The Golden State Warriors are staring at a future that feels a lot less certain than the one fans got used to in the Stephen Curry years. Curry is heading into his age-38 season, Jimmy Butler won’t be back until at least the middle of 2026-27, and when he does return he’ll be 37 and coming off an ACL tear. Add in the way the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are positioned near the top of the Western Conference, and the road to a real playoff push looks awfully steep.
Still, the door isn’t shut. The Warriors have already shown what can happen when the timing breaks right - 2022 is the reminder everyone keeps coming back to. If Curry stays elite and Golden State gets the right support around him, the team can still make noise when the games tighten up.
That’s the basic idea Doc Rivers pointed to in a recent conversation with Warriors reporter Monte Poole, using his 2008 championship with the Boston Celtics as the model.
“I thought when we won it in 2008, we had the perfect mix,” Rivers told Poole. “We had the old guys at the front of the team and then we actually had the really old guys at the back of the team and then we had the young guys in the middle.
It was like a push-pull thing. The old guys would just pull the young guys along, the young guys would push the old guys every day in practice and I think it’s a good mix and that’s what you have to have."
For Golden State, that mix starts with Curry, but it can’t stop there. The young players have to matter, too, and the names that stand out are Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos, and Yaxel Lendeborg.
Lendeborg looks like the clearest swing piece. His defensive activity already stands out, but he’ll need to bring the same kind of offensive efficiency he flashed in Summer League if he’s going to be trusted with real minutes.
Podziemski has a different assignment. He’s shown moments as a scorer and playmaker with the ball, but the inconsistency has kept him from becoming someone the Warriors can fully lean on in a playoff setting.
Santos, meanwhile, needs to keep building on the momentum he started last season. The role is simple enough on paper: cut hard, score around the paint, and give the offense another workable option.
If those young pieces take steps forward and Golden State gets useful work from veteran additions like De'Anthony Melton and Al Horford, there’s at least a path to the Warriors being better than expected in 2026-27, even without James on the roster.
Rivers may not have been talking about Golden State directly, but the blueprint he described is the one the Warriors are chasing.
In Other News...
Warriors Suddenly Have A New Reason To Revisit Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis has a way of keeping the league talking, and his latest comment at Fanatics Fest only added fuel to the speculation. After years of injuries limiting his availability, Davis said he expects to play every game next season, a bold claim that naturally caught the attention of teams that have long wondered whether his talent can ever be matched by his health.
For Golden State, the question is less about the ceiling than the calendar. If the Warriors medical staff believes Davis can realistically get into the 60-game range, a blockbuster pursuit starts to make more sense, especially with Jimmy Butler already in the mix as a possible outgoing piece. Nothing is close to official, and with LeBron James free agency still unresolved, this remains one of those situations that could sit quietly for a while before suddenly coming back into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors May Need One More Bold Move To Truly Lure LeBron
LeBron James still has not made his free-agency decision, and the Warriors are clearly leaving the door open for one more aggressive swing if it helps their pitch. Golden State has already been linked to ways of strengthening the roster around him, but the conversation is no longer limited to the familiar Anthony Davis chatter. There is a growing sense that the Warriors are looking for a different kind of upgrade, one that fits both their timeline and the kind of talent James would want beside him.
Trey Murphy III has emerged as a name to watch, with Golden State believed to have the flexibility to pursue him if it decides to push harder. Murphys appeal is obvious in this kind of pursuit: he gives the Warriors another high-end piece to sell in a recruiting pitch, while also giving the front office a cleaner path than a full-blown overhaul. The question now is whether the Warriors are willing to make that extra bold move before James finally chooses his next team. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Kuminga Saga Just Got More Complicated For Warriors Fans
Jonathan Kumingas market is still taking shape, and the latest wrinkle is that the Lakers remain in the conversation even after adding several pieces to their roster. Insider reporting says Los Angeles could still pursue the Warriors forward through a sign-and-trade, with contract talks ongoing and a middle-ground framework being discussed as the sides try to find something workable.
The complication for Golden State is that the Lakers are not alone here. Milwaukee has also entered the picture, with Cleveland monitoring the situation as well, which only adds pressure to a process that has not produced a final agreement. If a deal does come together, there is still the matter of what it takes to satisfy Atlanta on the sign-and-trade side, leaving this one very much in the unfinished stage for Warriors fans watching the market. [Read more 🡒]