With Stephen Curry watching from the bench, the Golden State Warriors saw their season end Wednesday night in a 121-110 Game 5 loss to the surging Minnesota Timberwolves – a defeat that now forces the franchise to confront hard truths about its aging core and fading championship window.
The tone of the series shifted dramatically after Game 1, when Curry strained his left hamstring in a win that would prove to be Golden State’s last. From there, the Timberwolves – younger, faster and hungrier – rattled off four straight victories, exposing the Warriors’ waning depth and overreliance on their superstar.
After the loss, Warriors players and coaches gave full credit to Minnesota, but the brutal reality remained: Without Curry, Golden State simply lacked the firepower to keep up – and the dynasty might finally be running on fumes.
“I don’t want to take anything away from what Minnesota just accomplished, so there’s no sense in even talking about Steph,” head coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the game.
Kerr, under whose leadership the Warriors became an NBA dynasty with titles in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022, said it was “a hell of a run” after the acquisition of Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline revived their postseason hopes.
“Jimmy changed our season, flipped everything for us and gave us a chance,” Kerr said.
“We became one of the best teams in the league.”
But that league – especially the stacked Western Conference – continues to improve, and the Warriors also have to contend with Father Time.
Curry, who was likely to play in Game 6 had the Warriors extended the series, is 37. The team’s emotional leader, Draymond Green, and Butler are both 35.
Figuring out who to surround them with to maximize what’s left of their championship window will be essential.
Top of the list is deciding what to do with Jonathan Kuminga.
The 22-year-old did not see much playing time late in the season or during the first-round series against the Houston Rockets but took advantage of his opportunity when Curry went down, averaging 24.2 points over the last four games.
The Congolese forward is a restricted free agent, and given his potential, the Warriors will either have to match other teams’ offers – which could reach $30 million per season – or let him walk.
If they decide Kuminga isn’t the right fit, the Warriors will need to add either a big-name star or younger role players who can share the scoring burden with Curry and Butler.
Kerr said he was optimistic about the team’s future.
“I’m excited. We’ve got, obviously, Jimmy and Dray and Steph all coming back,” he said.
“Our young players performed really well this year. There’s a lot to look forward to.”