The Golden State Warriors are staring down a harsh reality. Their second-round playoff exit wasn’t just a bad break — it was a glaring reminder that this roster, as it stands, can’t keep up. Their biggest weakness? Size. Time and again, they were out-rebounded, outmuscled, and pushed off the glass. Now, with Stephen Curry inching closer to the twilight of his prime, the pressure is on the front office to fix things fast. Reports suggest they’re eyeing a high-profile veteran to plug the gaps. But one Oakland legend sees it differently — to him, the path forward isn’t about big names. It’s about doing the little things right.

If you ask former MLB MVP Jimmy Rollins what the Warriors need for their next ring, he’ll give you a one-word answer. “Rebounds,” Rollins said bluntly this week at the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe. “A big man that can come in, you know, and play some defense.”

Rollins sees what every Warriors fan sees. He knows Draymond Green plays with incredible heart, but he also knows size is a problem. “Look, Draymond is what, [6-foot-6]? And he’s guarding 7-footers, and he’s pushing them off the block, but there are times where length, there’s nothing you can do about it.” That exact issue killed the Warriors in the playoffs, where they were one of the worst rebounding teams in the league. For Rollins, it’s simple math. “We’re getting out-rebounded, teams are getting an extra 15 shots on us,” he said. “It’s hard to win games that way.”

The solution, according to Rollins, isn’t a superstar. It’s a “true big man” whose main job is to grab rebounds and play defense. That simple, direct advice is a clear, if indirect, critique of the front office’s rumored top target: 39-year-old Al Horford.

The Horford-to-the-Warriors rumors have been everywhere, with insiders like Marc Stein and Zach Lowe calling it all but a done deal. And while you can see the appeal—Horford is a champion, a respected leader, and a big who can stretch the floor—his profile as a finesse player doesn’t address the raw, physical need for rebounding that Rollins identified. Even Stephen Curry had a hard time dodging the question. “He’s a champion, great player,” Curry said carefully. “When…if, when all that stuff happens, I’ll talk about it.”

But chasing Horford is a huge gamble. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the veteran is weighing three options: the Warriors, the Lakers, or just retiring. The fact that he might just hang it up makes Golden State’s all-in pursuit incredibly risky. So why the big push?

Leadership. There’s no denying what Horford brings to a locker room. His former coach, Joe Mazzulla, once admitted to feeling like, “Man, I let Al [Horford] down,” after a tough playoff loss—a sign of the deep respect Horford commands. Former Patriot Julian Edelman called him “the example for how these guys need to be as a professional.” That’s what the Warriors want. But as Jimmy Rollins pointed out, for a team that gets killed on the glass, chasing a 39-year-old finesse big instead of a true rebounder raises a fundamental question about the front office’s priorities.

But the Warriors’ front office isn’t just waiting on Al Horford. Their entire summer has been stuck in neutral, held hostage by the standoff with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga.

Stephen Curry’s take on a quiet offseason and Kuminga’s future

When Stephen Curry was asked about Kuminga’s future, he gave the kind of non-answer that says everything. “We’ll see what happens,” Curry said, taking a completely hands-off approach. It was a far cry from a strong endorsement, and for a team leader, that kind of distance speaks volumes. He didn’t fight for Kuminga; he just deferred to the front office.

That process has ground to a halt because, as it turns out, the Warriors’ demands for the young forward have been so high they’ve essentially frozen his market. According to NBA insider Zach Lowe, the Warriors have “outlandish trade demands,” wanting “real stuff back, like a decent young player, a first-round pick.” That steep price has “cratered interest” from other teams.

That process has ground to a halt. The Warriors can’t make any other big moves until they know what’s happening with Kuminga. They’ve already lost their most dependable big man, Kevon Looney, to the Pelicans, making their need for size even more desperate. While they wait, the rest of the Western Conference is loading up, leaving the Warriors stuck on the sidelines.

The Kuminga standoff has put the Warriors in a high-stakes waiting game. They’ve put all their eggs in the Al Horford basket, so much so that they made the controversial choice to completely ignore Deandre Ayton when he was suddenly available. According to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area, “The Warriors, according to multiple league sources, were not among the teams that lined up to gauge Ayton’s interest.”

Sure, Ayton has his issues with defense and effort, but he was the most talented big man on the market, a guy who puts up double-doubles in his sleep and is now playing for the rival Lakers. By not even making a call, the Warriors made a clear choice: they’re betting everything on Horford’s leadership and culture fit over Ayton’s raw talent.

It’s a massive gamble. With the center market now bone-dry and Horford still thinking about retirement, the Warriors have no Plan B. They are completely at Al Horford’s mercy—a dangerous place to be for a team desperate to make one last run at a title.