“The LeBron James-Anthony Davis pipedream is still alive.” After extending Kristaps Porzingis, NBA Salary Cap Analyst Yossi Gozlan tweeted the current cap space for the Warriors. “They would presumably swap Jimmy Butler and picks for Davis. Then they could fit James with $15 million non-taxpayer mid-level under the first apron hard cap IF Draymond Green takes the same contract as Porzingis, and IF they also find a taker for Moses Moody.”

The new reported payroll chart includes big names- Stephen Curry at $62 million, Anthony Davis at $58 million, Green and Porzingis at $19 million each, and LeBron James at $15 million, among other stars. This pushes the total payroll nearing $208 million and doesn’t include Moses Moody’s $12.5 million. Plus, these figures are projections and would require precise maneuvering to avoid apron penalties that limit future flexibility for GS.

Both Moody and Butler are out for at least half of next season. Jimmy has a massive $56.8 million expiring salary and is currently sidelined with an ACL tear. His contract will directly match AD’s salary, and the Warriors would have to attach picks to compensate for the injury. Similarly, heading into his sixth year, Moody tore his patellar tendon during the 2025-26 season and was previously linked as a tradable piece.

Earlier this month, CBS Sports analyst Sam Quinn said, “We know the priority here will be a star addition, so if Moody is needed to make such a deal possible, he’s a potential casualty of Golden State’s bigger goals.”

The 24-year-old star played in 60 games with 49 starts and, importantly, averaged 12.1 points per game with 44 percent shooting from the floor and 40.1 percent from three-point range. After the Porzingis trade, it became necessary to trade Moody.

Shams Charania reported that instead of the previous expiring $30.7 million contract, the veteran center has agreed to a two-year, $40 million contract extension.

Senior analyst Bobby Marks indicated that this likely prevents Golden State from using the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which was reportedly set aside for LeBron James’ contract.

Quinn later tweeted, “The next step if they wanted to use the non-tax MLE would be to trade or possibly stretch Moses Moody. He fits into the non-tax mid-level so that’s a reasonably achievable goal.”

Moody also shares the same agent as LeBron James, Davis and Green: Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul.

LeBron James-Curry reunion means more sacrifice

Another name not part of the future cap space was guard De’Anthony Melton. Keith Smith also reported that the 28-year-old declined his $3.3 million player option with the Warriors. Siegel had previously reported that Melton was anticipated to join a new team and was among many players who were looking to declare for free agency.

After being traded by the Golden State Warriors last year, De’Anthony Melton rejoined the Dubs in a reported two-year, $6.53 million contract. Last season, he averaged 12.3 points and shot 40.7% from the field. Clearly, after recovering and redeeming his value, Melton is now on the hunt for a more lucrative deal.

So, Porzingis has accepted a pay cut, and Green is expected to follow suit. Meanwhile, Butler, Moody, and Melton could be on their way out to bring in both Anthony Davis and LeBron James.

However, this star-heavy approach would create an exceptionally old and injury-prone roster, testing depth and long-term sustainability around Curry in what could be a final championship push. From the Wizards’ side, moving AD for an injured Butler would likely require even more draft compensation, adding layers of complexity to the deal.