Warriors Face Harsh Reality as Trade Deadline Looms and Injuries Mount
SAN FRANCISCO - The Warriors came home Friday night hoping to find some footing. Instead, they ran into a buzzsaw.
Detroit, fresh off an 18-point loss the night before, came into Chase Center and lit the place up from the jump - dropping 45 points in the first quarter and never looking back. Golden State tried to claw back, but the hole was too deep, and the 131-124 loss only added to what’s quickly becoming a troubling stretch. Since Jan. 19 - the night Jimmy Butler III went down with a torn right ACL - the Warriors are just 2-4.
But Friday’s loss wasn’t just about the scoreboard. The bigger concern came with 4:08 left in the third quarter, when Stephen Curry exited with a flare-up in his right knee - an issue that’s been bothering him for weeks.
“I think he’s OK,” Steve Kerr said after the game. “I don't think it’s anything major, but we’ll have an update tomorrow.”
Still, with Curry’s health in question and the team sliding, the Warriors find themselves in a pressure cooker. The trade deadline is four days away, and the noise around the franchise is getting louder by the hour. It’s not just about salvaging a season - it’s about what kind of future this team wants to build, and how aggressively they’re willing to chase it.
Golden State’s front office - from CEO Joe Lacob to GM Mike Dunleavy - has made it clear they’re not content to drift quietly into the postseason fringes. And with rumors swirling about a potential pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the message is obvious: If there’s a move to be made, they’ll consider it. That puts just about everyone on the roster - except Curry - on uncertain ground.
Draymond Green, who’s been through just about everything in his 14 years with the franchise, isn’t losing sleep over it.
“I have no reason to sit and worry about leaving,” Green said postgame. “But if I'm traded, that's part of your business.
It is what it is. I ain’t losing no sleep though.”
Green’s confidence is rooted in experience, but for the younger players, this is uncharted territory. The days leading up to the trade deadline can be mentally exhausting - especially when your name starts popping up in rumors.
“Honestly, you just got to put your head down and work,” said De’Anthony Melton. “Some stuff is out of your control.
Early in my career, one of the vets told me - when a superstar wants to get moved, everybody's on the block. Nobody's above the program.”
That’s the reality the Warriors are living in. Curry isn’t on the block - that much is clear.
But if the front office is serious about making a run at Giannis, just about everyone else could be part of the conversation. That includes Green, and even Butler, whose salary would match up in a potential deal.
Just last week, Dunleavy said he didn’t envision moving Butler. But in this league, visions change fast - especially when a generational talent might be in play.
And until the deadline passes, the uncertainty lingers. It’s a heavy atmosphere, and it’s not just the young guys feeling it.
“It's hard on all of us,” said Al Horford, now in his 19th season and still logging minutes as one of the league’s elder statesmen. “But especially for younger players that are trying to find their way and establish themselves.
This time of year, I find that it doesn't matter what team you're on, it's always going to be stressful. It's tough.
We kind of have to have some sort of empathy for everybody, because we're all just kind of going through it. And there's a lot of ‘what ifs’ and things like that.
“From my experience, once the deadline passes, everybody kind of takes a deep breath. It slows down, and you'll see a better team.”
The Warriors are hoping that’s the case. They’ve now dropped four of six since Butler’s injury, and Friday’s loss was another gut punch.
This was a team that, not long ago, sat at 25-19 - six games over .500 and building momentum. But the injury bug, combined with trade rumors and roster uncertainty, has thrown everything into flux.
And yet, the games don’t stop. The 76ers come to town on Tuesday, followed by a trip to Phoenix on Thursday - the day of the trade deadline. That’s the job: suiting up, staying focused, and trying to win games while the ground shifts beneath your feet.
“That's the job, and it's no fun to see your name in a trade rumor or something,” Kerr said. “But it's the job.
We talk about that frequently. Not all the time, but we mention it.
“It’s a great job. But also, there's some difficult aspects. And this is one.”
The Warriors know they’re at a crossroads. A team that once defined stability and success is now facing tough questions about its identity, its future, and how far it’s willing to go to stay in the championship conversation. The next few days could shape the rest of their season - and possibly the next era of Warriors basketball.