Golden State's Numbers Point in Two Different Directions
A $223.3 million payroll, a promising eight-game lineup sample, and a 37-45 finish do not agree with each other, and that gap is the real story of this roster.
Golden State enters camp carrying a payroll well past the luxury tax line and a set of lineup numbers from last season that argue with each other. The number that settles the argument is still 37-45, the record that sent this core home without a playoff game.
The Bill Comes Before the Wins
Golden State is carrying $223.3 million in salary, past the $200.4 million luxury tax line, spread across contracts led by Curry at $62.6 million, Butler at $56.8 million, Green at $27.7 million and Porzingis at $19.5 million. That much money buys experience, not health or certainty. Butler and Moody are both out until December 1, which means the roster this payroll describes will not take the floor together for weeks after the opener.
Two Lineups, Two Different Verdicts
The group of Curry, Butler, Green, Kuminga and Podziemski put up a +16.9 mark last season, over just 8 games and 65 minutes, barely enough to trust as anything more than a hot stretch. The more common look, Curry, Butler, Green, Moody and Post, logged 125 minutes across 17 games and still finished at -6.5. More time together did not make the second group better. It made the gap between the two more obvious.
The Record the Splits Add Up To
Zoom out and last season's team scored at a 113.8 clip and allowed 114.4, a split that put neither the offense nor the defense in the league's better half. The result was 37-45, no playoffs. That record, not either lineup sample, is the number this camp actually has to answer for.
The Clock Before the Real Games
None of this gets tested until October 21, when Golden State opens at the Lakers, after four preseason games against the Clippers, Lakers, Trail Blazers and Kings. That stretch is where +16.9 either grows into something real or the -6.5 group takes over again by default, since Butler and Moody are not back until December 1 regardless of what camp decides.
What is the Warriors' payroll for 2026-27?
$223.3 million, above the $200.4 million luxury tax line, led by Curry's $62.6 million and Butler's $56.8 million contracts.
Why did Golden State miss the playoffs last season?
The Warriors finished 37-45 with a 113.8 offensive rating and a 114.4 defensive rating, neither one in the league's upper half.
