There was always only one timeline — Stephen Curry's prime.
Through developments both fortunate and unfortunate, as Kevin Durant left one version of the dynasty, the Golden State Warriors landed three lottery picks in successive drafts during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that trio of prospects — James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody — was supposed to spawn a new era of contention.
They took Wiseman with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and Kuminga and Moody with the Nos. 7 and 14 picks the next June. Sure, Tyrese Haliburton, Franz Wagner and Alperen Şengün were still on the board, respectively, but the Warriors made choices.
Wiseman was a bust, and Kuminga may as well have been, as Golden State shipped him and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks for Kristaps Porziņģis’ expiring $30.7 million contract.
Only Moody remains from those two lotteries.
From the outside looking in, the Warriors had a choice. They could have packaged those picks, with salaries, much earlier in the 2020s, to continue building around Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, maximizing what was left around the future Hall of Famers who won titles together in 2015, 2017 and 2018. They did not choose to do that.
Then, a funny thing happened: Curry, Green and Thompson rediscovered their magic, as Andrew Wiggins — their replacement for Durant — played out of his mind, and the Warriors won the 2022 title, defeating the Boston Celtics with Wiseman, Kuminga and Moody in tow.
So, Warriors owner Joe Lacob instead touted their "two-timeline" plan to ride out the Curry-Green-Thompson triumvirate, all while developing their replacements behind them.
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"I know some people thought we could've done more, got another star," Lacob told The Athletic in the hours after that 2022 championship. "But who were we going to get? Who was available that would make a difference? We didn't think there was, and we really wanted these young guys to be developed and learn from these guys. They have learned. We are going to be even better as a result of that in the years going forward."
Fast forward, and the Warriors are not even better. They are 27-24, clinging to another play-in tournament berth in the Western Conference, four wins from a guaranteed playoff spot.
Here's the thing: Curry is still exceptional, averaging damn near 30 points per game on 47/39/93 shooting splits, and Green is still the anchor of a top-10 defense. Thompson is gone, and they flipped Wiggins for Jimmy Butler — the star who became available — and a fringe contender remained. At least it did until Butler tore his right ACL in a late-January victory against the Miami Heat, just as these Warriors were finding themselves again.
They are old in an NBA sense. Stephen Curry turns 38 in March, when Green will be 36. Butler is 36. Adding Al Horford, who turns 40 in June, did not help them get any younger.
They need the reinforcements that have yet to come. The trade for Porziņģis, an ailing 30-year-old one-time All-Star who has missed 40% of a 10-year career, drove a stake through the heart of the Two-Timeline saga, and it may have been made too late to salvage what is left of the Curry era, too, since the return on their three lottery picks was hardly a windfall.
In theory, if Porziņģis re-signs, he could be a wonderful complement to Curry, Green and (eventually) Butler. He is a floor-spacing 5 who can also protect the rim. Everything they want to do is augmented by the presence of Porziņģis. The Celtics thought so, too, until Porziņģis could not stay healthy throughout a pair of playoff appearances with him, including Boston’s 2024 championship run. He was not healthy for the Hawks, either.
The Warriors needed another star, and they got an expiring contract instead.
And now Golden State may no longer have the assets to go big-game hunting.
According to multiple reports, the Warriors were on the short list of suitors for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Their offer? Per Substack's Marc Stein, it looked something like this: Kuminga, Green, Brandin Podziemski and the rights to as many as four first-round draft picks. The Bucks, unsurprisingly, must have turned that down, as the trade of Kuminga (thought to be a core part of any offer for Antetokounmpo) waved a white flag.
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Lauri Markkanen was once thought to be a potential Golden State target, too, but now it appears the Utah Jazz are leaning into a winner (at least next year), as they added one-time Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. to their core of Markkanen, Keyonte George and Walker Kessler. Anthony Davis was another option, though it is unclear if the Warriors ever expressed interest. He was dealt to the Washington Wizards for draft picks.
Nobody else available can vault Golden State into a stratosphere along with the Oklahoma City Thunder, let alone with the Denver Nuggets and other contenders.
So, what do the Warriors do? They are two tiers below the title favorites, and they do not have the trade pieces to close the gap completely, or at least it does not appear that way.
Maybe those future first-round picks could still be used to score a wing (i.e. Michael Porter Jr.) who could eventually complete that core of Curry, Green, Butler and Porziņģis. The Warriors can accept their fate or rage against the dying of the light, offering anything not tied down — everyone but Curry, really — to maximize whatever greatness is left in him.
And maybe Porziņģis is helpful in that regard, especially if they can extend him for a bargain. The thought of pairing him next season with Curry, Green and (eventually) Butler is somewhat intriguing, if not extremely unpredictable, given their ages and injury histories.
Isn't this what we want from a fading champion? To make their successors earn it. And they did last season, beating the second-seeded Rockets and playing the Minnesota Timberwolves to a second-round standstill, until Curry suffered a series-ending injury.
They are not doing that this season. They are middle-of-the-road on offense (114.6 points per 100 possessions), despite having Stephen Freaking Curry, still clinging to his prime. They are 23-16 with him. Pretty good! But not good enough. Not without Butler anyway.
Lacob knew it, telling a fan in an email, "You can't be as frustrated as me." And longtime Warriors coach Steve Kerr knew it, telling reporters, "I'm not doing my job well this year."
And I'm not sure the addition of Porziņģis makes either Lacob or Kerr any less frustrated.
R.I.P. the Two Timelines. There was always only one timeline — Curry's prime. It is reaching its end, and the Warriors are transitioning into their fading champion era, when the title window has been closed, but pride is on the line, and even that is flickering on its last gasp.
Category: General Sports
