The end to the Warriors’ season was poetic.
A loss to the Suns in the play-in tournament isn’t how Golden State wanted to end its season, but the final minute of the tough defeat felt like it tied a neat bow on one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history. Sure, the Warriors haven’t looked exactly the same as their title seasons for some time. Klay Thompson is with the Mavericks and the rest of the Western Conference has seemingly grown far past the aging Warriors.
But at the core, the Warriors of yesteryear are still there. As long as Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Steve Kerr are in the fold, Golden State holds onto its championship pedigree. Good things don’t last forever, though, and the visuals on the Warriors’ bench Friday night made us assume the end is near, if not immediate.
Once Kerr waved the white flag, he shared an emotional moment with Curry and Green as they went to the bench. He told his longtime stars, “I don’t know what’s gonna happen next, but I love you guys to death and thank you.” The longtime coach’s contract is up which makes his future uncertain, as he admitted himself Friday night that he’s unsure what will happen next. Green has a $27.7 million player option for next season that he will almost certainly pick up, but Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. may have to use the do-it-all forward’s salary to build a more competitive roster around Curry.
"I don't know what's gonna happen next, but I love you guys." 🥹 https://t.co/GyFAlQRjIx pic.twitter.com/KlInPGTZs1
— NBA (@NBA) April 18, 2026
If it was Green’s last game with the Warriors after 14 seasons, he went out perfectly. After the heartwarming moment with Kerr and Curry, Green jawed with Suns star Devin Booker and the two were quickly ejected while the game was already decided. Green provided an all-time moment as he walked off the floor, sarcastically riling up the Suns fans inside the Mortgage Matchup Center.
The NBA’s favorite heel may have just reacted the only way he knew how to the disappointing end to a disappointing season. But if it was the last hilariously ridiculous moment for Green as a Warrior, he went out his own way.
Draymond Green with legendary ejection walk-out https://t.co/P0iWh97uvZ pic.twitter.com/pk1S58G9GX
— Tyler Rucker (@tyler_rucker) April 18, 2026
We’ll have to see how Dunleavy decides to pivot the franchise over the offseason. But, it’s clear that the organization needs to reshuffle the deck should it want to compete and capitalize on what’s left of Curry’s career even if injuries marred this season. Now that the fat lady sang on Golden State’s season, let’s take a look at what went right and wrong for the Warriors, finishing with an overall grade.
The Good: Chef Curry is still cooking
Although Curry had a quiet night for his standards in the loss Friday to the Suns, he gave us another vintage Steph performance to keep the season alive in Golden State’s first play-in game against the Clippers. He dropped 35 points to power the Warriors to a dramatic comeback win, with 27 of the 35 points coming in the second half including an incredible go-ahead three with less than a minute left.
At 38 years old, injuries held Curry to just 43 games in the regular season. He missed all of February and March due to a nagging issue with his knee, but he was still able to return to his normal self and power his franchise to a play-in tournament win. In the injury shortened season, he averaged 26.6 points per game and shot 39.3% from three. His 4.4 threes per game were the most across the NBA.
Curry remains under contract with the Warriors next season before he is set to become an unrestricted free agent. After the loss Friday, he said he wants to continue playing for multiple years, but acknowledged that the Warriors have to “get back to the basics of what makes a good, competitive basketball team every single night” to contend.
The Bad: Serious roster overhaul is needed to compete in the stacked Western Conference
If one thing’s clear, Dunleavy can’t expect to run it back and magically find a better finish next season.
When Jimmy Butler went down with a torn ACL, Dunleavy had some time to do crisis control and salvage the season ahead of the trade deadline. Although Golden State was reportedly involved in Giannis Antetokounmpo talks, the Warriors’ move was to bring in Kristaps Porziņģis to help make a push over the final chunk of the season. Although Porziņģis was good when available, injuries limited him to just 15 games since he arrived with Golden State.
Porziņģis will be a free agent this summer, so Dunleavy will have the star big man’s salary to play with to improve the roster or retain him on a cheaper deal. Still, though, Porziņģis isn’t enough to make a title push even with Butler back in the fold at some point. That leaves Green’s $27.7 million player option on the Warriors’ books for next season. Dunleavy would have had to include Green or Butler’s salary in an outgoing package that would net a star who makes as much as Antetokounmpo. That conundrum continues with both players still on the payroll next season. Green is the more likely trade candidate, even with his status as a franchise legend who was always presumed to be a Warrior for life.
Each moment with Curry still on the roster is precious and Dunleavy simply has to move the needle roster wise if the Warriors want to compete with the likes of the Thunder, Spurs and Nuggets.
The franchise could make a change on the bench, too, with Kerr’s contract up. It would be strange to see the Warriors employ a different head coach, but Kerr acknowledged Friday that his job has an expiration date. He didn’t rule out a return, saying that he still loves coaching and will talk with the organization’s brass to come to a decision. No matter whether Kerr stays or goes, the Warriors must look a lot different so they can improve next season.
The Grade: C-
Although injuries significantly impacted the Warriors’ season, another play-in appearance and missing the playoffs simply isn’t good enough. Golden State finished the regular season 37–45 and entered the play-in tournament as the No. 10 seed in the West with the need to navigate the play-in for the third straight season. If the bottom third of the Western Conference wasn’t so bad, the Warriors could have missed out on the postseason altogether.
With injuries to Curry, Butler, Porziņģis and Moses Moody, plus a strange Jonathan Kuminga situation, there were plenty of circumstances out of the team’s hands. Dunleavy had time to adjust and make a needle-moving deal to bolster the roster for the rest of the season, however, which he didn’t do. If Porziņģis was the big move, his recent health struggles were enough to let you know that wasn’t enough. Maybe that big deal wasn’t on the table, but the offseason presents the Warriors GM with another opportunity to shake things up. We’ll see whether he pulls the trigger.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Warriors Season Grades: Could the Band Break Up After Golden State’s Play-In Exit?.
