The Golden State Warriors are busy behind the scenes this summer, but even their most likely roster moves can’t solve their biggest problem. Veteran names like Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton might soon join Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler in the Bay Area. But these signings won’t move the needle where it matters most. While they add value, they don’t address the true issue that sent the Warriors packing against Minnesota last postseason. And unless something changes fast, Golden State’s aging core could be heading into a season that’s already stacked against them.

NBA insider Marc Stein said it plainly on 95.7 The Game’s Willard & Dibs—he expects the Warriors to land both Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton. The front office is confident. But Udonis Haslem isn’t buying the hype. And neither is Monte Poole. The Warriors’ greatest need isn’t experience. Monte Poole on the Dubs Talk was blunt in his assessment of the Warriors’ biggest obstacle in the Western Conference: size and physicality. He emphasized that the Warriors are undersized compared to the dominant big men across the West and laid out a daunting list of players they’ll have to contend with.

“You’ve got the two guys in Oklahoma City and Hartenstein and Chet,” Poole said, referring to Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren — a frontcourt duo known for their rim protection and versatility.  And of course, there’s the reigning MVP Nikola Jokić in Denver — arguably the most dominant center in the league.

The West is loaded with size, and the Warriors are ill-equipped to deal with it unless they make real changes to their frontcourt. “Al Horford, yeah, that’d be a nice get. But Al Horford, you don’t want to play him 30 minutes a night, 39 years old. You want to play him somewhere in the low to mid 20s to get the best out of him.” Simply signing a 39-year-old Al Horford won’t be enough.

Monte Poole made it clear that adding veterans like Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton might help the Warriors in certain areas, like floor spacing, leadership, and defensive awareness. They simply don’t address the core problems that plagued the team last season. Expecting him to consistently hold up against players like Nikola Jokić, Rudy Gobert, or Alperen Şengün is unrealistic. Poole also questioned the practicality of a frontcourt built around Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green.

“If they come back and try and beat teams with Jimmy and Draymond at the four and the three, that’s not going to work,” he said. Beyond that, he stressed that the team already knows it can’t rely on Draymond to play a full 82-game season.

The problem isn’t just age or durability—it’s that the Warriors lack real size, rim protection, and high-end athleticism. Poole mentioned that while Melton and GP2 are solid defenders, the Warriors still need a solution for consistent, elite on-ball defense. “GP2’s defense was really good at times,” he said, “but other times it wasn’t like his usual level.” Ultimately, Horford and Melton might be good pieces, but they don’t fix the Warriors’ biggest issues.

Without addressing size and athleticism, Golden State will remain vulnerable to bigger, deeper, and younger teams in the West like the Timberwolves, Thunder, and Nuggets. That brings us to the other reality check — the health, age, and availability of Stephen Curry. The Warriors can’t expect him to keep saving them.

Is it time for the Warriors to plan beyond Stephen Curry?

Dalton Johnson put it best on the Dubs Talk podcast, “I mean, I’ve always been a guy that says shooting, shooting, shooting with this team. I think that we saw what happened when Steph Curry obviously went down to injury… he might be the most unique superstar of all time, especially with this system, especially with Steve Kerr.” It’s not just about Curry’s greatness, but about how much the team relies on him. When he’s out, the system doesn’t work.

The Warriors can no longer rely solely on Steph Curry to carry the offense, especially as he ages and deals with injuries. With Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler locked in as part of the core, the team has to prioritize one thing above all: shooting and scoring depth. Last postseason exposed a critical flaw. When Curry was out, defenses collapsed on Jimmy Butler, who had no consistent help around him. Without reliable floor spacing or secondary scorers, the offense stalled. Johnson pointed out that going into “playoff mode” in the middle of the regular season isn’t sustainable. Golden State needs players who can step up and create offense on nights when Curry or Butler are out, or simply not at their best.

While De’Anthony Melton and Al Horford are potentially useful additions, Johnson flagged major concerns. Melton missed almost the entire season due to injury, and Horford, at nearly 40, can’t be expected to log heavy minutes or carry a consistent workload. These are not long-haul solutions for an 82-game grind. The Warriors still need size and defense, but above all, they need guys who can shoot and create offense consistently. Without that, the team is too reliant on Curry—and that’s a risky place to be at this stage in his career.

In a perfect world, Steph stays healthy, Butler returns to elite form, and Draymond keeps his motor running. But that’s not guaranteed. That’s why relying on aging role players instead of addressing core deficiencies is risky. Horford and Melton might be solid pieces. But they’re not the missing piece.