The Warriors’ sluggish 1-3 start has put an uncomfortable spotlight on a team that has spent most of the past decade living in a very different reality. With the offseason producing little movement and frustration growing around the roster, the conversation has quickly turned to whether Golden State is asking too much of Steph Curry without giving him enough help.
Head coach Steve Kerr made his stance clear when asked about the future and Curry’s timeline.
“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.
That debate has only intensified as Curry’s supporters keep pointing the finger at the front office. Former Warrior DeMarcus Cousins joined that chorus, unloading on general manager Mike Dunleavy.
“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They're still running the same outdated system as far as going extremely small...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 The system is outdated," Cousins said.
But for all the noise around the roster and the system, one unexpected name has given Golden State a real jolt: rookie phenom Yaxel Lendeborg. Former ESPN writer Bill Simmons believes the first-year player has already changed the conversation around Curry’s present and future.
“Yaxel might have single-handedly saved the Steph era, like for real, and I can't tell you how good he was in this Denver game last night . . . Yaxel looked like mid-2010's LeBron in this game.
I don't say that lightly because mid-2010's LeBron was awesome. They're running the offense through him.
He was all over the place on defense. He was rebounding.
He was initiating stuff. He was getting to the basket whenever.
It was unbelievable. I couldn't believe it.
I couldn't believe how good he was,” Simmons said.
Lendeborg has looked fearless from the start, and Golden State has leaned on that edge early in the season. That included his exchange with Luka Doncic in his first-ever game, another moment that showed he isn’t backing down from anyone.
If the Warriors are going to stay in the playoff race, they’ll need Lendeborg to keep delivering while Jimmy Butler remains out. For now, the rookie’s production is helping keep Golden State afloat - and, if Simmons is right, maybe even keeping the Curry era alive too.
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The early returns on Yaxel Lendeborg have been exactly what Golden State needed while key teammates work their way back from injuries. The rookie has already carved out a real role, and in a season where the Warriors have had to lean on depth sooner than expected, he has looked like one of their most useful players right away.
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The support system matters here. Playing next to strong rim protectors and elite point-of-attack defenders has helped cover some of the gaps that complicated Kumingas role in Golden State, while also making it easier to see his own ability to hold up on that end. For the Warriors, that is the uncomfortable part of the debate: his new situations have suggested a player whose defensive value may depend as much on deployment as on instinct, and whose best position is still not settled. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Just Got Linked To A Trade Idea Fans Will Debate
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From the Warriors perspective, the appeal is obvious: Gafford would give them a more traditional option at a spot where they have been searching for answers. The twist is that the discussion is not just about fit, but about whether the money works cleanly for both sides and how much the Mavericks would value Moody, whose injury status and playing profile are part of the larger calculation. Nothing is finalized, of course, but this is the sort of deal framework that can linger because it forces both front offices to decide how much certainty they want now versus what they might prefer later. [Read more 🡒]