The Golden State Warriors’ decision to waive veteran guard Seth Curry just before the 2025-26 NBA regular season raised plenty of eyebrows. Fans were excited to finally see the sharpshooting guard play alongside his older brother, Stephen Curry, but the move came down to one thing: money. Despite his strong preseason and perfect locker room fit, this was never about performance. It was all about the Warriors’ financial limits under the new, unforgiving NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Why Did the Warriors Waive Seth Curry Right Before the Season?

1. Salary Cap and Roster Management Reasons

The Warriors didn’t waive Seth Curry because they didn’t want him. They waived him because they literally couldn’t afford him, not even by a few hundred thousand dollars. Under the new CBA rules, Golden State is hard-capped at what’s called the Second Apron, a strict spending limit triggered when a team uses certain exceptions to sign players.

This offseason, the Warriors used their Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception to sign veteran big man Al Horford. That move automatically locked the team into a hard cap of $207.8 million for the 2025-26 season. In simple terms, it means the Warriors can’t exceed that number even by a single dollar.

Heading into opening night, their total player salaries already added up to about $205.8 million, leaving them with roughly $2 million of breathing room. A veteran like Seth Curry, with more than 10 years in the NBA, is entitled to a minimum salary of $3.6 million, but the league subsidizes part of that to encourage teams to sign vets. Still, even with the subsidy, his salary would count as $2.29 million against the cap, around $276,000 more than the Warriors could legally spend.

That tiny gap made it impossible for the team to finalize his deal. So, the Warriors had no choice but to waive him before the NBA’s roster deadline.
To make this work in the short term, they used what’s called an Exhibit 9 contract for training camp. This type of deal allows a team to bring in a player temporarily for practices and preseason games without guaranteeing him a full-season salary. It also protects the team from major financial loss if the player gets hurt. So while Seth Curry was part of the camp roster, his deal was always meant to be temporary until the financial situation allowed a permanent signing.

2. Strategic Timing Before Roster Deadline

Timing was everything here. The NBA requires all teams to submit their final 15-man rosters before Opening Night, and the Warriors had to be compliant with the hard cap before that deadline. If they had kept Seth Curry under a standard contract, they would have gone over the limit, which isn’t allowed, even for a few hours.

Waiving him on October 18, just two days before the season’s official start, was described by league insiders as both “expected” and “procedural.” It reduced the Warriors’ roster count to 14 players, which keeps them within the rules while also allowing them the flexibility to bring Curry back later.

The move wasn’t about cutting ties; it was about buying time.

Will the Warriors Re-Sign Seth Curry? When?

All signs point to yes, the Warriors fully intend to bring Seth Curry back once the math works out. According to multiple NBA insiders, the plan is to re-sign him around mid-November 2025, roughly three weeks into the regular season.

Here’s why: when a player signs after the season begins, both his salary and his cap hit are prorated, meaning the longer he waits to sign, the cheaper it becomes for the team.

In this case, the Warriors only need to wait long enough for Curry’s prorated cap hit to drop below $2.019 million, which is what they currently have left under the hard cap. Based on league calculations, that threshold will be reached about 21 days into the regular season.

By waiting until then, Golden State can re-sign Seth Curry to a full veteran minimum deal without breaking the hard cap. If they delay a bit longer, say, into December, they’ll create a slightly bigger cushion for emergencies or potential trade flexibility.

So while fans might miss seeing the Curry brothers together in the opening weeks, the reunion is coming soon. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.

What Does This Mean for the Warriors’ 2025-26 Season?

The decision to waive Seth Curry temporarily does have some short-term consequences. Without him, the Warriors are starting the season with limited depth in the backcourt. Moses Moody is still recovering from a calf injury, and De’Anthony Melton is rehabbing from last year’s torn ACL. That means younger guards like Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis will need to step up early and play heavier minutes.

It also puts a bit more strain on Stephen Curry, who turns 37 this season. The Warriors had planned to manage his minutes carefully to keep him fresh for the playoffs, but this early roster gap could force him to take on a heavier workload temporarily.

Once Seth Curry returns, though, the rotation will look much more balanced. His shooting and off-ball movement fit perfectly with Golden State’s offensive system, and he’ll give them a much-needed boost in bench scoring. More importantly, he’ll allow Steve Kerr to ease the pressure on Steph and keep the team’s spacing intact when the stars rest.

From a big-picture perspective, this entire situation shows how tight the Warriors’ financial situation really is under the new CBA. The Second Apron doesn’t just punish big spenders with taxes; it locks them into a spending ceiling that makes even small moves complicated. The team can’t combine contracts in trades, send cash to other teams, or use most trade exceptions this season.

So, every dollar counts. The front office’s decision to delay Seth Curry’s signing shows a precise understanding of how to maximize every bit of cap space while staying competitive. They’re walking a financial tightrope, but it’s all part of a calculated plan to keep their championship window open.

Conclusion

At first glance, it might seem odd that the Warriors waived Seth Curry just before the season, especially given the excitement surrounding his reunion with Stephen Curry. However, this decision was a smart and necessary financial move.

The team’s use of the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception for Al Horford triggered a hard cap at the Second Apron, leaving Golden State with only $2.019 million in salary cap space, which is not enough to accommodate Curry’s subsidized cap hit of $2.296 million. By waiving him and waiting a few weeks, the Warriors will eventually be able to re-sign him once his prorated salary fits within their remaining space.

This situation is a complex financial strategy that highlights how intricate NBA roster management has become under the new rules. While fans will have to wait a little longer to see Seth Curry officially take the court alongside his brother, all signs suggest that their reunion is on the way, and it will certainly be worth the wait.