Yes.
The Golden State Warriors are doing a complete disservice to the greatest player ever to put on their jersey, and at this point, I don’t think it’s particularly close.
When you have a top 10 player of all time still capable of playing at a high level, you empty the clip and throw the gun too. You don’t worry about what the roster might look like five years from now. You maximize every remaining opportunity to win another championship.
Don’t get me wrong. What the Warriors did for Stephen Curry during the early and middle portions of his career deserves nothing but credit.
When Curry was dealing with recurring ankle problems early in his career, Golden State could have given up on him. Instead, the Warriors bet on him and gave him a four-year, $44 million extension. They drafted the perfect running mate in Klay Thompson, found Draymond Green in the second round, and eventually brought in a coach in Steve Kerr whose system meshed with Curry like rice. Get it?
Curry rewarded that belief with a championship in 2015 and back-to-back MVPs, including becoming the first unanimous MVP in NBA history.
When the Warriors fell one game short of putting the perfect ending on their historic 73–9 season, the front office didn’t sit around and hope the roster would be good enough the following year. They went out and signed Kevin Durant. Golden State proceeded to win back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018.
That’s what going all-in looks like.
The front office also deserves credit for another move that eventually helped extend the dynasty: bringing in Andrew Wiggins. By the 2022 playoffs, Wiggins had developed into exactly the type of two-way wing Golden State needed next to Curry. His defense, rebounding, athleticism, and timely scoring were immensely important during the Warriors’ championship run, particularly in the NBA Finals.
After a few difficult years filled with injuries and roster turnover, Curry put the Warriors back on top in 2022. Golden State returned to the top of the basketball world, Curry won his fourth championship, and he finally captured his first Finals MVP.
That should have been the signal to the front office.
There was still another run left in this core.
Instead, the Warriors tried to balance two timelines. They had invested heavily in a young core featuring Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and James Wiseman, hoping those players could eventually become the bridge between the Curry era and whatever came next.
That was the mistake.
Rather than worrying about what life after Stephen Curry would look like, Golden State should have been willing to package those young players and future draft capital while their value was still high and bring in another established star to help Curry chase a fifth championship.
The Warriors had already discovered how difficult it is to find a generational player. Why were they preparing for the next era while one of the ten greatest players ever was still leading the current one?
Going into the 2022–23 season, Curry was 34, Klay was 32, and Draymond was 32. You seriously expect me to believe that trio didn’t have enough left for one more championship run if the front office had added another legitimate star?
Look at who eventually won the 2023 championship: the Denver Nuggets, the same franchise Golden State had dispatched in five games during its 2022 championship run. It’s difficult for me to believe that Curry, Klay, Draymond, and another major piece couldn’t have given themselves a legitimate opportunity to do it again.
Instead, the years passed.
Now Klay is gone. Steph is 38 years old. Draymond is 36. The championship window isn’t simply closing anymore. It may already be closed.
And now the Warriors have reportedly signaled that the 2026–27 season could essentially be a “gap year,” prioritizing internal player development and future financial flexibility over making a major external addition.
A gap year? With Stephen Curry at 38 years old?
What a terrible way to spend one of the final seasons of an all-time great.
This isn’t just another aging superstar. Stephen Curry reshaped basketball. He became the face of the greatest era in Warriors history, helped build a dynasty, and played an enormous role in transforming Golden State into a franchise now valued at approximately $11 billion.
The Warriors absolutely deserve credit for helping Curry become Curry.
But Curry gave the Warriors even more in return.
Now, during the final years of his career, Golden State is struggling to put another championship-caliber roster around him. Maybe there simply isn’t another championship move available anymore. Maybe that opportunity has already passed.
That’s exactly the problem.
Golden State had its opportunity after 2022. Instead of completely committing to the final years of one of the greatest players basketball has ever seen, the Warriors tried to protect their future while competing in the present.
When you have Stephen Curry, Stephen Curry is the future.
The rebuild could have waited. Poole could have been moved earlier. Kuminga could have been moved. Moody could have been moved. Wiseman could have been moved. Draft picks could have been moved. Whatever combination brought back the best available win-now talent should have been on the table.
You can spend decades searching for another player like Steph and never find him.
For everything Stephen Curry has given the Golden State Warriors, watching the final years of his career play out on a team caught between competing and preparing for life after him would be a terrible ending to one of the greatest player-franchise relationships in NBA history.
The Warriors once bet everything on Stephen Curry.
They should have done it one more time.
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