Freeing up two roster spots after sending Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks for Kristaps Porziņģis and trading Trayce Jackson-Davis to the Toronto Raptors for a second-round pick, the Golden
State Warriors signed Pat Spencer to a standard roster contract. Their one remaining roster spot is now left open for a potential buyout acquisition.
Per NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Warriors are looking closely at Lonzo Ball, currently a free agent after being waived by the Utah Jazz, not long after acquiring him from the Cleveland Cavaliers. In 35 games this season, Ball has averaged 4.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 20.8 minutes.
As the Warriors are working to convert two-way guard Pat Spencer to a roster spot, Golden State also has its sights set on adding Lonzo Ball via the buyout market, sources say.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) February 7, 2026
Ball certainly hasn’t had a good season, but the Warriors may be seeking his ability to be a connector, a trait the Warriors and head coach Steve Kerr highly value. Furthermore, Ball has been somewhat of a turnover-generator on defense, especially off the ball, which does fall in line with the Warriors’ defensive identity of a team that forces tons of turnovers (fifth in non-garbage-time opponent turnover rate, per Cleaning the Glass).
However, signing Ball would do little to alleviate the problem of shooting and spacing, as Ball is shooting 27.2 percent on 4.2 three-point attempts per game. Ball has struggled to recover his shooting stroke after coming back from two seasons of inactivity due to knee problems.
