The Golden State Warriors have run out of valid reasons to hold off on giving Stephen Curry a realistic shot at one more championship. His seemingly timeless abilities may paint the picture of an everlasting prime, but the Warriors are playing with fire if they think they can simply remain patient in the face of the approaching end of an era.
For as valid as it may be to want to wait until the summer to make a big splash, the Warriors can't afford to treat any season as anything other than the potential end of Curry's reign.
Curry is playing at a level that few players 10 years his junior could ever even dream of matching. He's currently averaging 27.4 points, 4.9 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 4.5 three-point field goals made per game on .470/.392/.928 shooting.
The fact that the Warriors can't afford to ignore, however, is that Curry is also less than two months away from turning 38.
Curry's unprecedented late-30s success at the point guard position offers reason to believe he can sustain his greatness. The other side of the coin the Warriors must at least glance at, however, reveals that there's no true frame of reference for how much longer he can keep this up.
Rather than assuming that the greatest player in franchise history will always be there to deliver, Golden State must operate with the urgency his commitment and contributions deserve.
Warriors can't take Stephen Curry's defiance of Father Time for granted
Clearly, the Warriors are in a brutal position having lost Jimmy Butler to a season-ending knee injury. That's undoubtedly changed the dynamic of the rotation, as one of the best players of the 21st century is no longer available for Steve Kerr to factor into the team's plans.
For as fair as that may be, and for as difficult as it likely would be to move Butler's $54,126,450 salary, the Warriors still need to make progress toward achieving the goal of winning another title with Curry.
Perhaps it's impossible for Golden State to complete that process ahead of the 2026 NBA trade deadline. Outside of a move for a superstar, there simply may not be an immediate path toward becoming a true contender given the strength of the teams at the top of the standings.
What the Warriors can accomplish, however, is the completion of at least one trade that improves the roster to the point of being able to utilize the offseason to put the finishing touches on a contender.
Even that would require a degree of optimism that Curry can continue playing at his current level during what would be his age-39 season in 2026-27. The reason it's preferable to simply staying the course, however, is that it would at least prove that the Warriors are serious about giving him a chance.
If Golden State instead opts to stand its ground and proceed with the roster it's already assembled, however, then it would risk positioning Curry to end his career with far less hope than he's provided.