The Warriors entered the 2025-26 season believing they could do something unprecedented. Their core was aging, averaging nearly 37 years old, but experienced enough to believe that health plus timing could deliver one more deep playoff run. That belief held through the early months even as the team hovered near .500. If they could stay healthy and enter the postseason with momentum, they were convinced they could make the league’s younger teams regret dismissing them.
That plan collapsed on January 19. Golden State had just gone 12 and 4 over a 30-day stretch and was starting to look like a genuine threat in the Western Conference when Jimmy Butler tore his ACL, ending his season on the spot. Eleven days later, Steph Curry went down with runner’s knee and missed 27 games. Moses Moody, a key reserve, also suffered a season-ending knee injury before Curry returned.
The Warriors used 43 different starting lineups trying to stay functional. They never found consistent footing after losing Butler, and the injuries compounded until the season became about survival rather than contention.
One brilliant night and then nothing
Golden State’s season produced one genuine highlight. In the play-in tournament against the Clippers in Los Angeles, the Warriors found something they had been chasing all year. They outscored the Clippers 43 points in the fourth quarter alone, shooting 75% from the field and over 72% from three, with Draymond Green shutting down Kawhi Leonard on the other end. It was the kind of performance that reminded everyone what this group was capable of at its best.
That performance put them one win away from the playoffs. It also turned out to be everything they had left.
The rematch against the Suns in Phoenix went differently from the opening minutes. Jalen Green scored 36 points and held Curry to just 17 on 4 of 16 shooting. Golden State turned the ball over repeatedly, the same problem that plagued them throughout the regular season, and the Suns won 111 to 96 without much drama. The Warriors’ season was over.
Kerr addresses his uncertain future
Steve Kerr does not have a contract for next season, and his postgame comments in Phoenix did not suggest he was taking his return for granted. He acknowledged that coaching jobs carry expiration dates and that sometimes an organization benefits from new voices and new perspectives when a run ends. He credited the injuries as the defining factor in what the season became, pointing specifically to Butler’s ACL as the moment everything shifted.
Kerr has been with the Warriors since 2014 and has won four championships with the organization. Whether he returns for another season is now a question for owner Joe Lacob and the front office to answer.
Curry made his preference clear. He stated publicly that he wants Kerr to want the job, to feel energized by it, and to believe he is the right person to lead the team forward. The framing was supportive but also notable. Curry is not simply assuming Kerr stays. He is making the case that Kerr’s own enthusiasm should drive the decision.
Green’s future and the roster decisions ahead
Draymond Green has a $27.7 million player option and pushed back firmly on any suggestion that retirement is on his mind. He said he still enjoys playing and believes he can still contribute at a meaningful level. He also referenced a desire to help develop younger players, a role that has become increasingly central to his value as his athletic prime recedes.
Whether Green’s option makes financial sense for a Warriors team that may be entering a transitional period is a separate question from whether Green wants to return. The front office will need to weigh his leadership value against the roster flexibility that number represents.
Butler, Kristaps Porzingis, Brandin Podziemski, and Al Horford all factor into decisions the Warriors will need to make before next season. Curry, who has spoken about extending his contract, is the one certainty in an offseason that otherwise has very few of them.
