The Warriors entered 2025/26 optimistic about their changes of replicating the second-half success they found in ’24/25 after trading for Jimmy Butler ahead of that season’s deadline. Golden State was just 25-26, the 10th seed in the Western Conference, when Butler made his Warriors debut on February 8, 2025, but the club moved up to No. 7 by going 23-8 to end the ’24/25 regular season.
After beating Memphis in the 7/8 play-in game to advance as the seventh seed, the Warriors faced Houston in the first round, eventually advancing to the semifinals after a tough seven-game series. Unfortunately for Golden State, Stephen Curry got hurt in Game 1 of the second-round matchup vs. Minnesota, which the Timberwolves won in five games.
Rather than make major changes, the Warriors made some moves around the edges last offseason, essentially replacing longtime center Kevon Looney with Al Horford bringing back De’Anthony Melton on a two-year, minimum-salary contract (he had been traded to Brooklyn after suffering a torn ACL during the 2024/25 season), and re-signing Jonathan Kuminga and Gary Payton II.
Kuminga’s restricted free agency dragged into the start of training camp, delaying all of the aforementioned signings. The situation was resolved with Kuminga accepting a two-year, $46.8MM deal that was designed to make him movable at the trade deadline. The Warriors also signed Seth Curry in November once they had a little bit of breathing room beneath their first apron hard cap.
Kuminga, the seventh overall pick in the 2021 draft, opened ’25/26 in the starting lineup, but it didn’t last long — he was pulled after the team was 6-6 after 12 games. The 23-year-old was dealing with a nagging knee injury near the end of that stretch, which caused him to miss seven straight contests after coming off the bench for one game.
After a sluggish 19-18 start to ’25/26, the Warriors seemed to be turning things around in mid-January, winning six of seven games to boost their record to 25-19. The final victory in that span came at a major cost, however, as Butler tore his ACL on January 19 against Miami, his former team.
Butler’s season-ending knee injury lowered Golden State’s ceiling, and less than two weeks later Stephen Curry was diagnosed with patellofemoral pain syndrome, aka runner’s knee. That often isn’t considered a significant injury but it turned into a nagging problem for the two-time MVP, who didn’t play again until April 5.
The relationship between the Warriors and Kuminga, which was already contentious after the offseason didn’t go the way he hoped, continued to deteriorate over time. He eventually demanded a trade on the first day he was eligible to be moved in January.
It took a while, but Golden State found a deal it liked, sending Kuminga and Buddy Hield to Atlanta for Kristaps Porzingis. The Latvian big man had missed extended time due to mysterious circumstances in ’24/25, later saying he had been diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), a chronic health condition with no known cure.
The Warriors were heavily linked to Giannis Antetokounmpo leading up to the February trade deadline, but the Bucks ended up keeping the superstar forward. Draymond Green not Butler, was rumored to be the main salary-matching piece in those talks.
In addition to the knee injuries of Butler and Stephen Curry, Horford and Seth Curry both battled sciatica and other ailments, only playing 45 and 10 regular season games, respectively. Porzingis was in and out of the lineup, appearing in just 15 of Golden State’s 31 contests down the stretch. Then another devastating injury occurred in late March, when Moses Moody tore his patellar tendon.
With their two best players — and by far their highest earners — sidelined, the Warriors tumbled down the standings, finishing with a 37-45 record and the 10th seed in the West. They beat the Clippers in the 9/10 play-in game, then lost to Phoenix with a chance to advance to the playoffs as the No. 8 seed.
In the wake of the difficult season, Steve Kerr initially wasn’t sure whether he wanted to return as head coach, but he ultimately re-signed with the team on a new two-year contract. Now the big question is figuring out what the roster will look like next season with over $69MM in salary ($56.8MM for Butler and $12.5MM for Moody) tied up in two players who are still several months away from returning to action.
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