The criticism around the Warriors’ handling of Steph Curry is getting louder, and former Golden State big man DeMarcus Cousins didn’t hold back when he took aim at general manager Mike Dunleavy.
Cousins blasted the roster-building job around Curry and questioned whether the franchise is doing enough to chase another title while its star is still in his prime window. “I think [Mike] Dunleavy has done a sh*t job as far as putting a roster around Steph Curry.
Why this guy still has a job, I'll never know. They're still running the same outdated system as far as going extremely small... it doesn't work anymore.
The system is outdated,” Cousins said.
That frustration has been building for a while. The Warriors have struggled to put together the kind of supporting cast many fans expected this summer, and with Curry nearing the end of his career, the pressure on the front office has only grown. Golden State has been one of the NBA’s defining teams over the past decade, but that track record is now being weighed against a roster that has not looked built for a deep run.
ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins took the argument even further on “NBA Today,” urging Curry to start thinking about his future away from Golden State. “Steph needs to be planning his exit strategy from the Golden State Warriors," said Perkins on 'NBA Today'.
"Think about it, over the last four years, the Warriors have been in the play-in tournament. And this year, the way that the West is stacked up, they're gonna be a play-in tournament team again.
You can't waste any more time hoping and banking that Mike Dunleavy is gonna get it right or is gonna make the moves that are needed to make sure that you can compete for a title, especially in a tough Western Conference."
Steve Kerr also addressed the big-picture dilemma facing the franchise, making clear how difficult the balance has become between maximizing Curry’s remaining years and protecting what comes next. “Do we throw away our entire future to build around a 39-year-old Steph?
He turns 39 in March, right? Does it make sense now to throw away all those picks?
H*ll no," Kerr said.
For a fan base used to winning, the current stretch has been a tough sell. The last few seasons have fallen short of expectations, and former players are now openly questioning whether the organization is accepting too much uncertainty around Curry’s final chapters. Cousins and others see it as the Warriors backing away from the urgency that should come with having a franchise superstar still playing at a high level.
In Other News...
Mavericks Just Got Linked To A Trade Idea Fans Will Debate
The Warriors search for help in the middle has been a constant subplot, and one speculative path that has surfaced would send Daniel Gafford from Dallas to the Bay in a package built around Moses Moody, Gui Santos and a 2028 first-round pick. It is the kind of idea that immediately invites debate because it speaks to two things Golden State has been chasing for a while: more size up front and a clearer answer at center without emptying the cupboard too aggressively.
From the Mavericks side, the appeal would come down to what Moody can become when healthy and available, since his injury status is part of the conversation, along with the kind of perimeter profile he brings. For the Warriors, the question is whether giving up a young wing, a developmental piece and a future first is worth the chance to solve a glaring roster need, especially with the deal still only living in the speculative stage. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Kuminga Is Reviving An Uncomfortable Warriors Debate
Jonathan Kumingas first season away from Golden State has done more than change his scenery. It has also sharpened the case for what kind of player he can be when the environment around him is built to highlight his strengths. Since moving on to the Hawks and then the Timberwolves, his offensive production has stayed fairly steady, but the defensive numbers around him have trended upward, and the broader picture has become harder for the Warriors to ignore.
Minnesota has given Kuminga a much different support system, one that includes strong rim protection and elite point-of-attack defense, and that context matters when evaluating his growth. It also feeds back into an old question Golden State never fully settled: whether Kuminga is best used as a wing, a forward, or in some role that asks less of him defensively and lets his athletic tools play up. The answer may not be simple, but his new stops have made the debate look a lot less theoretical. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Suddenly Face A Serious Kristaps Porzingis Contract Question
Kristaps Porzingis has yet to play for the Warriors this season because of a private health issue tied to an upper respiratory viral illness, and the teams latest roster paperwork has made the situation feel a lot more significant. His official designation changed from general illness to not with team, a shift that brings more than just medical concern into the picture and raises a fresh layer of uncertainty around one of the rosters most unusual absences.
For Golden State, the key issue now is less about when Porzingis might return and more about what the team can do if the situation keeps dragging on. The status change opens the door to a possible contract question if he is eventually viewed as unwilling to render services, but actually voiding the deal would be anything but simple. Unless Porzingis were to retire and give back the money, the process would be tangled, and the Warriors may be staring at a problem with no easy resolution. [Read more 🡒]