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Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and several players were seen making surprising appearances at the Golden State Valkyries' home opener just a few days after being eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Valkyries, an expansion franchise, just began their first season in the WNBA, dropping their first game to the Los Angeles Sparks 84-67. Both the Warriors and the Valkyries will share the Chase Center going forward.
There were a couple of players in attendance who will raise some eyebrows among fans. In particular, forward Jonathan Kuminga, who will be a restricted free agent this offseason, was seen sitting next to franchise owner Joe Lacob. Golden State has a lot of significant decisions to make over the next few months as the franchise tries to gear up for another run at the Larry O'Brien trophy. Friday, however, was a celebration for a new team coming to the Bay Area.
This is what family looks like 🤝
The @warriors were proudly representing at the first game in franchise history for the @valkyries pic.twitter.com/xSUEePe215
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 17, 2025
Kuminga sitting next to Lacob 👀👀 pic.twitter.com/8p7rNRJ0kP
— THEGODFRESCO 🏁 (@GSDOUBLEU) May 17, 2025
The Warriors will look to build another winning supporting cast around their greatest player ever
Golden State was up in the second quarter against the Timberwolves in Game 1 of the second round when the season came crashing down. Stephen Curry suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain and had to exit this contest. While the Warriors won this first clash, they could not win another game for the rest of the series. The crushing part was that Curry was targeting Game 6 as his return date for this series.
However, Golden State's limitations were on display, especially without its superstar point guard. In particular, the team needs a long-term answer at center. Playing small ball in this modern era of physicality and double big lineups is very difficult, especially as the officiating now allows more contact. In addition, the Warriors need some more reliable offensive options outside of Curry. Jimmy Butler was a suitable No. 2 option, but he will be 36 next season and struggled at times this postseason to put up points consistently.
The question is whether Golden State believes any of its young players, like Brandin Podziemski or Moses Moody, can take significant leaps in their development. Overall, time is running out in the Stephen Curry era. But the franchise's greatest player still showed he likely has another year as a No. 1 option. The Warriors need to take advantage of this closing window.
