The Golden State Warriors have been selling fans the dream of building what may amount to one last championship contender around Stephen Curry. Unfortunately, the Warriors' actions haven't exactly aligned with their words as they continue to struggle to give Curry a fighting chance.
It's a disappointing development considering Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy told Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle that he wants to help Curry "stay at this championship level."
Curry is complemented by four All-Star teammates in Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Al Horford, and Kristaps Porzingis. They also have an intriguing collection of under-25 players, including Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, and Will Richard.
With that assembly of talent established, it's perhaps fair to argue that Golden State has done a respectable job of building a contender.
The unfortunate truth, however, is that the time-sensitive nature of building around a 37-year-old Curry has been met with neither a sense of urgency nor an understanding of the importance of young building blocks. Up-and-comers have been erratically featured and the Warriors' idea of a big splash has consistently revolved around gambling on aging or injury-prone players.
With far too much risk involved in every decision, the Warriors have inevitably struggled to give Curry a realistic shot at winning a fifth championship by failing to find the ideal middle ground.
Warriors failing to help Stephen Curry contend as he nears 40
Green is a Warriors lifer who may retire with the franchise if he's ultimately re-signed during the 2026 period of free agency. He's also earned All-Defense notoriety as recently as 2024-25. As such, even at 35 years of age, it's fair to argue he's a valid cornerstone alongside Curry.
The hurdle with the Curry and Green partnership, however, is that their combined age of 72 is somehow three years shy of two of their other key teammates: Jimmy Butler and Al Horford.
Butler, 36, and Horford, 39, were marquee acquisitions in 2025. Butler was the Warriors' big trade target during the 2024-25 season and Horford was the player they held out for during the following period of free agency.
Though both are undeniably talented, they also bring the tally to four core pieces being 35 or older—never mind the fact that Butler is now recovering from a torn ACL.
Warriors roster: Either over 35, injury prone, or underutilized
Porzingis, meanwhile, is 30 years of age and has dealt with a surplus of injuries throughout his career. He's played just 17 games due to injury in 2025-26, missed 40 outings in 2024-25, and has reached 60 games played just three times in 10 seasons.
Compounded by the fact that Porzingis will be an unrestricted free agent in July, the Warriors aren't exactly gearing up for the type of run at a title fans were hoping for.
To make matters worse, the Warriors haven't exactly empowered their under-30 players to play outside of the system. Many are capable of thriving within it, but the burden of creating something from nothing continues to fall to the 35-plus players.
With a roster that isn't ideally designed to give the top teams in the Western Conference a run for their money, the Warriors simply haven't given Curry the chance to win they promised.