NBA insider Jake Fischer released his latest report this week, which included intel on stories from all across the league, including the Golden State Warriors. Fischer broke down several prospective Warriors signings, but he didn’t mention Alex Toohey, which is leading many to believe he won’t be a part of the Warriors’ team in the coming season.
This really is not all that surprising in the grand scheme of things. Toohey was the 52nd overall selection in June’s NBA Draft. The Australian wing already didn’t have a guaranteed deal with the Warriors given that he was taken in the second round, so it’s looking extremely likely that he’ll be headed overseas for at least one season. At the very least, it’s looking like a two-way contract could also be possible.
Golden State is currently in the middle of a long and drawn out saga regarding Jonathan Kuminga. They’re going to have to resolve that before they go about signing anyone else or making any moves of significance. After that, it’s likely that they’ll want to sign Al Horford, or make some other kind of needle-moving decision that will help them level up in the coming season.
Alex Toohey probably won’t play with the Warriors next season
The Warriors are in the midst of the final years of the Stephen Curry era. They’re not trying to just make margin moves, and they’re also not trying to slowly and carefully build for the future. Make no mistake about it, this summer is about winning in the here and now. With that in mind, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to be concerned with signing a guy to be the 15th man on the roster if you’re not even sure he can play in the league yet, much less make a meaningful impact.
As for Toohey himself, it’s likely he does become a rotation player for some NBA team someday, even if it doesn’t end up being the Warriors. Draft analysts loved his cerebral approach to the game, his solid shooting touch, and his confidence to attack off closeouts. His ceiling projects as a high-level connector on offense that can affect the game in multiple ways.
With that being said, again, it’s just not what Golden State needs right now. Fortunately or unfortunately, they’re in need of proven guys who you can look at and say beyond a shadow of a doubt they can help you win games in the regular season and the playoffs. Toohey’s probably going to get there, but not in the coming season. Expect to see him either splitting time between the G League and the NBA, or just playing overseas in 2025-26.
