The Golden State Warriors have fought tooth and nail to stay relevant in a brutally competitive Western Conference this season. But it has become increasingly clear they just do not have enough juice for a deep playoff run. Steph Curry has still been a scoring force, pouring in about 27.2 points per game this season. Unfortunately, without him, the team looks clueless.
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Curry has been out since January 30 with a knee injury, and they have gone 29-27 since then. Last night, the Warriors got smoked by the Boston Celtics 121-110. They never really looked competitive against the team they beat in the 2022 Finals, especially without their premier scorer. Worse news is that Steph has an uncertain timetable for when he might come back, and the Warriors might not be able to survive if they keep racking up losses.
Kendrick Perkins feels it is time to pull the plug. He suggested the Warriors focus on keeping Curry healthy for next season, as he does not expect them to go very far in the postseason anyway. In the process of explaining this, he also took a shot at a struggling Draymond Green for failing to show up against Boston.
“Shut em down for the remainder of the season. Let’s be real, this Warriors team is not going anywhere. Draymond Green, I don’t know where his mind is at, but it’s definitely not on the game of basketball. He looked horrible last night,” Perkins stated on the Road Trippin podcast.
The former Thunder star might have a point. On top of Curry being out, the Dubs are now without Jonathan Kuminga, whom they traded away, and Jimmy Butler, who tore his ACL and is out for the year. There does not seem to be much fight left in this team without their primary scorer, and even if they make it to the Play-In, is it worth it when they would most likely get bounced in the first round?
Perkins did have a smart idea, which was to let the supporting cast of Dubs players finish out the season to see who wants to earn a spot next year.
“Shut Steph down, let those guys play it out. See what guys fit. Right now I would let the rest of the Warriors team outside of Steph play this season out and audition. See if they want to be here,” he stated.
“This offseason is probably going to be one of the most important offseasons of this franchise since Steph has been a part of the franchise. Because they need to go out Mike Dunleavy needs to do his damn job, and make sure he go get the pieces so that Steph has a legitimate shot coming into next year to compete for an NBA title.”
Kendrick Perkins says the Warriors should SHUT DOWN Steph Curry for the rest of the season:
“Let’s be real, this team is not going anywhere… Draymond Green, I don’t know where his mind is at… Shut Steph down, let those guys play it out.”pic.twitter.com/9pF8PPgFVc
— NBA Base (@TheNBABase) February 20, 2026
If there is even a small risk of Steph’s knee becoming a long term issue, the smart play is patience. Protect the franchise, reset the books, and come back swinging next fall. This is not about waving a white flag. It is about being honest about where you are and giving yourself a real shot. Curry will not like it. Neither will Kerr. But sometimes you just have to play the hand in front of you.
