In-depth analysis: Golden State Warriors top five NBA free agent goals for the 2025 NBA offseason

Brooke Lopez is one of the five most important players in the Warriors' free agent market for the 2025 NBA offseason. The loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Eastern Conference semifinals gave the Golden State Warriors another disappointing result in the 2025 offseason. As the 2025 NBA free agent market approaches, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. is responsible for keeping the team's lineup aging and competing for the championship.

Golden State Warriors signed Jimmy Butler before the 2025 trading deadline, reversing the season's downturn. However, three months later, the deal brought huge obstacles to the free agent market. Dunleavy renewed his contract immediately after getting Butler, and the 35-year-old earned more than $100 million in the next two seasons.

Butler's contract extension made his annual salary almost the same as Stephen Curry. According to the Basketball Reference, the Warriors owed Curry and Butler a total of $113 million in the 2025-2026 season, and another $118 million in the second year. Add to that $52 million they owe Draymond Green over the next two seasons, and the top three Golden State Warriors players totaled $284 million as of 2027.

Even with limited funds, the Warriors are still constantly surpassing expectations. The last time they were excluded was when they brought back the seventh championship trophy in 2022. Dunleavy obviously needs to solve the roster problem, and the team's limited flexibility makes the 2025 offseason the toughest period since he took over as General Manager of the Warriors in 2023.

Center Brooke Lopez

The Warriors' biggest demand after the opening of the NBA free agent market in 2025 is obvious. It was a pity to lose Curry against the Timberwolves, but their size shortcomings were obvious throughout the season. They made up for this with fast-paced small ball tactics in the regular season, but when things got tough, the 35-year-old Green could no longer compete with the league’s best big man in the seven-game series alone.

Fortunately, the center is one of the cheapest positions in the modern NBA, and the Warriors' cap space problem should not be too big a barrier. There are not many options for free agent centers in 2025, but Dunleavy still has his choice. Brooke Lopez played for seven seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks and was the Golden State Warriors’ best pick.

Even at the age of 37, Lopez still has unlimited potential. He isn't the kind of big guy who can pose a threat in a conversion offense, but he's the perfect space-type five that the Warriors have never really had. The former All-Star shot 37.3% from three-pointers in the 2024-2025 season, the second highest shooting percentage in his 17-year career.

Lopez is not only a sharpshooter on the offensive end, but also has the ability to protect the frame, which can improve the Warriors' defense. His physical fitness is very compatible with the atmosphere Green and Butler creates on the court, far better than Quinton Post or Teres Jackson-Davis. The unique 3D center was selected into the NBA's first team of the best defensive team just two years ago.

Center/power forward Naz Reed

Naz Reed averaged a career high of 14.2 points per game in the 2024-2025 season, and he will usher in his turnaround in the 2025 offseason. The Warriors can’t provide the salary other teams can provide, but they can give him a big role in a championship-level team.

With Reed's last year of guaranteed year approaching the end of his existing contract, he has a $15 million player option for the 2025-2026 season. According to ESPN's Tim Bontemps, it is currently "universal to believe" that he will stay with the Minnesota Timberwolves. His upcoming decision is likely to depend on the Timberwolves' final result in the 2025 playoffs.

Reed certainly has the option to renew or adjust the contract to play for the Minnesota Timberwolves for its seventh season. But since Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert are still on the team, he still can only serve as the team's sixth man. If he wants to play a more important role in a championship-level team, the Warriors can provide him with the best place to settle in the 2025 NBA free agent market.

If it weren't for Lopez, Reed would be equally appropriate, or even more appropriate for the Warriors. The 6-foot-9-inch (about 1.9 meters) all-round player hit 37.9% in the 2024-2025 season, while his three-point shooting percentage reached 41.4% in the 2023-2024 season. In addition to scoring statistics, Reed also scored 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in his sixth season of his career, both of which set personal highs. Reed is only 25 years old and will show unique youth and athletic talent in the aging Warriors. Not only does he have excellent three-point shooting ability, he can also add new highlights to the team's offense and become a running back at the basket with outstanding athletic ability. His versatility in pick-and-roll rear external incision tactics has been in harmony with Curry, Butler and Green's organizational offense.

Small forward Chris Middleton

The Warriors urgently need to introduce a scorer second only to the center during the 2025 NBA free agent market window. After Curry was injured, the Golden State Warriors realized with pain that the days when Butler led the team further in the playoffs were gone. If the team wants to continue to compete for the championship, it must introduce a scorer.

Their budget limits their introduction of a third star, but Mike Dunleavy may find the answer in three-time All-Star Chris Middleton. Middleton, who is about to turn 34, is far less talented than his former All-Star talent, but still has the ability to contribute to a championship team. The Washington Wizards have a $34 million player option in the 2025-2026 season, but if he is eager to win another championship ring, he can completely jump out of the contract and seek new developments.

At this stage of Middleton's career, he is best suited to be a high-level sixth man and be able to lead the team to the second team. With the Golden State Warriors, he will do well in this position because the Warriors need his skills as a singles scorer. The Warriors are not a singles-focused team, but they desperately need a shooter like Middleton who can create shots independently.

Considering Middleton's age, his value as a free agent should not be too high. He will run out of Golden State's remaining cap space, but his impact on Steve Cole's offensive system will make it worth the money. Perhaps there is no better team than Middleton to make the most of the rest of his career.

C Steven Adams

It seems like the Warriors' wishes to introduce a center like Lopez or Reed, but the Golden State Warriors are more likely to choose a fierce, physically fit player in the middle. There is no shortage of such players in the league, but the NBA's most physical center Steven Adams will be sold in the free agent market.

Adams played for the Houston Rockets in the 2024-2025 season, serving as Alperen Sengon's substitute, but other than that, he has been the team's starter. He isn't as good at scoring as Reid, but he can contribute a double-double every night as long as he has time.

As one of the best players in the league at screening, Adams's figure is perfect for pairing with players like Curry who focus on running without a ball. The Warriors love dribbling with their big guys, and Adams knows it well. Prior to joining the Rockets, he averaged less than 3.0 assists per game in two seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Although Adams' athleticism and shooting ability are not strong, the Warriors need a strong inside player. Adams should be able to be traded at extremely low prices in the free agent market and he will be one of the most valuable players on the market. As a New Zealander, Adams might consider a transfer to the West Coast. He just needs to let go of his decade-long grudge with Green.

Scoring guard Alec Burks

There are not many low-paying scorers available in the free agent market, which may limit the Golden State Warriors' search for complementary scorers. Players like Middleton who earn as much as $31 million in the 2024-2025 season may be ideal, but may be beyond their salary range. In this case, players like Alec Burks who have held similar roles on countless teams in the league may be a more realistic goal.

Berks spent the first seven years of his career with the Utah Jazz, and then moved to seven different teams. One of the teams is the Warriors, and Burks played 48 games for the Warriors in the 2019-2020 season. The Golden State Warriors were plagued by injuries that year, but before Burks was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, he averaged a career-high 16.2 points per game.

Five years later, the Warriors' form is completely different. However, they still need his skills. Burks is an underrated scoring expert who can always lead the second team and score 20 points on any night.

Although Burks' 34th birthday is approaching, 14 years of his career have passed and he is still improving. During his 2024-2025 season with the Miami Heat, he hit a career-high 42.5%. The Miami Heat seem eager to renew his contract and they have always loved using role players, but Burks' rich career experience shows that he's likely to leave again.

When Burks last played for the team, Mike Dunleavy was not in his current position, but was still serving as assistant general manager for the team. Burks' familiarity with Dunleavy and the team remains. He is not a player the Warriors can rely on every time they control the ball, but he is very threatening on the offensive end and can effectively relieve the pressure on Curry and Butler. The Warriors have to call him in free agency.