Few teams have had a worse offseason that the Golden State Warriors. They're a "win now" team with an aging core who missed out on every major free agent and trade available. There's a legendary breakup coming that the Sacramento Kings need to steer clear of or risk the rebuild.
While fans didn't know it at the time, the Warriors' 2022 NBA Championship was the end of the most dominant team of the late 2010s and early 2020s. They made the NBA Finals five years in a row, as well as six times in eight seasons. And they won four titles over the course of that epic run.
Led by head coach Steve Kerr, Golden State's core was built around Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and Andre Iguodala. Kevin Durant was even on the roster for a couple of those titles. But these days, the Warriors are a shadow of their former selves as the core broke up.
The fall of the Golden State Warriors
Thompson left for Dallas. Durant left to prove himself. Iguodala retired. Kerr, Curry, and Green remained, and brought in Jimmy Butler to get back in the hunt. That didn't work out well. Now, Curry Green, and Butler are set to be unrestricted free agents at the end of the 2026-2027 season.
This offseason, the Warriors failed to land a multitude of available stars such as Giannis Antetokunmpo and Jaylen Brown. Even worse, they missed out on LeBron James who was supposedly a gimme for Golden State. It had long been reported he wanted to join that team.
Instead, James signed onto a stacked 76ers roster alongside Brown. Why? Because even with James, the Warriors would not have been a competitive team, and he knew it. Golden State has dropped the ball on development for the future and league knows it.
Don't take the bait from Golden State
That seems to be changing as the front office recently made their commitment to developing new players clear. If they're not committed to retiring as Warriors, that could mean loyalists like Curry and Green might not take an extension and will look for a new home next offseason.
If that happens, the Kings cannot go after Curry, Butler, or Green. Sacramento is in the middle of a rebuild process, one that is focused on youth. All three players are closing in on the end of their respective careers. They're not the type of athletes who fit into that process well.
Not only that, they each have sizable contracts and have to be open to huge decreases. All three are elite players, without question. But if Sacramento wants to get this rebuild off the ground, the have to focus on younger players who are pushing towards the future, not contemplating retirement.
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