Steph Curry, Steve Kerr and Warriors are facing an existential crossroads

TORONTO – In October, some of the Golden State Warriors’ more ambitious figures quietly announced that 50 wins was a realistic goal. The theory: With more depth, growing youth and a better atmosphere, they secured a permanent place in the playoffs. Their 12-3 start, which included wins in Boston and Oklahoma City, only increased organizational optimism and strengthened belief.

However, the crash happened quickly. The disappointment has increased. The Warriors are now 19-20. Their 7-17 record since November 23rd is worse than that of the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz and the mighty Brooklyn Nets, who gave the Warriors their starting point guard, Dennis Schröder, in the midst of the chaos.

On Monday night, the Warriors’ 21st offense fell silent again. They lost to the Toronto Raptors 9-31 and fell to 11th place in the Western Conference, which is lower than last season. Forty wins suddenly feels like a reach, and fears of Stephen Curry’s dwindling window of opportunity grow as the February 6 trade deadline approaches.

Steve Kerr spoke at the shootaround before the defeat in Toronto The athlete about the uncomfortable truth staring his franchise and this fading era in the face. Kerr, Curry and Draymond Green are the three who would benefit the most from the front office and ownership mortgaging as much of the future as necessary to maximize the present. But all three have publicly warned against this approach.

“That’s the hard part about dealing with all of these things,” Kerr said. “We are not giving in. But you have to be organizationally realistic about where you stand. And you have to consider what lies ahead in the future. I probably won’t be there, but I would tell you if this organization wasted the next six or seven drafts on a wild swing, that would be the most irresponsible thing they could do.”

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The natural aging process isn’t the only reason the Warriors are in a tough spot. The front office has made missteps in building around Curry over the past half-decade, starting with the draft pick of James Wiseman, a 2020 No. 2 overall whiff that resonates long after he’s gone. The rim-protecting stretch center they’re currently looking for is the one they believed they were drafting in Wiseman, a near-consensual choice within the power structure that never developed and was passed on in 2023.

Jonathan Kuminga has been on the rise recently, but his growth has been stagnant and he is currently injured. Moses Moody still can’t seem to find a permanent spot in a rotation role in his fourth season. Brandin Podziemski has taken a step back after an encouraging rookie season.

The Warriors’ quality draft picks haven’t filled the cupboard well or quickly enough, and they haven’t been able to recreate the 2022 free agency success and restock the rotation.

This season is the latest example. De’Anthony Melton (in addition to being a full midfield exception) was a perfect fit and looked great, but he had injury concerns. Melton tore his cruciate ligament after just six games. His contract was terminated in favor of Schröder, who failed to give the Warriors the offensive boost they desired. In his 14 games with Golden State, Schröder made just 34 percent of his shots and 26 percent of his threes.

Buddy Hield is in a similar slump, making less than 30 percent of his 3s in the last month. The Warriors resorted to the luxury tax again this summer and came within a hair’s breadth of the collective bargaining agreement’s first push, which established Hield’s floor spacing. He was red hot in that 12-3 start. He’s gone cold since then, missing two big 3s as part of a 2-of-10 night from deep in the loss to the Raptors. His slump, coinciding with Schröder’s, has doomed Golden State offensively in several recent losses.

“I’ll find out,” Hield said. “Everything will come.”

This is the mic of the moment, part of the cumulative failure that is sending the Warriors plummeting down the standings in this 7-17 stretch of disaster that no one – not Joe Lacob, Mike Dunleavy, Kerr, Curry or Green – could have predicted or want to accept.

But the macro that has come increasingly into focus in recent days is protecting the future, rather than the urgency of fixing the present. The Warriors may have had a chance to empty the cupboard by trading Lauri Markkanen last summer; Green has indicated that he advised against it. He reiterated this approach in comments to Yahoo! Sport on the road trip that caused a stir.

Curry was asked for his opinion after the loss in Toronto and supported Green’s opinion.

“Desperate trades or desperate moves that destroy the future, it’s the responsibility to keep the franchise in a good state (long-term) and in a good place when it comes to where we leave this thing when we’re done Curry said. “That doesn’t mean you’re not trying to get better, it doesn’t mean you’re not active in any kind of search … if you have an opportunity where a trade makes sense or in the summer where free agency makes sense.” . You want to continue improving. Nobody wants to be stale or find themselves in a situation where they miss opportunities. But that doesn’t mean you’re desperate (and) throwing assets around everywhere (just because) you want to do something.”

Asked if he was happy with the level of activity in the front office before the deadline, Curry said: “If there was a situation that made sense for our team, I’m pretty sure we would hear about it. That’s how we’ve always done it. That is now the expectation until February 6th.”

Steph Curry: “It’s a responsibility to keep the franchise in good shape (long term).”

At the level of front office activities: “If there was a situation that made sense for our team, I’m pretty sure we would hear about it. That’s how we’ve always operated.” pic.twitter.com/VuLAjdjIRS

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 14, 2025

The Warriors don’t need to unload picks or dangle Kuminga to find an additional rotation player who can help them before the deadline. They’ve talked a lot internally about the need for a center who can consistently make threes, provide more spacing for Curry, and unlock better lineups for Green and Kuminga.

That’s why the Chicago Bulls’ Nikola Vučević (who makes 43 percent of his nearly five 3s per game) is an interesting player, depending on his final price and availability as the deadline approaches. Others will also catch their attention and could potentially motivate them to move on from a first-round pick.

But the Warriors find themselves in the middle in many ways, which is never a good place to be in professional sports. They’re trying to finish Curry’s final season respectfully without ruining her future. This has led to present-day mediocrity and a half-hearted reconstruction that is stalling behind it.

“It’s a tricky spot,” Kerr said. “Mike (Dunleavy Jr.) is incredibly sharp. We have a great organization. I have no doubt that Mike will get through this and I will help where I can. We have to try to give Steph every chance to perform. That’s really important in the last few years, whatever that means. But you don’t give the future away.”

Can these two goals really coincide? That depends on whether you believe the current mix can recover and improve this season, perhaps with a schedule change or two.

“If you look at the league, there are four or five teams that are really superior to everyone else,” Kerr said. “We’re in the pack (among them). So I think we can do better internally whether we make a difference or not. I saw it. I saw us start the season as a really elite two-way team. I know it’s within us. Mike will do his job. We will continue.”

Kerr then turned to the bigger picture, delving into the legacy of the era. He pushed back against “ring culture” and the idea that it’s all about championship or rebuilding, whether it’s all in, whether it’s winning a fifth Curry ring, or whether it’s a failure.

“I think it’s really important over the last few years that we handle ourselves with dignity and competitiveness and fight for everything,” Kerr said. “We want to preserve what made us the Warriors, what made us this organization. That means we have to keep fighting. But it means dealing with the pain and humiliation of losing with a graceful response. I think this manifests itself in many different ways. And one of those ways is to not do anything crazy. Let’s ensure the integrity of the operation. I think everyone agrees and agrees with that. We all want the organization to do as well as possible in the future. And we all agree that it would be really irresponsible to jeopardize the future and go wild.”

Kerr is under contract until next season. Curry signed a contract extension last summer that keeps him under team control for the next two and a half seasons.

“What we see with Steph is one of the greatest artists of all time, one of the greatest performers of all time, in his twilight,” Kerr said. “What can we do to give him the best chance to perform? To give our fans a thrill? To give us a chance in the playoffs? Can we help him? Can we make the game easier for him? I think that’s where we are organizationally.”

(Photo: Cole Burston/Getty Images)