The Golden State Warriors have their work cut out for them after losing Jimmy Butler for the rest of the season. A playoff run seems unlikely which is why the franchise has to figure out how to salvage this season if things go south.
Salvage does not necessarily mean win, with the Warriors facing a brutal truth if the season takes a turn for the worst. If Golden State start dropping a lot of games after the trade deadline, then the focus has to shift to letting the young guys play so the coaching staff can fully evaluate what they have going forward.
Warriors need to shift focus to young players if season goes south
With the semblance of the current championship window closing rapidly for the Warriors after the Butler injury, the team has to turn its attention to next season which is the last where Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Butler are under contract.
Head coach Steve Kerr is not under contract for next season so his future is unclear, but as far as the talent on the court goes, the Warriors have to maximize everything to give Curry one last shot at a title.
That could mean having to be patient and not making any trades at the deadline, even though Jonathan Kuminga and the Warriors seem to be headed for a split, with the hope that they retain enough draft capital and young players who could be used in a potential trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo or another star in the offseason.
It will also mean letting the young guys play over veterans as the year goes on, allowing the Warriors to decide if guys like Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody and Quinten Post are players who can really help them make a run next season, or if they would be more useful as trade pieces.
Everyone is put in a tough spot by this situation. Curry must be frustrated with the Butler injury because he knows how essential having his fellow veteran star was for any hopes of another title run. General manager Mike Dunleavy is in a tough spot because he is under pressure from owner Joe Lacob to win now, but they both have to consider the future of the team without Curry, Green, and Kerr.
The head coach must be wondering what his future will look like, and has to be considering whether he wants to coach a team next season that likely cannot make a championship run unless they make a big move.
It's frustrating for all parties, but if the Warriors do start to decline in the coming weeks, then they have to commit to playing their young players so they can enter the offseason with as much clarity as possible of what they have and what moves they need to make.