The 2026 NBA trade deadline is officially in the rearview mirror. There will be moves made throughout the league in the coming days and months — buyouts, waives, contracts, and claims — but there won’t be any more trades made until the season is over.
It was a busy deadline, as always, and you can see all the moves that were made on our deal tracker. Here’s a quick recap of the Golden State Warriors deadline to get you caught up to speed.
What deals were made?
Golden State made a pair of trades. In their major deal, they
sent Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for All-Star Kristaps Porziņģis. In a minor deal, made at the same time to help facilitate the move, the Dubs shipped third-year center Trayce Jackson-Davis to the Toronto Raptors, and received a second-round pick.
What deals weren’t made?
Most notably, Golden State did not trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Nobody ended up trading for the two-time MVP, as the Milwaukee Bucks temp-checked but ultimately passed on trading the face of their franchise. It still seems very likely that Antetokounmpo will be traded this summer — which the Warriors would surely get in on — though he also celebrated the deadline non-news by tweeting “Legends don’t chase. They attract.”
In addition to not trading for Antetokounmpo, the Warriors didn’t trade Kuminga to the Sacramento Kings, long rumored to be the team most interested in acquiring him. It seems Golden State never found anything from Sacramento that they liked, and KNBR’s John Dickinson suggested that they weren’t a fan of Malik Monk’s style, contract, or role in Mike Brown’s firing last season.
Finally, the Warriors didn’t trade Draymond Green, who was on the trading block for the first time in his career. Steve Kerr acknowledged that Green might be traded, though it’s unclear if Golden State ever dangled his name in any non-Antetokounmpo trades.
What happens next?
The Warriors cleared some cap space, and traded three players while receiving just one, which means they can now add players. One of those names is obvious: Pat Spencer will almost certainly be converted from a two-way contract to a guaranteed deal. They’ll likely wait a while before making a second move, but could look to the buyout market, or perhaps sign someone from the G League. Given that they traded Jackson-Davis, and given that Porziņģis is rarely healthy, I would think they’ll look for some frontcourt depth at some point.
How does the deadline impact this season?
If Porziņģis is able to play a bit, the Warriors almost certainly got better for the rest of this year. But it also surely isn’t enough. By failing to trade for Antetokounmpo — and not getting in on the action for other stars like Anthony Davis, Jaren Jackson Jr., and James Harden — the Warriors are conceding that they won’t be able to contend this season.
Now the focus shifts to evaluating talent. The Warriors are intrigued by the combination of Porziņģis and Green. If they can get Porziņģis on the court — he’s played just 17 games this year — they can evaluate how that pair plays together. They’ll also likely limit Green and Steph Curry’s minutes, while giving lots of run to young players to see where they stand ahead of next year (and possibly pump up their trade value for a potential offseason trade for Antetokounmpo).
How does the deadline impact next season?
The Warriors haven’t made their team better for 2026-27, but they have opened up some avenues for improvement. Kuminga was always going to come off the books this summer — either by trade or by not picking up his team option — but Hield is owed $9.7 million next season, with a $10.1 million player option for 2027-28. By dumping the salary, the Warriors will have more flexibility this offseason. Hanging onto De’Anthony Melton, who surely drew interest at the deadline, suggests that the Warriors are hopeful to be able to retain his services for next season, too.
But the big thing is evaluating Porziņģis’ fit on the team and, critically, his health (he’s played in just 380 games over the last nine seasons). While the 7’2 stretch five is on an expiring contract, the Warriors received his Bird Rights in the trade. If their doctors are optimistic (Porziņģis has dealt with numerous lower-body ailments, and has been diagnosed with POTS, an irreversible condition that causes dizziness, fatigue, and an elevated heart rate), and if the fit works well on the court, the Warriors could re-sign Porziņģis this summer to a two or three-year deal.
And in the meantime … the Warriors have a game to play! They visit the Phoenix Suns tonight at 7:00 p.m. PT.
