by Detractors of the Golden State Warriors dynasty of the past decade thought the party was over when Kevin Durant left in 2019 after three seasons and two NBA titles. They thought it again when the Warriors went 15-50 in 2019-2020 and missed the playoffs again the following year. But the doubters have yet to be proven right and Golden State got the band back together to win the championship in 2022.
This time, however, those waiting for an end to this era of Warriors dominance may have a point. On Tuesday, Golden State lost in the NBA Playoffs to the Sacramento Kings, 118-94. The game was not close, and it was heavy on symbolism. Maybe it was the sharpened guard Klay Thompson the worst game of his career, going 0-for-10 from the field and putting a zero on his score line. Defensive and playmaking wizard Draymond Green found himself bullied in the post by Domantas Sabonis of the Kings. Future Hall of Fame guard Chris Paul had three points in 18 minutes of action. Underlying the total was the face of the franchise, Stephen Curry, scoring a fine 22 points but not being able to carry the whole team.
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After that, the coach who led these four Golden State championship teams struck a reasonable but deadly note. “This is life,” Steve Kerr said. “This is how it works. You will never have to stay on top.”
These Warriors are no longer on top. For the first time, they may not have a road back, either.
There was little to see of them in 2023-24. The Warriors enter the Play-In as the Western Conference’s No. 10 seed. In the league’s traditional playoff format, other than the one adopted a few years ago for juicy drama, they would have missed the postseason altogether. They went 46-36 and gradually showed the sign of a team they no longer have. It all came to a head in Sacramento, where the Warriors were outclassed by a strong but unspectacular Kings team.
After the loss, Thompson’s future is the most immediate question. His contract expires this summer. He will be 34 next season. He’s still a top player but, given his age and the terrible injury luck he’s had in recent years, he’s no longer the wreck he used to be. Kerr says the Warriors “really” want Thompson back, and the notion that his final game for the franchise is a zero-summation can’t sit well with anyone. But the Warriors’ deal with Thompson is a point of demarcation between the past and the future.
It’s not just Thompson. Green will also be 34 next season. Curry will be 37 when it ends. (Paul, more of a role player at this stage of his career, will be pushing 40.) Even Andrew Wiggins, former No 1 overall pick who is enjoying a career revival in northern California, 30 in February. Among the stars of this team, Wiggins is a spring chicken. Time is a consistently cruel beast, and it’s taking its toll on the Warriors.
Finding external reinforcements will be a huge challenge. The Warriors have the most expensive roster in the NBA and pay a luxury tax bill that exceeds the entire payroll of most teams. They have limited flexibility to make changes within the league’s salary cap structure, although their front office may be creative. The upcoming draft is thought to be one of the weakest classes in recent years, and the Warriors aren’t scheduled to be selected until the 52nd pick, anyway.
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Where does that leave the franchise? Ostensibly, in purgatory. From a storytelling perspective, it’s tempting to imagine the Warriors deciding on a logical endpoint for their legendary group of great players, and then breaking up the roster all at once. Although the team has gone from supporting players and even a megastar or two over the years, this Golden State dynasty has always had Kerr, Curry, Thompson and Green. It would be ideal for the team to load up with another test or two, say goodbye to them all at once and turn to the future all at once.
Things are unlikely to be that clean, however. The core of the dynasty is more likely to disintegrate little by little, as arguably when longtime general manager Bob Meyers resigned after last season. Thompson’s contract is now up, but Curry has two more years on it. The deals for Wiggins and Green are the same, but both of those contracts have player options for another season. No one can say for sure when Kerr will call it a day, but it won’t exactly sync up with the exits of all his stars.
It seems foolish to bet wholesale against a group that has achieved so much. We can’t rule out the Warriors finding a rabbit in the hat. But reality hits for everyone eventually, as Kerr said from the podium after Tuesday’s loss. There are a handful of teams on the rise in the Western Conference, and the one that beat the Warriors isn’t even among the best. The key pieces to the Warriors’ run could hang around for a little longer, or they might not. But what they built has already deteriorated, and there is no reversing that. It just ends a little longer.
