Just as the Warriors were starting to trend upwards, a brutal injury to Jimmy Butler has left the front office with its hands tied once again.
Steph Curry turns 38 next March. After losing Robin, Batman is currently facing another trip to the Play-In Tournament without a true number two scorer. Charles Barkley didn’t hesitate when discussing the Warriors’ drama on “Inside the NBA.”
Chuck while talking about the Kuminga drama:
“The biggest loser in the whole thing is Steph Curry because they’re not contenders now Steph is gonna finish the last part of his career on a mediocre team”
— 30🅿️roblemz (@30problemz) January 25, 2026
“The biggest loser in the whole thing is Steph,” Barkley proclaimed.
Jonathan Kuminga was starting to find a rhythm after being reinstalled into the rotation, only to end up back on the bench with a left knee injury.
Kuminga, 23, is averaging 12.1 points and 5.9 rebounds in 20 games (13 starts) this season. Prior to Butler suffering a season-ending ACL tear, Kuminga hadn’t played in 16 straight games.
The Warriors’ front office is in a difficult spot. Their primary goal has been to maximize the final years of Steph Curry’s greatness, but finding a trade that doesn’t significantly complicate the organization’s future is challenging.
“They were not contenders, but they were a solid team,” Barkley continued.
Since the Warriors acquired Butler last February, they have the fourth-most wins among any team in the NBA. With Butler’s torn ACL, any and all momentum the team had heading into the All-Star break is gone.
“Now Steph is going to finish the last part of his career on a mediocre team,” Barkley said. “That’s the thing that’s disheartening about it.”
Barkley is known for his strong opinions. They don’t always have a lot of truth behind them, but this time, he could be right. The Warriors are an aging dynasty, and they are completely aware of it. Making a splash before the trade deadline could be their final chance at building towards ring No. 5.
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