Kristaps Porzingis' $40 Million Extension: The Warriors Now Need a MIRACLE for LeBron and AD

Are you kidding me right now? The Golden State Warriors just dropped a bombshell that could completely derail their superteam dreams. Kristaps Porzingis, yeah, THAT guy, reportedly agreed to a two-year, $40 million extension with the Warriors on Monday, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. The second season even has a player option. While we don't know the exact 2026-27 salary yet, let's assume it's the lowest possible at $19 million. Why does this matter so much? Because it slams the door shut, or at least makes it a *lot* harder, for the Warriors to land both LeBron James AND Anthony Davis. Seriously, the cap sheet is about to get wild.

The Numbers Don't Lie: Golden State's Cap Nightmare

Listen up, because this is where it gets real sticky. It's been widely reported that the Warriors' grand plan was to trade Jimmy Butler for Anthony Davis and then convince LeBron James to join them using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which is a cool $15 million. Sounds like a fantasy lineup, right? Well, that Porzingis extension just stole a massive chunk of their wiggle room. Here's how ugly the cap sheet would look with James and Davis on board, based on what we know: Stephen Curry at $62.6 million, Anthony Davis at $58.5 million, Kristaps Porzingis at $19 million, LeBron James at $15 million, Moses Moody at $12.5 million, Al Horford at $6.8 million, Yaxel Lendeborg at $6.1 million, Brandin Podziemski at $5.7 million, Gui Santos at $4.6 million, and Will Richard at $2.2 million. Add all that up, and those 10 players alone hit about $193 million. Once they give LeBron that non-taxpayer mid-level deal, the Warriors will

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be hard-capped at the $209 million first apron. That leaves them with only about $16 million to spend on four additional players. Oh, and one of those four *has* to be Draymond Green.

Draymond's Wild Pay Cut and the Escape Hatch

This is where it gets insane. Draymond Green, bless his heart, declined his $27.7 million player option on Monday. The assumption is he did this to take a pay cut and help the Warriors pull off this insane superteam plan. But here's the kicker: for this plan to work without dumping any *other* players, Draymond would have to take a salary under $10 million. Under TEN million dollars! That would be absolutely stunning for a player of his caliber. Honestly, it's a huge ask. So, is the LeBron-AD dream dead? The source says it's "less likely, but it's still possible." NBA salary cap analyst Yossi Gozlan, always thinking outside the box, threw out an interesting idea on X: the Warriors could dump Moses Moody's $12.5 million contract into another team's cap space. If they do that, they could actually pay Draymond Green $19 million in 2026-27 and then fill out the rest of the roster with veteran minimum deals. Moody is only 24 years old and is under contract in 2027-28 for what's described as a bargain, but he's also reportedly out for most of the 2026-27 season. So, the Warriors are facing a serious dilemma. They signed Porzingis, which was a bold move, but now they're staring down a cap sheet that looks like a tangled mess. Do they find a taker for Moody, despite him being sidelined? Or does Draymond Green make an unprecedented sacrifice to make this superteam a reality? Whatever happens, this offseason is turning into a cap management thriller, and we'll be glued to every move. What a ride!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.