Jan 5, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) and head coach Steve Kerr react in the second half against the LA Clippers at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Jan 5, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) and head coach Steve Kerr react in the second half against the LA Clippers at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Golden State Warriors are a few seasons away from going into a total rebuild, as their situation seems to be going from bad to worse. Amid the growing discussions around Stephen Curry and the Warriors’ uncertain future, combined with a severely depleted roster, new information has come to light that indicates their hope of a fifth championship together could officially be over.
According to Danny Emerman, a senior NBA writer with the San Francisco Standard, who recently sat down for an interview with Celtics Daily, he reported that Steve Kerr, Stephen Curry, and Draymond Green seem to have swallowed the bitter truths about their situation: the Warriors are no longer title contenders. Consequently, he feels their priorities have changed.
“Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Steve Kerr, they all know the deal here. They know that they’re not legitimate title contenders,” said Emerman during his interview.
“But it’s not that they’re okay with that. It’s just that they’re faced with that reality. And what they’re prioritizing is going out together, going out with dignity, playing hard, and improving every day as much as they can.”
“They’ve all been vocal about not wanting to mortgage the future. That’s a concept that we can unpack a little bit because I don’t think they might have the same definition as some other people in the organization or outside the organization,” Emerman added.
“But they want to play as hard as they can, win as many games as they can for sure. They want to compete, and they want to play the right way. While knowing that, you know, a championship is probably unrealistic to strive for at this point.”
Stephen Curry recently acknowledged during a conversation with ‘The Athletic’ that the Warriors have certainly prioritised making moves with the idea that they don’t “handcuff them over the next five to seven seasons.”
In essence, this confirms the rumors that the Warriors are prioritizing their post-Stephen Curry era over making win-now moves with this trio at their core. So while these three will remain competitive and persevere through the season, they have ultimately accepted that being championship contenders is out of the question now.
And while Draymond Green signed a $27.7 million contract extension and declared his intentions to retire with the Warriors, he also conceded that he would be open to a trade if the front office feels it improves the roster.
Therefore, even Green acknowledges that the Warriors’ long-term future could be prioritized over giving the dynasty core the exit they deserve with a farewell tour in the Bay Area.
Do you think this trio will get the exit with dignity that they deserve, or will the cold NBA business bite them as well? Let us know what you think in the comments section.