The Future of The Golden State Warriors By: Anmol Puri

 The Future of The Golden State Warriors

By: Anmol Puri

Current State

The Golden State Warriors face many difficult decisions these upcoming offseason. After their disappointing loss against the Phoenix Suns, the Warriors have landed at the eleventh pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. This gives them chances to land an impact player for the ‘now’ like Andy Mara or Yaxel Lendeborg. They also have the possibility of landing players like Karim Lopez or Nate Ament who could be future stars in the league. Looking at the Warriors with just this context, some may believe that their future could be bright and on the rise, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The Warriors have one of the oldest NBA rosters with their stars being in their mid to late 30s with Stephen Curry turning 39 during the 2026-2027 NBA season. 

Mediocrity

Over the past 5 years, the Warriors have had interesting post season runs. In 2021, Stephen Curry had a spectacular season finishing third in the MVP race. Despite this, the Warriors found themselves in the Play-In tournament. After their championship run in 2022, and playoff run in 2023, the warriors found themselves in the Play-in once again for the next 3 seasons, making the playoffs one time. This run of mediocrity have left them without any major draft capital, and they find themselves in a similar spot now.

The Future

Their recent loss and increasing age have made many people question whether it’s time to blow things up, or to go all in for one final push. Stephen Curry is a transcendent player who is still capable of leading a time to the NBA Championship, but the unfortunate luck of Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody’s recent injuries have derailed the Warriors chances of competing in the coming seasons. With the limited assets that Golden State has left, they can decide to go for a star player to put alongside their superstar. On the other hand, Golden State can also choose to start preparing for a future past their duo of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. Their eleventh pick should help with this as well as trying to get younger throughout the offseason. 

Overall, the Warriors are stuck between two difficult choices and limited resources to deal with their problems. The cost of four championships have left them with a questionable future.

Works Cited

Akeley, Joey. “Warriors Big Board: Top Draft Options at No. 11.” Golden State Warriors on SI, Inside The Warriors, 11 May 2026, www.si.com/nba/warriors/onsi/warriors-big-board-top-draft-options-at-no-11-01krbwgrcazr. Accessed 13 May 2026.

Bhargava, Yagya. “Warriors Front Office Reportedly Indicates Future Plan for Draymond Green.” Yahoo Sports, 10 May 2026, sports.yahoo.com/articles/warriors-front-office-reportedly-indicates-153254696.html. Accessed 13 May 2026.

Quinn, Sam. “What’s next for Warriors? Steph Curry Era Is Fading, but There Are Three Paths back to Contention.” CBS Sports, 2026, www.cbssports.com/nba/news/warriors-offseason-preview-steph-curry-era-fading-three-paths-back-to-contention/.