Draymond Green isn’t buying the idea that Stephen Curry will be back in two weeks.
After Curry left the Golden State Warriors’ loss to the Houston Rockets just six minutes in, the team first got a cautious response from head coach Steve Kerr, who said after the game he was not optimistic about the injury. Hours later, the Warriors confirmed Curry has a torn oblique and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Green, speaking on his podcast, made it clear he expects the recovery to take longer than that window.
“I would say there’s probably no chance that he’s back in two weeks. You’re kind of just re-evaluating in two weeks and seeing where you are.
“An oblique injury is one of those things that tells you when it’s healed. There’s no set timeline, some of them heal faster than others depending on the severity, depending on where it is. Some heal faster, some take longer, so there’s no certainty.
“Then you get to the point where you need your core strength, you need your rotational strength-you need all of those things. So as you progress, as the pain starts to subside, you start to push the boundaries more and more, but no one knows how long that’ll take.
“I think after a few days, you start to get a better picture of what you’re looking at.”
The injury could keep Curry sidelined well beyond the initial two-week check-in. He stands to miss six games over the next two weeks, and that number grows to nine if the absence stretches to three weeks.
That would likely push his return into December, when the knockout rounds of the NBA Cup are played. Golden State faces the Spurs in a group stage matchup tonight.
Green said the Warriors will have to wait and see how severe the injury really is.
“We’ll have to see how this goes. Hopefully, it’s a more moderate one, if you will, rather than being extremely severe.
“Like I said, over the next few days, those things start to declare themselves,so we’ll have to wait that one out and see.”
In Other News...
Jimmy Butler's Rehab Just Raised A New Warriors Question
Jimmy Butlers recovery from a torn ACL has already become one of the more closely watched storylines around Golden State, and his latest step has only added another layer to it. Butler has said he wants to get into a G League game for the Santa Cruz Warriors before he makes his way back to the Warriors lineup, a plan that would give him a live-game test in a lower-pressure setting as he works his way through rehab.
For Golden State, the idea is intriguing because it would offer a clearer bridge between the training room and the NBA floor, but it still depends on medical clearance from the teams staff. Steve Kerr has welcomed the possibility, though it remains unclear whether the Santa Cruz appearance would become an official part of Butlers rehabilitation path, leaving the Warriors with one more question to sort out as his return draws closer. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Trade Need Suddenly Feels Real After Curry Injury
Stephen Currys oblique injury has changed the temperature around Golden State almost overnight, turning a roster conversation into something far more urgent. Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported that the Warriors are now looking at potential trade targets such as Wendell Carter Jr. and Naz Reid as they try to steady a frontcourt that suddenly looks thinner than expected.
Carter has been performing well this season for the Orlando Magic, and the idea of adding a player with a similar profile to Kristaps Porzingis gives the Warriors a clearer sense of the type of move they may be chasing. For now, though, it remains speculative, with any real path forward depending on negotiations between Golden State and Orlando, and on how aggressively the Warriors decide to respond to Currys absence. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Face A New Trade Problem In Porzingis Pursuit
The NBAs draft lottery reform has quietly changed the trade market, and it may be making life harder for the Warriors as they try to sort through a Kristaps Porzingis pursuit. With the incentive to bottom out reduced, fewer low-performing teams are eager to move veteran pieces, which means the usual pool of sellers is thinner than it once was. For Golden State, that can turn a straightforward search for a deal into a much narrower hunt.
So the Warriors may have to look elsewhere for a workable path, and that likely means teams dealing with financial pressure rather than teams chasing the lottery. The Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic stand out as possible partners in that kind of framework, but the broader point is clear: this is no longer just about finding a team willing to trade, it is about finding one with the right mix of need and flexibility. [Read more 🡒]