Warriors Running Out of Center Options as Free Agency Spiral Continues originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Golden State Warriors went into this year’s free agency period with a clear need at the starting center spot. The beginning to the frenzy has not gone their way in the slightest, forcing the Warriors to explore further options.
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Two of the bigger free-agent centers were quickly taken off the board when the chaos started at 6:00 PM ET on Monday. The Warriors watched as Clint Capela and Brook Lopez joined other Western Conference contenders.
Lopez did arrive in the Pacific Division. However, it was as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, signing a two-year, $18 million deal, according to Shams Charania.
Charania also told the world that Capela would be reuniting with the Houston Rockets. The free-agent center signed a three-year, $21.5 million contract to return to the place where the two-way big broke out as a quality NBA player.
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Two teams who will be directly competing with the Warriors for conference supremacy managed to indirectly hurt Golden State with the key additions. The question for the Warriors would be: what happens now?
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates with forward Jimmy Butler III (10) after a play during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn ImagesCredit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Michael Scotto reported that the Warriors are one of the teams in the mix for Al Horford. However, the competition for the veteran center is fierce.
Scotto wrote, “Al Horford has received interest from several contending teams since the start of free agency, including the Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Lakers, league sources told [HoopsHype].”
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Horford would be a strong addition for the Warriors. However, the former NBA champion looks like anything but a guarantee to land in the Bay Area at this point.
A sneaky option that has been reported would be Chris Boucher. The versatile big man could offer a solution and a good fit. However, his slender frame could make him matchup-dependent to a certain extent.
There is still plenty of time for the dust to settle on free agency and the Warriors to emerge with a starting center from it. However, the quality of who that player could be is fading with each passing free-agent announcement.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 1, 2025, where it first appeared.