Warriors commit to one-season quest to win it all with Steph originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – Even as younger teams become NBA adults capable of toppling them, the Warriors remain emphatically committed to three veterans who will enter next season averaging 36.4 years of age.
This is a naked attempt to defy NBA history, which is unkind to aging stars. The Warriors are attempting to do it only because Stephen Curry is a hoops unicorn.
“Here’s what I know: We have Steph Curry on our team, who’s one of the greatest players of all time,” coach Steve Kerr said on Friday.
Curry will be 38 years old when the 2026 NBA playoffs begin. Jimmy Butler III turns 36 in September, and Draymond Green will turn 36 next March. No team with such an aging core has won an NBA championship.
“We’re at the point now where you’ve got to have an eye to the future down the road,” general manager Mike Dunleavy said. “But this league is year to year, and especially with the guys that we have, our focus is mostly 90 percent on next season.”
This approach is a one-year pursuit. The last ride, as coined by Curry when Butler was acquired in February, is postponed until the 2025-26 season. The 2026-27 season is on the books, but Dunleavy’s “90 percent” remark removes it from the current equation.
“How do we make this group better? That can come in myriad ways,” Dunleavy said.
It begins with discovering supporting players capable of generating offense. The most reliable such player on Golden State’s current roster is Jonathan Kuminga, a gifted athlete whose spectacular moments don’t always offset his general impact. He’ll be a restricted free agent in June, and there will be outside interest. Remember this that as much as CEO Joe Lacob likes Kuminga, he loves winning in May and June.
It was abundantly evident during the postseason that the Warriors need a lot more shooting/scoring and a bit more size, in that order. Once Curry went down with a strained hamstring in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals, the offense was reduced to Buddy Hield’s fickle shot and not much else.
“But you could see, when Steph went out, the lack of shooting was an issue,” Kerr conceded. “And that impacted Draymond, it impacted Jimmy, impacted JK. Those are things that we have to figure out for sure.”
Figuring it out requires making shooters/scorers a priority, which is not something the Warriors have done in recent years. The biggest blown opportunity was 2018, when they selected Jacob Evans when Jalen Brunson, De’Anthony Melton and Gary Trent Jr. were still on the board.
It was 14 years ago that the Warriors last drafted an NBA-level shooter, and Klay Thompson was essential to four title teams before leaving for the Dallas Mavericks last summer. Dunleavy brought in Hield, a logical move insofar as he has similar skills.
Meanwhile, so many shooters have populated rosters across the NBA that most teams space the floor with at least four. Some, like the Eastern Conference finalist Indiana Pacers and defending champion Boston Celtics, are deep enough to play five-out, with everyone a threat from deep.
In a starting lineup featuring Butler and Green, who can make 3-pointers but don’t stretch a defense, the Warriors can play no more than three such threats. This is another perk of having Curry. It’s also another example of Golden State’s defiance, this one about the current trend rather than league history.
“It’s playing to your strengths, right?” Dunleavy said. “There are multiple ways to skin a cat. I think people complain about the homogeneousness of the NBA, so to speak, where everybody’s spacing is out and playing high pick-and-roll and shooting a bunch of threes and all that.
“I like that we can do things differently, obviously with Steph, he’s such a unique player and creates so much gravity. But Jimmy and Draymond are unique in their own rights. Jimmy’s ability to get to the line, it’s a highly efficient way to score and get to the basket and those things. We’ve got ways to be a really good offense, but it’s just maybe not as traditional in 2025 as some of these other clubs.”
Which is fine – if someone can score effectively from multiple levels. The last Warriors draft pick with that quality was Jordan Poole, selected in 2019. Essential to the team’s success in the 2022 playoffs that ended with a championship, he was traded to the Washington Wizards two years ago and has not been replaced.
Poole at his best could replicate some of what makes Curry special – and was even quicker off the dribble.
It’s not a coincidence that the Warriors reached the top when Curry had a sidekick who was capable of scaring defenses with shooting/scoring. So, it’s reasonable to put that need at the top of the offseason list.
“The biggest thing, who we’re trying to acquire or draft or sign, is how much does that player make us better,” Dunleavy said. “And from there, what all are we giving up? We’re good giving up whatever it takes.”
This offseason amounts to a roll of the dice for 2025-26. The Warriors know their core is exceptional but needs a better supporting cast. It’s up to the front office to find that. And, yes, Kuminga might be the chip in such a deal.
Winning a championship around Curry/Butler/Green will require a superb addition, or at least two very good ones.
The relatively old 2014 Spurs won it all with 38-year-old Tim Duncan, 36-year-old Manu Ginobili and 32-year-old Tony Parker.
But they had 22-year-old Kawhi Leonard, who was voted NBA Finals MVP.
A 22-year-old Kawhi Leonard is not walking through the Chase Center doors.
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