There had been a dark, murky cloud hanging over the Golden State Warriors in the form of the Jonathan Kuminga contract saga. After being engaged in a stalemate with the organization over a contract extension all summer, Kuminga finally signed a two-year, $48.5 million deal on Tuesday, and he will remain with the Warriors after all, at least for now.
Golden State has one of the NBA’s oldest rosters, and therefore, it badly needs Kuminga’s youth and athleticism, not to mention his ability to be a significant offensive threat.
While plenty of people feel the team is, at best, one that will exit early in the playoffs, Stephen Curry, its 37-year-old franchise player, sounded an optimistic tone about its prospects while talking to NBC Sports Bay Area.
“I think with this last little piece that needs to settle, I think I’m extremely happy with a different look,” Curry said. “We’re just trying to carry the momentum that we had from last year, understanding getting through an 82-game season is the challenge for every team, but especially a veteran team. But the way that we finished [2024-25] and the record that we had, and obviously before I got hurt during the [2025 NBA playoffs] second round, we were a relevant threat, and I think we’ve gotten better.”
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During the first half of last season, the Warriors appeared to be stale and in definite decline. They had to huff and puff just to stay over .500, and they seemed desperate to find some legitimate offensive support for Curry, whose numbers were depressed a bit.
In February, they made the big trade they had been dreaming of when they landed six-time All-Star forward Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat. Butler had led an underdog Miami team to the NBA Finals in 2020 and 2023, and once he made his debut, Golden State finished the season 23-8.
Had it not been for that hamstring injury Curry sustained in Game 1 of the second round of the playoffs, Golden State may have gotten past the Minnesota Timberwolves and met the Oklahoma City Thunder with a spot in the championship series at stake.
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Yes, Curry has tons of wear and tear, as do Butler and forward Draymond Green, both of whom are also in their mid-30s. But Curry remains one of the best basketball players in the world, and the Warriors do have solid depth thanks to men such as guards Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, De’Anthony Melton and Gary Payton II.
New starting center Al Horford, who is 39 years of age, will look to plug a big positional weakness, and Kuminga will remain the team’s main offensive threat off the bench. This depth could at least somewhat mitigate the advanced age of the Warriors’ roster, at least during the regular season.
If the Warriors make it through the regular season with minimal injuries and a favorable playoff seed, they could have a puncher’s chance at winning the fifth NBA championship of the Curry era.
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