is not only above the salary cap but also well into luxury tax territory.
Implications for Signing Free Agents
Due to this entrenched over-the-cap position, the Warriors are restricted from utilizing standard cap exceptions to sign free agents like Seth Curry. The salary cap system strictly limits teams in such financial positions, hampering their ability to freely expand or adjust their roster through typical free agency channels. Instead, the Warriors’ options are confined to mechanisms compatible with their status, including sign-and-trade deals, use of any remaining mid-level exceptions, minimum salary contracts for vacant roster spots, and acquiring players via trades involving existing salaries.
Roster Structure and Financial Burden
The Warriors’ substantial salary commitments are anchored by key players whose combined salaries significantly constrain payroll flexibility. Stephen Curry commands a salary of approximately $55.7 million, Jimmy Butler is paid around $48.7 million, and Draymond Green accounts for $24.1 million. These large contracts underpin a roster that leaves minimal room under the cap, exacerbating the team’s restricted ability to make roster enhancements through direct free agent acquisitions.
Strategic Ramifications for the 2025-26 Season
With limited avenues to bolster the team via free agency, the Warriors must strategically navigate trades and creative contracts to remain competitive. This financial rigidity affects their capacity to respond to injury, improve depth, or add complementary talent. As the NBA continues to emphasize salary cap compliance and luxury tax penalties, the Warriors’ front office faces mounting pressure to manage these constraints without compromising the team’s long-term competitiveness.
The Warriors’ salary cap situation exemplifies the financial challenges faced by teams with high-profile, high-salary stars and sets the stage for complex roster management decisions in the 2025-26 season and beyond.