The Warriors are starting to look like a team on the downswing, even with Steph Curry still putting up All-Star level numbers. The roster around him does not feel as intimidating as it once did. When Jimmy Butler went down with a season-ending ACL injury, the Dubs clearly began searching for extra help to stay competitive, and one name was on everyone’s mind: Giannis Antetokounmpo.
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There was real buzz about Golden State making a push for Giannis, but that dream faded quickly. He remains in Milwaukee, and the Warriors are still in need of help. Trading Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to acquire the injury-prone Kristaps Porzingis did little to calm concerns, and general manager Mike Dunleavy knows more work lies ahead this summer.
Dunleavy has not given up on this group just yet. He still believes the franchise is firmly in a win-now phase, especially with Curry averaging 27.2 points per game despite facing constant double and triple teams. Dunleavy echoed that sentiment during his recent media availability following the Porzingis trade, revealing he would have been willing to move even more, including draft picks, if it increased the Warriors’ chances of success.
“We’re willing to do whatever it takes to improve this team, whether it’s young players or first round picks. We always have been, we always will be as long as we are in this “win now” window,” stated Dunleavy to Warriors media.
For Dub Nation, that was refreshing to hear. Too often, front offices claim they are competing when the opposite is clearly true. The Dubs probably are not going far this year even if they reach the playoffs, but at least they are fighting.
Not only that, prior to Butler getting hurt the Warriors were a rising team in the West. “Over the last calendar year we’ve had the 4th best record in the NBA. Since Jimmy got traded to when he got hurt.”
“So despite the idea that we’re not in the mix, we’re fading, all this stuff, the reality is up until Jimmy got hurt we were pretty good and I think we were trending in the right direction,” added Dunleavy. “Now we’ve had to pivot a little bit. I think adding Kristaps can help, but you know this group is what it is.”
Mike Dunleavy when asked about possibility of using first rounders in a non-Giannis deal: “We’re willing to do whatever it takes to improve this team, whether it’s young players or first round picks.” pic.twitter.com/8UHhC6Q8pE
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 8, 2026
The Warriors GM was then asked if Giannis being available and then unavailable had any effect on their moves before the trade deadline. “I don’t think it did because we ended up making a move here to get Kristaps, so I guess for that reason it didn’t really effect anything,” he responded. And whether that is the truth or a blatant lie, the reality is that the Greek Freak didn’t get traded at all and he didn’t want to just do nothing.
The bigger picture is that Golden State is trying to thread a very tricky needle between honoring a dynasty and accepting reality. They cannot waste what is left of Steph’s prime, but they also cannot pretend it is 2017 forever. The Porzingis move is a gamble that signals belief that one or two tweaks can still make them dangerous, even if they are no longer the hunted.
The truth is the Warriors sit in an uncomfortable middle ground. They are too competitive to rebuild, yet not dominant enough to scare the league. How they handle the next year or two will determine whether this era gets a graceful final act or drifts into a slow, awkward fade.
