Why Curry alone keeps the window open
He's a notch below his peak — and still one of the most dangerous players alive.
It comes down to the greatest shooter ever. Stephen Curry, even at 38, remains a dominant offensive force who warps defenses and gives Golden State a puncher's chance in any playoff series. Steve Kerr re-signed on a two-year deal, keeping the brain trust intact, and the front office continues to do what it always does: reload around Curry and chase one more run.
When the core is whole, it still works. When Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green shared the floor, the Warriors were 18-12 — real evidence that a healthy, structured version of this team can compete. Golden State acquired Butler without surrendering much draft capital, preserving the flexibility to keep maneuvering around its aging stars.
Curry is still Curry
At 38 he remains one of the league's most dangerous offensive players — the kind of talent that gives any team a real shot in a seven-game series.
Continuity at the top
Steve Kerr re-signed for two years, and the Curry-Green-Kerr brain trust keeps the dynasty's structure and championship know-how intact.
A high ceiling when healthy
With Curry, Butler and Green together the Warriors were 18-12 — proof the pieces still fit when everyone is actually available.
Why the dynasty's last act could fizzle
Age, money, and one devastating injury are closing the window fast.
The core is old and the margin is gone. Curry will be 38, Draymond Green is 36, and Al Horford is 40 — and in 2026 the Warriors missed the playoffs entirely, finishing 37-45 and losing in the play-in. It was the fourth time in twelve seasons under Kerr that Golden State missed the postseason, and this one stung because the roster was built to compete now.
Then came the season-killer. Jimmy Butler tore his right ACL in January, and his $56.8 million cap hit for 2026-27 — about 34% of the cap — now sits on a player who'll be 37 coming off one of the sport's hardest injuries. That contract is the hinge of the entire offseason: if Butler returns near his level, the Warriors have a core; if not, it becomes a near-immovable anchor on an already cap-strapped, aging roster.
An aging, expensive core
Curry (38), Green (36) and Horford (40) anchor a team that already missed the playoffs and has almost no margin for error left.
Butler's ACL and contract
Jimmy Butler tore his ACL in January; his $56.8M cap hit for a soon-to-be-37 wing is the single biggest swing factor — and risk — of the offseason.
A cap sheet with no easy fix
The Warriors are over the cap with only a handful of players signed, leaving little room to upgrade around Curry without moving Butler or Green.
The one thing that decides it all
The Warriors' entire 2026 hinges on a knee. If Jimmy Butler comes back near his old two-way level, he gives Curry the structure and rim pressure this team desperately needs, and a healthy Curry-Butler-Green core can still scare anyone in a seven-game series. If Butler can't recover from a torn ACL at 37, his massive contract becomes an anchor, the aging core has no realistic path to upgrade, and the dynasty's final act ends not with a title run but with another trip to the play-in — or worse.
