Steph Curry, Steve Kerr and the Warriors are grappling with an existential divide

TORONTO — Back in October, some of the more ambitious figures in the Golden State Warriors quietly proclaimed 50 wins as a realistic goal. The theory: Ride boosted depth, growing youth and better vibes to a solid playoff spot. Their 12-3 start, which included wins in Boston and Oklahoma City, only broadened the organizational optimism and hardened the faith.

However, the crash has been quick. The disappointment has increased. The Warriors are now 19-20. Their 7-17 record since Nov. 23 is worse than the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz and tanking Brooklyn Nets, who gave the Warriors their starting point guard, Dennis Schröder, in the middle of the wreckage.

On Monday night, the Warriors’ 21st-ranked offense went quiet again down the stretch. They lost to the 9-31 Toronto Raptors, dropping them to 11th place in the Western Conference, lower than where they finished last season. Forty wins suddenly feels like a reach, and anxiety about Stephen Curry’s fading window of contention as the Feb. 6 trade deadline approaches is mounting.

At the shootaround before the loss in Toronto, Steve Kerr spoke Athletics about the uncomfortable truth staring his franchise and this fading era in the eye. Kerr, Curry and Draymond Green are the three that would benefit the most from the front office and ownership borrowing as much of the future as necessary to maximize the present. But all three have gone on record and warn against that approach.

“That’s the hard part in solving all of this,” Kerr said. “We will not give in. But you have to be realistic and organizational about where you are. And you have to keep in mind what lies ahead in the future. I probably won’t join, but I will tell you that if this organization gave away the next six or seven draft picks for a wild swing, that would be the most irresponsible thing they could do.”

The natural aging process is not the only reason the Warriors are in a difficult situation. The front office has made missteps over the past half-decade, building around Curry, starting with the James Wiseman draft, a 2020 No. 2 overall swagger that still resonates long after his departure. The edge-protecting stretch center they’re currently seeking is what they thought they were drafting in Wiseman, a near-consensus pick within the power structure who never developed and was traded away in 2023.

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

The Warriors’ high-value draft picks haven’t reloaded the locker well or quickly enough, and they haven’t been able to recreate the 2022 free-agency success that filled out the rotation.

This season is the latest example. De’Anthony Melton (added on full mid-level waivers) profiled as a perfect fit and looked good, but he was linked to injury issues. Melton tore his ACL after playing just six games. His contract was flipped for Schröder, who has failed to provide the offensive boost the Warriors sought. Schröder has made just 34 percent of his shots and 26 percent of his 3s in his 14 games with Golden State.

Buddy Hield is in a similar slump, making fewer than 30 percent of his 3s over the past month. The Warriors dipped back into the luxury tax this summer and came within a hair of the deal’s first apron to add to Hield’s floor spacing. He was blazing hot during that 12-3 start. He’s gone cold since, missing two huge 3s down the stretch in the loss to the Raptors as part of a 2-of-10 night from deep. His slump, coinciding with Schröder’s, has doomed Golden State offensively in several recent defeats.

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

It’s the micro of the moment, part of the cumulative failure that has driven the Warriors down the rankings during this disastrous 7-17 stretch that no one — not Joe Lacob, Mike Dunleavy, Kerr, Curry or Green — wanted anticipated or desired to accept.

But the macro that has come into more uncomfortable focus in recent days is a protection of the future rather than an urgent need to fix the present. The Warriors had a chance to possibly unload the cupboard in a Lauri Markkanen trade this past summer; Green has indicated that he advised against it. He repeated that type of approach in comments on Yahoo! Sport on road trip that created some buzz.

Asked for his opinion after the loss in Toronto, Curry seconded Green’s opinion.

“Desperate trades or desperate moves that deplete the future, there’s a responsibility to keep the franchise in a good place (long term) and good place when it comes (to) where we leave this thing when we’re done,” Curry said. “Doesn’t mean you’re not trying to get better, 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 when free agency makes sense . You will continue to improve. Nobody wants to be out of date or be in a situation where you’re missing out. But that doesn’t mean you’re desperate (and) throwing assets around (just because) you want to something.”

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

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

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

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) 14 January 2025

The Warriors don’t need to unload the chop barrel or dangle Kuminga to find an extra rotation player who should be able to help them before the deadline. They’ve talked a lot internally about the need for a center who makes 3s consistently, giving Curry more spacing and better freeing up lineups for Green and Kuminga.

That’s why the Chicago Bulls’ Nikola Vučević (making 43 percent of his nearly five 3s per game) is a player of interest, depending on his ultimate price and availability as the deadline approaches. Others will also attract their attention and could possibly motivate them to move out of a first-round pick.

But the Warriors are in many ways across the middle, which is never a good place to be in professional sports. They are trying to guide Curry’s final seasons to the finish line respectfully while also not ruining their future. It has led to mediocrity in the present and a half-hearted rebuild that is stalling underneath.

“This is a difficult place,” Kerr said. “Mike (Dunleavy Jr.) is incredibly sharp. We have a fantastic organization. I have no doubt that Mike will navigate it and I will help as best I can. We have to try to give Steph every chance he has to perform. It’s really important the last few years, whatever that means. But you don’t give away the future.”

Can these two goals really coincide? It depends on whether you believe the current mix can recover and improve this season, possibly with a deadline tweak or two.

“If you look at the league, there are four or five teams that are really above everybody else,” Kerr said. “We’re in the pack (below that). So I think internally we can get better whether we move or not. I’ve seen it. I saw us start the season as an elite two-way team. I know it’s in us . Mike has to do his job. We keep running away.”

Kerr then expanded on the bigger picture of the legacy of this era. He bristled at the “ring culture” and the idea that it’s only championships or rebuilding, all-in or all-out, capture a fifth Curry ring or it’s a failure.

“I think it’s really important these last few years that we handle ourselves with dignity and competitiveness and fight for everything,” Kerr said. “We want to preserve what has made us the Warriors, what has made us this organization. That means we have to keep fighting. But that means dealing with the pain and indignity of losing with dignity answer. I think it comes out in many different ways. And one of those ways is to not do anything crazy. I think everyone is on it and is in line with that We all wish that the organization is doing the best it can going forward. And we all agree that it would be really irresponsible to jeopardize the future to take a wild stab at something.”

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

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

(Photo: Cole Burston/Getty Images)