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The Golden State Warriors shed all the “passive” allegations prior to the trade deadline and made a blockbuster trade for Jimmy Butler. Butler may be 35 years of age, but he has a long track record of being an excellent postseason performer, and the Warriors are hoping that a Butler-Stephen Curry duo will be enough to make some noise in the loaded Western Conference.
Alas, the Warriors are still sitting in the 10th spot out West, and they have to make the playoffs first before they start to count their chickens. The hope is that Butler will be enough to take them to the next level, but there lies plenty of uncertainty ahead of the Dubs in this regard.
While no one knows what the future holds in a concrete manner, there is fun in having thought exercises of what will happen especially after the Warriors made a rare blockbuster trade after long being seen as a team ripe for a trade of such magnitude. To that end, here are three bold predictions for the Warriors, both for this season and their imminent future.
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Warriors fizzle out in the first round
There is so much congestion in the middle of the Western Conference standings that, at this point, it's hard to pencil in any team for a playoff spot (for teams sitting within the 7-11 range). The Warriors, in fact, are coming off a disappointing loss to the shorthanded Dallas Mavericks, and it's not quite clear if they'll have the juice to compete with the Houston Rockets on the second night of a back-to-back.
Nonetheless, having Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler should be enough for the Warriors to make it to the playoffs as a seven or eight-seed. The problem, however, is that they will be running into a buzzsaw should they finish in either of those positions. The Oklahoma City Thunder are as dominant of a two-way outfit as we've seen, what with their elite ability to force turnovers, and the Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets, and Houston Rockets, the three likeliest teams to finish second in the standings, will pose a ton of problems for the Warriors.
Again, having Curry and Butler means that the Warriors have a fighting chance. They always do. But in a bloodbath of a conference, only one team will make it through to the NBA Finals. And sadly, in this hypothetical future, the Warriors aren't that team — instead crashing out in the first round, much to the disappointment of their raucous fanbase.
Dubs finally pull off a blockbuster Jonathan Kuminga trade
For years, many have brought up the possibility that the Warriors would trade Jonathan Kuminga away. But the Dubs have hesitated and hesitated, and until now, Kuminga is on the team, although he's currently sidelined with an injury.
In this hypothetical scenario where the Warriors lost in the first round, more moves will be in store for a Dubs team that already traded for Jimmy Butler, which means that they are all-in on a win-now approach. With Kuminga being up for a new contract, the Warriors could very well decide to sign him to huge new deal and trade him later down the line.
A sign-and-trade could also be possible in the offseason, but that would hard-cap the Warriors at the first tax apron. Signing him and then waiting for a few months before dangling him in a trade will be the best course of action for Golden State — which they will feel is a necessary move considering their previous moves.
Golden State shocks the world in 2026
Heading into the 2021-22 season, there weren't too many who believed that the Warriors were going to win it all. But with Stephen Curry playing excellently, Jordan Poole blossoming into one of the best sixth men in the league, Andrew Wiggins becoming an All-Star talent, and Klay Thompson returning to full health, the Warriors went all the way — with Curry, Draymond Green, and Thompson winning their fourth rings.
Heading into the 2025-26 season, expectations surrounding the Warriors won't be too high as well, especially when they're coming off a first-round exit (in this hypothetical future). But there is room for growth in this current roster. Jimmy Butler will have a full offseason to work with Curry and Green. Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody can still grow into more actualized version of themselves. Jonathan Kuminga will be bringing in a major reinforcement via trade. And all of that will coalesce into the perfect storm for the Warriors, allowing Curry to ride off into the sunset with ring number five.
