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NBA NBA Postseason After an up-and-down season featuring trade rumors, injuries and more, the Warriors are headed home before the playoffs begin. Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; Photos: Mike Ehrmann, Paras Griffin, Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images PHOENIX — With 1: 06 remaining, and their season over, Steve Kerr huddled with his two stars during a review on Friday night. Draymond Green under his right arm. Stephen Curry under his left. And when he finished talking to the future Hall of Famers, the three of them hugged. Nobody knows more than those three how fast times change and circumstances shift. It happened to them this season. So with defeat inevitable, the three stalwarts of the Golden State Warriors, the trio that remains from the dynasty that changed basketball, they took a moment together. No doubt fully aware it could possibly be for the last time. Advertisement The end came mercifully. The Warriors’ 2025-26 campaign, one that began with hopes of contention and was temporarily extended by a vintage-feeling Play-In win on Wednesday, finally expired in the Mortgage Matchup Center, euthanized by the Suns in a 111-96 loss. The proverbial end came much earlier — on Jan. 19, when Jimmy Butler tore his ACL, robbing Golden State of a critical piece. Then, 11 days later, a Curry knee injury sidelined him for 27 games — long enough to relieve the Warriors from the delusion of their puncher’s chance. Deep down, they knew. The reality of their inevitable demise this season seeped into their comments, into their aura and, eventually, into the Play-In Tournament. Pride wouldn’t allow them to completely relinquish their faint chance at consolation success. But the Warriors ran out of resilience against the Suns. Jalen Green, amid a scorching hot Play-In week, terminated this last gasp in Golden State’s season. And now begins, perhaps, the last ride. In the summer of 2023, after losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the playoffs, one year removed from their fourth title of the Curry era, the Warriors stood at a crossroads. They could reconfigure and walk away from their dynastic era, or, instead, opt for one more push. With Curry under contract, they had a three-year window for No. 5. They signed Green to a four-year extension. They traded Jordan Poole, a pillar of the 2022 championship team, to Washington. Thus began the earnest push to get Curry one more ring. Friday marked the end of Year 3 of that plan. The one-year, $62. 6 million extension Curry signed in 2024 adds another year to the window. But so much has happened since, including the acquisition of Butler and Kristaps Porziņģis, that it’s no longer a clean plan. Now the organization faces a more complicated version of the same question: How much longer does it ride this era? Advertisement Steve Kerr does not have a contract to coach the Warriors next season. Green has a player option and wants an extension. Curry and Butler are also eligible for extensions. Porziņģis has to decide if he wants in. Moses Moody, one of the young players who earned a spot as a core contributor this season, would do well to return around the next All-Star break from his knee injury. The Warriors have just three contracts on the books currently beyond next season: Moody, Gui Santos and Will Richard — along with the rights to Brandin Podziemski, who would be a restricted free agent if he doesn’t sign an extension this offseason. In the NBA, lame-duck contracts are built-in distractions. Players don’t like the risk of no long-term security. General manager Mike Dunleavy and owner Joe Lacob will have to decide whether next season is indeed the last attempt to construct a new champion from its classic frame. Do they have the stomach to wager it all on this season? Or will they lean in and sign players to extensions? Any conversation about Golden State’s present and future starts with Curry, and even No. 30 brings uncertainty. Will Curry sign a contract extension this offseason? One year or two? Does he take the maximum salary again or lower his cap hit? More importantly, how much can the Warriors still rely on him? The wear and tear he has built up after 17 years in the league came to the forefront more this season than in years past. Just before returning in early April, Curry acknowledged his “new normal” around a lingering runner’s knee issue that will likely impact his remaining years in the league on some level. Curry isn’t sure how much longer he will play, but he recently told The Athletic that the end is “on the horizon, ” adding, “we’re all trying to extend it as long as we can. ” Advertisement After Friday’s loss to the Suns, he said he could envision playing beyond just one more season. “Multiple, for sure, ” he said. He also expressed interest in an extension, though he has not yet had those conversations with the team. The process of extending that ending got more difficult for Curry at the end of January after the knee injury. Just before his return at the beginning of April, he acknowledged that the on-again, off-again soreness would be something he would have to continually face moving forward. That was on display over Curry’s last two weeks of the season as he didn’t have the same consistent lift he did before the injury. The other reminders were subtle – the large heating pad he wore around the right knee at times on the bench just before entering games, or the ice pack after practices and games. When asked before Wednesday’s Play-In game if he was ready to play 35 minutes, he playfully jabbed, “Don’t start with me. ” Curry, alongside popular VP of player health and performance Rick Celebrini, has signaled he is determined to push back his basketball ending as long as possible — but what he described in that initial news conference before his return was sobering within the organization. The feeling being — there are going to be some days where his knee feels great, and he looks like the Hall of Famer of old, and there will be others in which Curry doesn’t look like himself. It’s an adjustment both he and his team will have to account for. The Warriors have long been able to count on Curry being on the floor and able to carry them through any rough patches, but now, as much as ever, he’ll need a teammate who can assume the burden when he can’t. The signs continue to point to yes — at least for another season. Kerr, 60, still has the fire to do the job and would like to continue coaching Curry, the man who helped him create the culture that produced four NBA championships. Kerr and Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy have repeatedly said throughout the season that they would discuss the future after this campaign ended. A team source reiterated the same message in recent days. Another team source highlighted the need for organizational alignment regarding the road ahead — from owner Joe Lacob on down — as an important aspect in those talks. Kerr signed a two-year, $35 million extension in 2024 that is now ending. The question is, when Kerr, Dunleavy and Lacob all sit down at some point soon, will they decide to continue the partnership that has provided so much success for the group? The odds remain strong that it will. After a surprising comeback win over the Phoenix Suns on Feb. 5, just hours after the trade deadline passed, Green spoke about his debut on the trade rumor mill. As the Warriors joined in on the pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo, which featured weeks of speculation, Green faced the reality that the Warriors could move him — the first time in his 14-year career he felt such angst. Advertisement “It got nerve-racking toward the end, ” Green said after the game. “But yeah, it is what it is. Move forward. It’s not something I want to get used to, though. ” Days later, while formally introducing Porziņģis before a game in Los Angeles, Dunleavy pushed back on reports that Green’s name was part of the conversations with Milwaukee regarding the Bucks’ two-time MVP. Per league sources, however, assurances had been given to Butler during that time that he was not part of the talks, which were not given to Green, who had a very public blowup with Kerr just before Christmas. And if the Warriors were going to do that deal, one of those two players had to go to Milwaukee for salary purposes. What’s more, Green — who had talked openly with Kerr about the reality he might be traded — went into even more detail about the deadline experience on his podcast. Green and the Warriors powered through the awkwardness, but the future remains a bit murky. He has a player option worth over $27 million for next season that he has to decide whether to pick up. If Green and the Warriors rework the deal, it could allow them a little more wiggle room this summer in regard to cap ramifications. The Warriors, according to a team source, are waiting to see first what Green decides to do with the option, but his hope remains that he will stay with the only team he’s ever known. But after a lackluster season, one in which he struggled to find consistency on the offensive end to the tune of just 8. 4 points a game, his lowest output since the 2021-22 season, do they really want to bring Green back, and is he still worth the price tag it would likely cost to keep him beyond next year? He made a strong case for himself in the Warriors’ win over the Clippers. Green shut down Kawhi Leonard in the fourth quarter of an intense Play-In game that saw the Warriors rally from a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit. Both Kerr and Green — who opened up about the personal pride he feels about the standard he’s helped create — have maintained throughout the season that they’d like the 36-year-old forward to finish his career with the Warriors. But with Jonathan Kuminga’s contract gone, Green’s salary is next up as the most tradeable, which will only fuel speculation about using him in trade packages. Green is still a trusted team leader and one of the best defensive players in the game, but his contract could serve as the last opportunity the Warriors have to try to put together a package for a star. The Warriors have two massive salaries on the books next season in Curry ($62. 6 million) and Butler ($56. 8 million). The next sizable salary is Green’s $27. 7 million player option. Then Moses Moody’s $12. 5 million, which would be tough to trade since his ruptured patellar tendon threatens most of next season. So if the Warriors want to trade for any player with a significant salary, Green would make the most sense to be included. Advertisement Green and Curry, alongside Kerr, are the remaining pillars within the organization — but just how much power Curry still has on day-to-day operations will likely be tested. As hard as Dunleavy pushed against the deadline chatter, Green knew there was a chance he could be dealt. The possibilities might rekindle this summer. Butler believes he will return at some point next season but doesn’t know exactly when. Since before February’s trade deadline, the Warriors, according to a league source, have made it clear to Butler that he is part of their plans. But as the summer plays out, that will likely be tested as the Warriors try to improve their roster. Are they willing to wait for Butler’s rehab? Do they trust he will be close to the same player whenever he returns? The market for Butler won’t figure to sizzle, since he’ll be coming off an ACL injury. But he could have value as a huge expiring contract. When Butler was on the floor, the Warriors found success. They had won 12 of their last 16 games when he got injured. Kerr and Dunleavy remain optimistic that whenever he can return, he will provide the Warriors with a different look, one that plays well off Curry, and can help them succeed. It’s certainly a locker room that believes the end of the season would’ve looked much different if Butler never got hurt. Butler, who will be 37 in September, has stated that he has enjoyed his short time in the Warriors’ culture. They allow Butler to be himself and trust he will do the work behind the scenes. But in his previous stops around the league, many of his blowups centered around money and contracts. In Butler’s mind, respect is displayed with a new deal. The Warriors gave him a fresh max extension when they traded for him. Will he be loyal to the organization now if it stands by him throughout his rehab? Restricted free agency with Kuminga produced drama that lasted well into the season. It began in earnest in May, after he shined in the playoffs against Minnesota, and lasted up until the February trade deadline, when he was finally dealt to Atlanta to end a four-year saga. Now it’s Podziemski’s turn. And like Kuminga, he’s polarizing. Advertisement Podziemski played in all 82 games for the first time, one of only 18 players across the league to accomplish the feat, and Kerr said his teammates gave him an ovation in the locker room after Sunday’s regular-season finale. Podziemski averaged a career-high 13. 8 points and seemed to play his best toward the end of the season. Aside from his durability, his season will also be defined by the backlash he received from a portion of the Warriors’ fan base for some of the comments he made earlier in the year. He was a frequent target on social media, and in one case, was booed briefly at a San Francisco Giants game on April 3rd. Podziemski remained outwardly confident through the scrutiny, but the backlash seemed to limit what he felt comfortable saying to the media. Kerr has long been a vocal supporter of Podziemski’s, something that has frustrated the same portion of the fan base that has never accepted the player, and personality that the 23-year-old is. Podziemski now faces a decision. He becomes extension-eligible this summer as he enters the fourth year of his original rookie deal. A team source said conversations would likely begin during the summer to bring back a player who has continued to get better. The keys for Podziemski will be: How much money is he looking for? And does he still want to play for a fan base that has not always supported him? The bigger question for the Warriors is: How do they handle this situation without it becoming a big distraction like Kuminga’s contract negotiations eventually became? Porziņģis arrived just before February’s deadline from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Kuminga and Buddy Hield. His acquisition created even more health-related questions as he missed a variety of different games because of an illness. Porziņģis acknowledged that his absence was at least somewhat related to his POTS diagnosis, but never went into further detail about the ongoing health battle. In the 16 games he played as a member of the Warriors, he showed flashes of the player he has been in the past. He can shoot from the outside and still can be a rim protector but hasn’t been able to consistently prove he can stay on the floor. It’s why his contract situation is another key question for the Warriors. The hope internally, both publicly and privately within the organization, has been to re-sign Porziņģis, but it remains to be seen what kind of market he will have. One thing is clear: He will not be getting a two-year, $60 million extension like he signed in Boston in 2023. The Warriors’ ability to potentially get under the first-apron payroll threshold would impact how much they can offer. Advertisement Porziņģis has found a quick comfort level with the Warriors training staff, particularly Celebrini, whom he has called the “GOAT. ” Porziņģis is open to the possibility of staying with the Warriors, in part because of that relationship, but was non-committal about his future when asked about it by The Athletic earlier this month. The Warriors were hoping to see Porziņģis and Curry develop some chemistry heading into the offseason, but it hasn’t happened given Curry’s long absence and Porziņģis’ health issues. The 30-year-old big man offered an honest assessment of the pair’s lack of development earlier this week. “We barely got any time together, ” Porziņģis said. “It’s just hard to develop some crazy plays playing 14 minutes together. It’s a process, and I’m learning Steph and picking up on his things and talking to him … I wish we had more time. ” The Warriors are used to every big name seemingly being floated in their direction. Aside from the potential renewed discussion surrounding an Antetokounmpo swap with Milwaukee, several league observers have speculated about whether longtime stars Kawhi Leonard or Le Bron James would ultimately find a way to the Bay. The Warriors do not have a reasonable path to cap space, so the best they can likely do to pursue James through true free agency is the projected $15 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception. To use that, they would become hard-capped at the first apron (projected at $209 million), and it would likely require Porziņģis leaving and/or trading Butler. They could easily get to the $6. 1 million taxpayer MLE, were James willing to accept something that close to his minimum. A sign-and-trade scenario, which the Lakers would have to be incentivized to accept, would also hard-cap the Warriors at the first apron, and salaries would have to sufficiently match. Matching salaries in a trade for Leonard gets tricky because the only single salary that gets them there is Butler, whom the Clippers might not want. Outside of that, it’s potentially Green (likely picking up his player option), Moody and $10 million in other salaries like Podziemski or Santos. While the Warriors are going to have plenty of options, one team source recently cautioned that the organization didn’t plan on dealing multiple future assets to load up on even more veterans. Plus, with their cap situation and the uncertainty surrounding Butler and Moody, it will be more difficult to make a dramatic change. Still, the Warriors have all their first-round picks and, likely, a variety of choices. The most intriguing piece remains Antetokounmpo. At 31, he fits as the type of bridge superstar who could pair next to Curry for the end of his career, then carry the mantle for the organization after the most important player in franchise history retires. The competition figures to be fierce for the Greek superstar, with other teams able to offer more in the summer. The Warriors were unsuccessful in making a major deal happen before the deadline, but they’ll continue to monitor the market and see if something opens up. De’Anthony Melton made his way back from last season’s ACL injury and played well throughout most of the year. The organization’s thought going into the final two months of the season was that it was going to be tough for the Warriors to keep him, according to a team source, especially given that it was widely assumed he would decline his $3. 5 million player option and have more options in the summer. Advertisement Over the last six weeks of the regular season, though, Melton was up and down. He had some solid offensive nights, but in other games, he would fail to make an impact and continued to struggle finishing at the rim. While the Warriors have interest in a Melton return, according to a team source, much like Porziņģis, it will be interesting to see where — and how much — the other offers come from. Al Horford’s addition to the Warriors didn’t go the way he hoped. He struggled to find any rhythm early in the season. He missed a big chunk of time with a sciatica issue. He started to look like his old self for a stretch starting at Christmas and played the best basketball of his season after that, but a calf injury in mid-March caused him to miss almost another month. The 39-year-old has a player option worth nearly $6 million. He told The Athletic at the beginning of the year that he was hoping the Warriors would be his final stop in a career that has lasted almost two decades. But he also said one of the main reasons he left Boston last summer was to try to win another championship, a decision that came into question more throughout the league as the season rolled along and Jayson Tatum came back into the fold with Boston. Still, Horford became a popular teammate in his short time in the Bay and made an impact inside the locker room. As the Warriors wait to see how the offseason unfolds, the first question centers around the coach who brought the dynasty to life. “I always remember Phil (Jackson’s) quote, ” Kerr said to The Athletic last month: “’Life is a metaphor for basketball and basketball is a metaphor for life. ’ It’s a beautiful statement. … We’ve had years where the gods shone on us, and we walked away with a trophy. And we’ve had years where, like this year, where you get hit in the mouth and knocked down. No different from life. But you get to do this with a group of people you love, and fight through something together, there’s so much value in that. And gratitude for the opportunity. “If you let the adversity and the losses beat you down, then it’s not for you. But if you look at them as challenges, and a chance to fight through something, and enjoy it for all the other reasons you can enjoy it, then it’s still really damn fun. ” — Sam Amick contributed to this story. Spot the pattern. 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