The Golden State Warriors’ season came to an end this week when they lost their fourth straight game to the Minnesota Timberwolves to end their Western Conference Semifinals series 4-1.
The Warriors’ one win in the series, which came in Game 1, was overshadowed by a hamstring injury to Stephen Curry that kept the Warriors’ star out of the last four games of the series.
Now, the Warriors are at a major crossroads as an organization, as Curry, who has dealt with lingering injuries over the course of his storied career, gears up to enter his age-38 season.
The Warriors are already a drastically different unit than the one from the “Splash Brothers” era, as Klay Thompson is now a member of the Dallas Mavericks. While Draymond Green is still there, his offensive production has dipped from the heyday of Golden State’s dynasty.
In Thompson’s place these days is Jimmy Butler, whom the Warriors acquired mid-season in a trade with the Miami Heat.
Unfortunately, Butler, whilst still showing flashes of greatness, seems a touch or two removed from the player he dragged two Miami Heat teams to unlikely Finals appearances.
Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole, once viewed as the future of the organization in a post-Steph Curry climate, are both no longer with the team as well. Which leaves the Warriors at a major crossroads: Try to retool around the aging stars for one last title run, or invest in young players and build for the future.
Unfortunately, the Warriors need to make the hard decision and plan for the future. It’s unlikely that an aging Curry can stay healthy enough to make an extended postseason run. As such, the Dubs are better off letting him have a Kobe farewell tour while building for a future that will get them back in title contention as soon as possible.
That being said, it’s hard to make a choice like that when number 30 is still capable of setting the Bay Area on fire any given night.
