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The Golden State Warriors are knocking on the door of a fifth championship in 11 years. They’ve assembled an extraordinary trio of future Hall of Famers in Jimmy Butler, Stephen Curry, and Draymond Green, and appear to be the right supporting cast away from truly contending.<\/p>\n
The Warriors can solidify their contender status during the 2025 offseason, but they’re one wrong move on the Jonathan Kuminga front away from squandering Stephen Curry’s final seasons.<\/p>\n
Of the growing list of harsh realities that Golden State must accept, none are quite as daunting as the fact that Curry is nearing the end of the line. He and LeBron James continue to prove that long-established age-related expectations in the NBA must be rewritten, but unprecedented success is a double-edged sword.<\/p>\n
For every ounce of praise that the players who redefine the NBA’s standards deserve, there’s an equal measure of uncertainty about what the future may hold.<\/p>\n
Curry was excellent in 2024-25, earning All-NBA Second Team honors and averaging 24.5 points, 6.0 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 4.4 three-point field goals made per game. Unfortunately, a hamstring injury prematurely ended his postseason\u2014and reminded Golden State of its roster’s limitations.<\/p>\n
In order to avoid wasting the final years of Curry’s career, the Warriors thus have one priority: Turn a potential Kuminga sign-and-trade into a deeper roster.<\/p>\n
Kuminga has declined a two-year contract from the Warriors worth $45 million. He’s also garnered interest from teams who can make the finances align in a sign-and-trade, but may not be willing to part with the assets the Warriors value.<\/p>\n
Compounded by the fact that Kuminga was a healthy scratch on multiple occasions during the 2025 NBA Playoffs, no one seems to know what will come next for Golden State.<\/p>\n
While operating within less than ideal circumstances, Golden State has no margin for error. There’s no guaranteeing that Butler, Curry, or Green will be able to sustain their star-caliber form beyond the 2025-26 season, no matter how awe-inspiring their timeless success has been.<\/p>\n
That leaves the Warriors with no choice but to view the 2025-26 season as the last chance to win a title with Curry\u2014even if he is signed through 2027.<\/p>\n
The Warriors will be paying Butler and Curry a combined $113,733,267 in 2025-26 and $119,419,931 in 2026-27. They may also have to pay Green next summer, as he has a player option for the 2026-27 season and could be looking for a major payday in his late 30s.<\/p>\n
With these numbers in mind, it’s difficult to imagine Golden State being able to reset after the 2026 season\u2014especially with Butler making an almost untradable $56,832,773 in 2026-27.<\/p>\n
With limited financial flexibility and a minimum of two massive contracts on the books, the Warriors must make every move count. Kuminga may very well represent their best opportunity to add high-level talent via a sign-and-trade, particularly if the goal is to add players who are under 30.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately for the Warriors’ front office, one false move could mean wasting whatever time is left in Curry’s legendary NBA career.<\/p>\n If the Golden State Warriors are going to maximize the time left of the Stephen Curry era, then they can’t afford a single false move.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":85177,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-85176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n