The Golden State Warriors have made multiple roster changes this season in hopes of fixing their middling record, and they’ve once again shaken up their roster to reenergize the team.
Most recently, it was reported that the Warriors are waiving 2025 draft pick Alex Toohey and, in his place, signing Malevy Leons to a two-way deal.
This comes after the Warriors signed Seth Curry, brother of the franchise star, as well as former college standout LJ Cryer, to deals in November. Those changes were on the heels of the Warriors’ busy late offseason, as after they negotiated a deal with Jonathan Kuminga, they added Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton.
So far, this season hasn’t been kind to Golden State. They’ve had major injury, roster, and chemistry concerns, while currently, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Horford are listed as day-to-day on the injury report.
Warriors Waive Alex Toohey, Sign Malevy Leons
At 13-12 through 25 games, it is fair to say all the recent roster changes are in hopes of finding some sort of spark for the Warriors. Jimmy Butler and Green have both expressed frustrations throughout the early season, but with everything surrounding the team, adding Leons for the injured Toohey isn’t that surprising.
Golden State drafted for Toohey after he was drafted 52nd overall over the summer. He wasn’t expected to have a big role on the team, but there were some hopes that he could come in sparingly and develop into a meaningful role player.
However, that all came to a crashing halt as the Australian suffered a season-ending knee injury after appearing in just two games for the G-League affiliate Santa Cruz Warriors.
Now, in his place, Golden State has signed Leons to a two-way deal. He was previously with the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he appeared in just six games for them last season. The Dutch forward was averaging 14.8 points and 7.6 rebounds for their G-League OKC Blue in 12 games this year, but he’ll now join Golden State, likely set to spend time with both the first team and in Santa Cruz.
Though Leons played in multiple games for the Thunder last year, he was waived before the season ended, and therefore was not given a championship ring.
Kerr On Kuminga’s DNP
As the Warriors have been busy reworking their personnel, the future of Kuminga with the franchise remains in question. After a strong beginning to the season in a starting role, he was then injured and has had trouble earning back that same role.
Following a few disappointing performances, Golden State head coach Steve Kerr most recently didn’t play Kuminga in their blowout win over the Chicago Bulls. Speaking after the game, Kerr said he didn’t feel as though the forward made sense ‘because of the way our team works,‘ which has since reignited trade rumors.
“Just because of the way our team looks,” Kerr told reporters. “And Jimmy came back tonight, JK started last night, they play the same position. I like the group the last couple of nights, the bench group. Gui (Santos), Pat (Spencer), (De’Anthony Melton) in Philly. We got a lot of bodies. And so with Jimmy (Butler) coming back tonight, it made sense to play the other guys ’cause they complement him really well.”
Kuminga can officially be traded on December 15th, and for some, that date can’t come soon enough. The Warriors are expected to target defense and shooting in the trade market, or could even use Kuminga as a piece in a deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo, if he ever becomes available from the Milwaukee Bucks.
With a middling record, the Warriors have made multiple roster moves so far this year, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to say Kerr will continue to experiment with lineups and find what works, especially when Curry is out with an injury.
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