Category: Basketball

Draymond's faith in Warriors' title chances grows daily despite decreasing odds originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Two. That’s the number of opportunities Draymond Green believes the Warriors will have to win a fifth NBA Finals under coach Steve Kerr.

And the second chance, Green believes, has better odds.

“I think this year we have a good chance of winning,” Green said during a guest appearance on NBC Sports Bay Area’s “Dubs Talk” podcast.

“I think next year we’ll have an even better chance of winning.”

Ahem. Green turned 35 this month. Jimmy Butler III is six months older than Green. Stephen Curry is two years older than Green. The NBA is a young man’s league. The aging process is a relentless stalker, and undefeated. The Warriors have the oldest core in the NBA – and it will be relatively ancient in the spring of 2026.

Green’s rationale is that Golden State took an immediate leap when general manager Mike Dunleavy acquired Butler in February from the Miami Heat in a trade that sent Andrew Wiggins the other way. With very little time to get acclimated, the Warriors won seven of their first eight games with Butler. Even after consecutive losses at the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat this week, they’re 16-5 since Butler laced up his sneakers with them.

Next year? Well, a lot can happen between now and opening night in October.

“That’s more time together,” Green said. “That’s knowing each other. That’s having a training camp with Jimmy. And as we all know, an NBA roster is never the same from year to year. There’s going to be some tweaks, some changes. That’s just the business that we’re in. Those tweaks and changes, whatever they are as you proceed forward, will be built around, ‘How does this fit around Steph and Jimmy, right?’”

No matter how long Golden State’s postseason lasts, there will be changes. Curry, Butler and Green are under contract through next season. Buddy Hield, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski also are on the books. The Warriors plan to exercise team options for Quinten Post and Gui Santos.

Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II will be unrestricted free agents, and the Warriors are edging closer to a decision on the future of Jonathan Kuminga, who will become a restricted free agent this summer.

Green is placing his trust in Dunleavy to use the coming months to reshape the roster to better accommodate not only Curry, but also Butler.

“It allows Mike Dunleavy – who has been an incredible, incredible general manager – to go into the summer saying, ‘All right, I got Steph and Jimmy. I need to surround guys. Bring in some guys to surround [Curry], which we already have. I need to bring in some guys that also surround [Butler] well.’ So, the thinking process changes.

“I must say, I don’t think within the next eight months there’s going to be an extreme decline of either one of us three. And so, in saying that … I love our team. I don’t want anyone to be like, ‘Yo, Draymond don’t think this team got enough.’ That’s not that’s not what I’m saying.”

Exhibit A of Green’s belief in the current team is, he said, the guarantee made during the All-Star break, when he said the Warriors “will win the championship” this season. It was outrageous considering they were ninth in the Western Conference.

This was, went the general reaction, Draymond being Draymond.

Within two weeks, though, the Warriors climbed from ninth to sixth in the West. Moreover, they have since the break posted the second-best record in the West and the fourth-best record in the league. Their odds of reaching the Finals have taken a steep ascent.

But. Still.

Green’s faith comes from the postseason experience possessed by Butler, Curry and himself. The trio has played a combined 423 games, with 15 conference finals and 14 NBA Finals.

But NBA history is not in Green’s favor. No team with a three-man core averaging 35 years old or more has won it all. The 2011 Dallas Mavericks came closest, with Jason Kidd (38), Jason Terry (33) and Dirk Nowitzki (33) sliding just under the average.

To put this into context, the 2022 Warriors – with Klay Thompson, Curry and Green averaging just under 33 years of age – probably could not have beaten the Celtics without Wiggins, who was 27 and was as effective as anyone not named Curry.

These Warriors could hope to get such postseason impact from any one of the 20-somethings on the roster, but they can’t expect it. Maybe that will change in 2026.

“It’s always hard to win championships when you have midseason trades because it’s a hard adjustment,” Green said. “I think we’re doing as great a job as we can. I also think we’re going to win a championship.

“But in saying that, I still think our best year, our best chance to win a championship with this group will be next year. I don’t mean we’re not doing it this year.”

The Warriors have a lot of ground to cover beginning next month, even more after the ball tips off for next season.

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