Stephen Curry slumped in his chair as he watched his beloved Golden State Warriors get dominated by the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Warriors’ point guard suffered an untimely hamstring injury in Game 1 and was expected to return for Game 6. However, he never got the chance to. Without Curry, the Dubs succumbed to the pressure and lost four straight games to the Timberwolves. This marked yet another lackluster end to Golden State’s season.
Now, the question on every Warriors fan’s mind is: What’s next? Stephen Curry’s window to win another championship is getting shorter with every passing season. This is just one of the many dilemmas the Warriors’ front office is facing this offseason.
The most notable one could be the Jimmy Butler problem. Well, the self-proclaimed ‘Robin’ has been a breath of fresh air in this franchise since his arrival. Butler has provided that spark in the team and has been the much-needed scoring option apart from Curry. The veteran forward finished the regular season averaging 17.9 points, along with 5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists in the 30 games he suited up for the Warriors.
Those are pretty solid numbers, no doubt. However, many are worried about Butler continuing to be the team’s go-to man throughout the upcoming campaign if Curry misses a few games. The 35-year-old is notoriously known for not being available, especially in the regular season.
“Part of the reason Miami grew cold on Jimmy Butler, and I say part of the reason, was because he kind of tended to throttle it back in the regular season, particularly the early portions of the regular season.” Said the hosts of the podcast, ‘Warriors Plus Minus‘, Marcus, Tim, and Anthony. “And he needs to. I think physically, at this stage of his career, he needs to take the regular season very easy at times. And that is where, to Marcus’s point, that would be where Jonathan Kuminga could make a lot of sense next year.” They pointed out.
The experts believe that part of the reason why Miami and Butler grew apart was his tendency to not deliver his 100 percent in the regular season.
Apr 20, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) walks on the court during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Moreover, they pointed out that this is where a player like Jonathan Kuminga will become extremely important to the Warriors. Indeed, with Curry and Butler both in the latter stages of their careers, one cannot expect them to show up every night. So, this makes adding a third option that much more important. The hosts believe keeping Kuminga in their ranks might be the right move for the Dubs. Well, Kuminga has had a rollercoaster of a career at San Francisco. In fact, he’s had so many turnarounds it’s hard to keep track of them. The latest one came when he dropped red-hot performances against Minnesota.
Despite being a lethal scorer, the 23-year-old forward has never reached his true ceiling at Golden State. Kuminga has finished the season averaging an astonishing 26.5 points in the games where he has clocked in more than 30 minutes. Yet he hasn’t been fully able to earn Steve Kerr’s trust.
Now, with Jimmy Butler’s inconsistency in the regular season emerging as a concern for the Warriors, Kuminga might see Kerr turn toward him. Currently, Kuminga is in the final year of his four-year, $24.8 million deal with restricted free agency just over the horizon. So, if Kerr and Co. need the 23-year-old forward, they’ll have to act quickly.
Meanwhile, the Warriors have already identified 2 other moves to bolster their roster.
The Warriors identify two major trade targets for the upcoming season
The Golden State Warriors did acquire Jimmy Butler midway through the season, and their season saw a complete turnaround. However, that clearly wasn’t enough, and the Warriors need more firepower to support Steph Curry and Butler. An area where the Warriors lack big time has been a stretch big, someone who could provide defensive stability along with scoring abilities.
More so because they have difficulties fitting in players with Draymond Green in Steph’s absence. “It’s been brought up. Like, they are, they have to go through some gymnastics to fit players with Draymond, especially when Steph’s not there.” The hosts of ‘Warriors Plus Minus‘ pointed out.
Feb 28, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid (11) gets the rebound against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
So, getting a big man would be the Warriors’ priority this offseason. But who? Well, they’ve been linked with a few centers in the past, including Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic and Milwaukee’s Brook Lopez.
However, the experts believe someone like Minnesota’s Naz Reid might be exactly what Golden State needs. “We’re all sort of down on Naz Reid after this series. Nah, it’s not looking good. Yeah, Naz Reid, just a center who is willing and able to take those shots, would be a door opener for the Draymond situation, if you ask me.” They pointed out. Indeed, the Wolves player does provide that scoring option, along with being sound on the other end. However, this isn’t the only position the Warriors want to improve on.
“Would you do Kuminga for Coby White? You know, it’s a Jordan Poole sort of thing, right? I mean, I probably would. I think he’s making like $12 million. Yeah, I probably would do it. I don’t know. I mean, again, that’s about the level of value. Not my favorite player, but yeah, you could see him. I mean, does he work in a second unit with Butler? You can say the same thing about Jordan. I don’t know, but that’s the level of player. I’m not going to say yes, yes.” They suggested that they’d swap Kuminga for Chicago’s Coby White. Well, it might be a good option given White is more consistent than Kuminga. Will the Warriors do it? It’s another story, as we keep a close eye on how the Duba Nation approach their crucial offseason.
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