LeBron to Warriors Gets Complicated by a Backup Center Nobody Is Talking About

The Golden State Warriors are pushing hard for LeBron James in free agency. But while the basketball world fixates on whether LeBron and Steph Curry actually share a jersey next season, there’s a quieter problem sitting in plain sight. His name is Quinten Post, and he might mess with Golden State’s whole salary-cap math.

Post is a restricted free agent. The Warriors gave him a qualifying offer worth about $2.64 million. If he takes it, he’s back on a one-year deal and becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer. But according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, Post is likely to decline that offer and test the open market as a restricted free agent. That means other teams can sign him to an offer sheet, and Golden State has the right to match it. The clock on matching doesn’t start until July 6 though.

Here is where it gets sneaky for the Warriors. Stein and Fischer reported that while nobody expects a rival team to rush out and sign Post in the next 48 hours, it is “quite possible” that some front office could put together an offer sheet over the holiday weekend. That would inject what they called a “complicated variable” into Golden State’s accounting as they wait for LeBron’s decision.

Post was the 52nd pick of the 2024 draft. He wasn’t supposed to matter this quickly. But injuries to Al Horford during the 2025-26 season opened up minutes, and Post started 35 of his 67 games. He averaged 7.7 points and four rebounds. Nothing flashy. But enough to make other teams think he could be a rotation piece.

The LeBron Decision Looms

Golden State has other irons in the fire too. They have reportedly expressed interest in trading for Anthony Davis. They are also looking at free-agent guards like Collin Sexton and Anfernee Simons. So the front office has multiple tabs open right now. LeBron is the headline. But Post’s situation is the kind of roster minutiae that can quietly force a team to overpay or lose a useful player.

The Warriors are in a weird spot. They want to contend now with Curry. They have the financial flexibility to make a run at James if the numbers work. But they also need bodies who can actually play. Post might not be a star, but he’s cheap and he’s shown he can hold his own. If a team like the Thunder or the Pistons offers him something like $8 million a year, Golden State has a real choice to make.

Post is not going to decide LeBron’s future. But he could make it more expensive. And right now, every dollar matters for a Warriors team trying to thread the needle between superstar hunting and roster depth.