© Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

The Warriors have left their 15th roster spot unoccupied to save tax money and keep their options open as they eye a third straight championship run.

They entered the 2018-19 season with fewer questions than any other NBA team, an obvious byproduct of their vast success and returning stars. But there were still some dynamics to work out, whether it was DeMarcus Cousins’ assimilation, aging wings maintaining high level of play, or young guards’ performance over a sustained stretch.

Fifty-seven games into the season, those questions are mostly answered. With the trade deadline having passed nearly two weeks ago, buyout season is upon us, which means the Warriors could add a 15th player to address their biggest need.

Let’s take a look at the candidates.

Robin Lopez

Warriors general manager Bob Myers has openly talked about his desire to sign another center. Aside from Cousins and Kevon Looney, the Warriors haven’t found a reliable option, with Jordan Bell regressing from his rookie year and Damian Jones out for the season with a torn left pectoral.

“We still have a little bit of a void at the five spot, which we have to keep an eye on, whether that’s through trade or a buyout,” Myers said earlier this month.

The immediate buyout candidate is Lopez, a steady, productive center in his 11th NBA season. He is averaging 7.3 points on the year. He has been particularly good recently, averaging 16.6 points in his past four games.

There is plenty of longstanding interest here. Steve Kerr drafted Lopez back in 2008 with the Phoenix Suns. Warriors players like Lopez and vice versa.

The only problem: Bulls president of basketball operations Jon Paxson has recently thwarted the prospect of making Lopez a buyout candidate, despite multiple reports indicating that would happen. Unless the Bulls, owners of NBA’s the fourth-worst record, commit to a full-blown rebuild, Lopez will likely stay put.

If he is let go, he is Golden State’s best candidate of the current options.

Marcin Gortat

In his 13th NBA season, Gortat has devolved into a poor man’s Lopez. Gortat’s numbers have steadily regressed in the past four years, leading to his release in his first season with the Clippers about two weeks ago.

If Lopez doesn’t become available, however, acquiring someone with a similar makeup could serve the Warriors well. With the Thunder looking like the second-best team in the Western Conference, the Warriors will want several rotating bodies to bump with bruising center Steven Adams, should the sides meet in the playoffs. The down side: Gortat doesn’t serve much of a purpose in a wing-dominated matchup against the Houston Rockets or Milwaukee Bucks.

Dewayne Dedmon

Atlanta didn’t trade Dedmon and his expiring contract before the trade deadline earlier this month. He could ultimately be waived. In that case, the 29-year-old, averaging 10.6 rebounds, seven rebounds, and one block per game this season, could join the Warriors as a rim-protecting, lob-finishing asset.

Greg Monroe

Once a perennial 15-point, nine-rebound per-game guy, Monroe has been deemed expendable. Four different teams have released him throughout the past two seasons. His averages have dipped considerably in his 11th season, averaging 4.8 points and 4.3 rebounds before Toronto let him go. He connected on just 46 percent of field goal attempts, the lowest clip of his career.

Ben McLemore

This feels like Nick Young 2.0 but younger.

McLemore hasn’t come close to validating his status as the 2013 No. 7 overall pick. He spent four seasons with the Sacramento Kings, joined the Memphis Grizzles last season, then re-joined the Kings before they released him earlier this month.

Maybe McLemore was never meant to be a featured scorer. He’s more of a standstill shooter who can explode to the rim, traits that could translate to a current role with the Warriors. The Kansas alum shot 41 percent from three-point range in limited playing time this season with the Kings.

Some other names

Alex Abrines

Abrines played just two games since Dec. 23 with the Thunder due to personal issues the team did not disclose. In the 31 games he played, Abrines struggled to find his typically accurate three-point stroke, connecting on just 32.3 percent from deep. In his first two NBA seasons, he shot 38 percent from three.

The Warriors wouldn’t mind adding wing insurance if Alfonzo McKinnie is unable to rediscover his shooting stroke in the second half of the season. In his past 28 games, McKinnie is shooting 22.2 percent from three-point range. Teams will give him the corner three until he proves he can make it on a consistent basis.

Abrines has proven to be a better shooter over a longer duration.

Markieff Morris

Morris would be an intriguing add, but he is reportedly headed to Oklahoma City. The team has not yet confirmed the move.

Frank Kaminsky

There have been rumblings of the Hornets waiving Kaminsky, but that hasn’t happened yet. The 2015 National College Player of the Year hasn’t lived up to expectations through four pro seasons, though he shot 38 percent from three last season.

Carmelo Anthony

Anthony is exactly what the Warriors don’t need — a rhythm-halting black hole who hardly plays defense. At this point in his career, with Anthony sitting out for the majority of the current season, he seems more destined for retirement than joining a contender.

A possibility is that…

The Warriors don’t sign anyone, at least not in the coming weeks. They will likely stay patient and wait for the right player to come along, whether it’s a serviceable center or an athletic wing, even that means holding out for a bit.