The Golden State Warriors have missed the playoffs for the third time in the past five years, the lights of the Bay Area dynasty flickering as their stars come to terms with the reality that Father Time really is undefeated.
Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green —the core that started it all —are each at least 34 years old.
For his part, Curry seems to be in peak physical condition. Due to his play style, as long as Curry can dart around screens, he may always be dangerous. In 2023-24, the two-time MVP averaged 26.4 points and 5.1 assists per game on 40.8 percent shooting from 3. It’s the sixth season of his career meeting or exceeding those numbers.
Green doesn’t quite strike fear into his opponents defensively like he used to. However, he remains Golden State’s best glue guy, averaging 8.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.0 steal, and 0.9 blocks per game. In 2023-24, he also caught fire from beyond the arc, shooting a career-high 39.5 percent from 3.
Thompson has had the roughest go of it from a performance standpoint. Once a premier 3-and-D wing, two major injuries in back-to-back seasons have sapped him of his lateral quickness. Thompson remains an elite shooter, knocking down at least 38 percent of his 3s in every season of his career. Yet, he’s no longer reliable defensively, limiting him to a role as a 3-point specialist.
What’s more, Thompson will become a free agent this offseason. To that point, multiple teams are rumored to have interest in the five-time All-Star. With the right salary and role, Thompson leaving Golden State to head East isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Steve Kerr Reveals Mindset as End of Warriors Dynasty Approaches
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr recently sat down to discuss the potential end of Golden State’s dynasty.
“There’s no recipe for how to end it,” Kerr says, per Audacy’s Ryan Gilbert.
“These things all end however they end,” Kerr continues. “In the (Chicago) Bulls’ case, it was ‘Alright, everybody’s a free agent, see ya later, and it was over. In San Antonio’s case, they found a way to revive it, win another title, and then guys ended up retiring and now they’ve been in a situation where they haven’t made the playoffs in a few years.”
As Kerr alluded to, after he played for the Chicago Bulls from 1993-94 to 1997-98, the team broke up because they didn’t want to re-sign free agents. Despite winning six championships with Michael Jordan, the Bulls decided to let the players go their own way.
Jordan briefly retired for the second time. Scottie Pippen was traded to the Houston Rockets for Roy Rogers, who only played three seasons in the NBA. Dennis Rodman signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. Kerr was traded to the Spurs.
This fortuitous move allowed Kerr to play his second straight dynasty team, this one led by Tim Duncan. Playing for the Spurs in four of the next five seasons, Kerr won two rings with San Antonio. After Kerr’s playing days, the Spurs went on to win three more championships with Duncan as the face of the franchise.
However, by the time San Antonio’s core won their last ring together, Duncan was 37 years old. His longtime sidekicks —Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli —weren’t far behind. Ginobli was just a year younger, in fact. Parker was 31 years old and not too far removed from his prime but still on the wrong side of 30.
The Right Way
Chicago has seen plenty of stars walk through the House That Jordan Built. San Antonio is now revving up their rebuild, invigorated by the potential of 2023 No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama. However, neither the Bulls nor Spurs have been able to win a championship since their dynasties ended.
For Kerr, these examples have shown him that the right way to end a dynasty is gracefully. In doing so, he’s made it clear to Green that the antics he’s become infamous for have to cease. The Warriors want him to play with fire but they don’t want it to be expressed in undignified ways.
“So you can describe it however you want. I think what’s important to me is that our guys do it the right way. With dignity. With grace. I understand that we haven’t always done that. There have been moments where – with Draymond, the incident with Jordan (Poole) last year. That’s not dignified. Obviously. The stuff that happened early in the season.
So a part of my conversations with Draymond were, ‘You owe it to yourself but also to the franchise to do this the right way. To go out competing as best you can. Be the best version of yourself. Lead the younger guys. Teach them what being a pro is about. And he responded beautifully. In the whole second half of the season, I thought he was amazing. I thought he played well. I thought he handled himself well. Took on a leadership role. And it was fun to watch.”
Not Fighting Father Time
“Yeah, we didn’t [make the playoffs], and that’s part of it. But I’m really proud of the ways Draymond and Klay handled themselves in the second half,” Kerr says, alluding to Thompson’s psychological battle as he comes to terms with his decline.
“I’m proud of the team for making the push they did,” he continues. “But this is the reality of Father Time catching up and this is the way pro sports works. Whether it’s the end of our run or whether we have a little bit of time left —which we’re hoping —we are where we are and not much is going to change that.”
There are questions about the future of Thompson and former No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins. Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, and Trayce Jackson-Davis have to elevate their games now that Kerr isn’t stubbornly resistant to the idea of leaning on his youth.
However, as previously mentioned, the Warriors’ best players all have juice left in the tank. How much is up in the air. Nonetheless, they should be competitive throughout the remainder of Curry’s contract, which expires in 2026.
Their combination of potential, talent, experience is worth believing in. At least for a little while longer.
