The Golden State Warriors have been doing their best in trying to maximize Stephen Curry's closing championship window. But since Mike Dunleavy Jr. took over as GM, it looks like the front office has been struggling for the most part in giving Curry the help he needs to extend the team's dynasty. Here is a look at the 10 worst Golden State Warriors roster moves under GM Mike Dunleavy Jr., ranked.
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10. Jonathan Kuminga drama
The handling of Jonathan Kuminga's restricted free agency was one of the biggest obstacles for the Warriors in the 2025 offseason. It took nearly until the beginning of NBA preseason games began, but the Warriors finally signed Kuminga to a two-year, $48.5 million contract. That's a lot of money committed to a player that doesn't always seem to fit well with what the Warriors are trying to do.
9. Getting Alex Toohey
One of the rookies that the Warriors acquired in the 2025 offseason was Aussie prospect Alex Toohey. Toohey was a second-round draft pick at the 2025 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns before landing in the Bay Area as part of the blockbuster seven-team trade headlined by Kevin Durant.
Acquiring Toohey makes this list given how the prospect struggled at the NBA Summer League. In six games, he averaged 6.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. Toohey looked lost in several sequences, making his NBA readiness questionable. To make matters worse, he only shot 23.5 percent from beyond the arc, a glaring sign for a team that banks on outside shooting.
8. Letting Kevon Looney walk on free agency
Kevon Looney was one of the important pieces of the Warriors dynasty, having helped the franchise win four NBA championships. However, his Golden State tenure came to an end when he opted to sign with the New Orleans Pelicans. Looney cited his diminishing role for leaving the Warriors. Given that the team now lacks size in the frontcourt, letting Looney walk could come bite the team once the season begins.
7. Waiving Rudy Gay
Prior to the 2024-25 season, the Warriors picked up 17-year NBA veteran Rudy Gay. Although already way past his prime, Gay was expected by many to become an offensive contributor off the bench. After all, he averaged 15.8 points per game in his career.
But after only two preseason games, Gay was waived, and his career was over. On the other hand, the Warriors before the Jimmy Butler trade, struggled big time in finding scoring options outside of Curry. And when the injury bug started to hit, Golden State probably could've used the stabilizing veteran presence of Gay.
6. Signing Jerome Robinson
Jerome Robinson earned bust status after his failed stint with the Los Angeles Clippers and Washington Wizards. The 13th overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft polished his craft overseas and in the NBA G-League. While Dunleavy championed flexibility and hoping his gamble on the lottery pick paid off, Robinson was quite disappointing. Despite filling in one of the final roster spots, Robinson averaged just 1.4 points per game on 11.8% shooting from 3-point region.
5. Signing Usman Garuba
With his potential shown in Europe, Usman Garuba looked like he had the tools to succeed in the NBA. His ability to play help defense for his size ultimately turned the heads of NBA scouts. However, after a failed stint with the Houston Rockets, Dunleavy took a chance on the Spanish big man.
Although Garuba showed shades of Green, he wasn't the big man the Warriors needed to bolster their frontcourt. Undersized, coupled with overlapping skillsets within the team's center rotation, Garuba had little to no opportunities to carve out a consistent role in Kerr's rotation.
4. Signing Dario Saric
Fans lauded Dunleavy for acquiring Dario Saric on a sweet one-year deal worth $2 million back in the 2023 offseason. Theoretically, his size and shooting would improve the spacing for the team. Unfortunately, injuries hampered his stint. He was terrible offensively, averaging just 3.5 points per game on 36.2% shooting from the field. But even worse, he was unplayable defensively.
3. Signing Kyle Anderson
Kyle Anderson was one of the role players the Warriors received from the Klay Thompson trade. Anderson's all-around tools made him an enticing asset, given that he can facilitate and defend several positions. However, his lack of speed and inconsistent shooting started to rear its head in Kerr's system. In addition to this, it seemed like the Warriors had no stable role for him in their rotation. As a result, his stint was forgettable, to the point he was packaged in a deal for Jimmy Butler.
2. Trading for Dennis Schroder
With De'Anthony Melton going down from injury, Golden State's hot start started to cool off. With the front office facing panic mode, the team decided to package Melton in a deal to acquire German sensation Dennis Schroder to fill the void. While Schroder's scoring and veteran experience were enticing assets, his lack of outside shooting proved to be a liability offensively. Throw in his colorful history with Green, and the team was going nowhere.
1. Swapping Jordan Poole for Chris Paul
Relatively fresh from winning a 2022 NBA championship, Mike Dunleavy Jr. unexpectedly had to face a tall order, when a falling out ensued between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole. He was burdened with finding the best deal possible for Poole's value.
In the end, he packaged Poole along with role players for Chris Paul and draft picks. Unfortunately, as good as CP3 was, he was already way past his prime, which was an imbalanced exchange for someone who was once seen as a franchise cornerstone. And the Warriors ended up missing the playoffs with CP3 on the roster. To make matters worse, they eventually decided to waive the 12-time All-Star for luxury-tax purposes.
