Ultimate Delusion: The Warriors Are Reportedly Willing To Ruin The Last Few Years Of Steph Curry's Career Because They Think They Can Sign Nikola Jokic Or Giannis

Bart Young. Getty Images.

One of the final remaining dominos of the 2025 NBA offseason is what the hell is going to end up happening with Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors. Given the latest reporting from Shams the other day, the two sides remain in a standoff after Kuminga's camp rejected a 3/$75M extension offer, mostly because the final year was once again a team option and the Warriors want Kuminga to waive his no trade clause. They don't really have any leverage in this situation, so my guess is either they cave and up the price to around $30M like Kuminga wants (if they keep the team option year) or they cave and give him a player option at a lower number. Worst case, he plays on the qualifying offer, which of course would be a complete disaster for the Warriors.

The crux of all of this is obviously the remaining years of Steph Curry's career. Realistically, he probably has what, 3ish more years? Maybe he pulls a LeBron and plays into his 40s, but the point is we are well into the back nine of Steph's career. Everything the Warriors should be doing right now is building the best possible roster they can to maximize that window. Given how they are handling the Kuminga situation, the organization has decided to do the exact opposite. 

The question is, why? What are they trying to accomplish by fumbling their roster right now while Curry is still under contract? 

They want to maintain maximum flexibility for that 2027 summer (as it stands, they only have Moody’s $13.4 million and Hield’s $10 million player option on the books by then). The Warriors, who are well aware that Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Denver’s Nikola Jokic both have player options for the 2027-28 season, are hardly alone on this star-hunting front. High-profile teams like the Lakers and Clippers have sent similar signals in recent months.”

Jesus Christ. Let's get this straight. The Warriors are willing to basically punt on the next two seasons so they can "maybe" sign someone like Nikola Jokic? This is beyond delusional for a few reasons, but most notably because Nikola Jokic in no way, shape, or form is going to be a UFA in the summer of 2027. Just this summer we saw Jokic decline his ability to sign a new extension, because next summer when he can sign at an even larger number. Why sign for $208M this summer when you could sign for $280M next summer?

So while I'm not a big math guy, let's play this out. Jokic signs a 3 year extension after this upcoming season. That would have him locked in for the following seasons: 2026-27, 2027-28, 2028-29, 2029-30

Seems a little insane to be operating under the assumption that Jokic will be hitting the free agent market in the summer of 2027, when as you can see, he's about to be locked up until the summer of 2030. I would also say the same thing with Giannis who has a similar contract situation. What do we see these superstars do? They extend first, then demand a trade later if in fact they do want a new team. Why would they give up all of that guaranteed money to sign for a lesser number with a worse roster?

Not only that, but by the summer of 2027, Steph will be entering his age 39 season. Say he does another 1 year or 1+1 extension. You're now also asking these superstars to take less money just to join an older Steph who might not even be there for the majority of their contract? 

Advertisement

Say you think OK, what about a sign and trade? Well how the hell is that going to happen if Jokic/Giannis are going to be making $60M+ and they only have the Moody/Hield contracts on the books? 

As a Warriors fan, this would piss me off greatly. Maybe instead of positioning yourself for these make-believe scenarios that are never going to happen, you should be doing everything you can to maximize your roster now? If this summer told us anything, it's that in this new CBA world, free agency is mostly dead. Gone are the days of these big time free agents hitting the market, and I'd say that's especially true of players like Giannis or Jokic. The Jokic one is especially funny to me, because he already plays for the better team! Why the hell would Jokic leave a better roster for less money and a 40 year old Steph Curry? He doesn't need them to be a contender for an NBA title, the Nuggets already are! And while they too will have their own roster decisions to make when it comes to extensions and the 2nd apron, they are still in a much better spot than GS moving foward as we approach the back half of this decade. 

Unfortunately, the Warriors are not the Lakers. The NBA doesn't gift them generational talents just for fun to help out their aging NBA legend and to transition into a new era. They have to actually build a roster, and that starts with being realistic as to what you will seriously be able to do. Wasting what few years Steph may have left, all because you think you're stealing Nikola Jokic from the Nuggets, is the definition of delusion. 

They fucked up the two timelines idea, they fucked up the Kuminga situation, and it sure does feel like they're about to fuck up the last remaining Steph years and beyond. Good luck!