In the offseason, Kuminga renewed his contract and gambled heavily on the veteran. Will the Warriors restart the championship window in the new season?

Translator's Note: The original article was published on CBS. The data in the article are as of the time of the original article's publication (October 9, local time). The dates and times involved are all local times.

The new season feels a bit like the 2021-22 season for the Warriors, doesn't it? They made important additions to a roster that looked strong late last season, but they were largely left out of championship contention: There were six teams with better odds than them to win the Western Conference title. Warriors stars are hearing the talk that their championship window has closed, and they're vehemently disagreeing.

"We've got to go out there and perform and take care of everything," Jimmy Butler said at media day. "We know that. But we're really, really happy. We're excited to compete with each other and achieve our goals as a team and what I've always wanted personally - to win a championship. Army. I can't help but smile when I think about the opportunity we have."

However, in the 2025-26 season, Stephen Curry will be 38 years old, not 34 years old; Draymond Green will be 36 years old, not 32 years old. Butler, who breathed new life into the Warriors in February, is 36 years old. Their biggest signing, Al Horford, is 39 years old. The NBA season is brutal, and Warriors coach Steve Kerr himself has publicly stated that younger players are more likely to cope with this style of play and schedule: Weighted by regular season minutes, the average age of the defending champions is 25.1. After acquiring Butler and Horford, the Warriors' lineup may actually be more balanced and comprehensive than when they won the championship four years ago, but this time, the confrontation with Father Time will be more difficult.

Situation Analysis

Last season: The Warriors won 12 of the first 15 games of the season, but this start proved to be unsustainable. De'Anthony Melton earned the starting shooting guard job early in the season but suffered a torn ACL almost immediately. They were 14-10 when they traded Melton and some draft assets to the Nets for Dennis Schroder in mid-December. And when they traded Andrew Wiggins, Schroder, Kyle Lee, Lindy Waters and a protected 2025 first-round pick (later turned into Kasparas Yakuchonis) for Butler before the game against the Jazz, the record was 25-24. Since Butler's debut, the Warriors have achieved a 23-8 record, have the league's best defense and a +9.2 net rating, but their 48-34 record is not enough to secure a top-six seed. They defeated the Grizzlies in the playoffs, won seven games against the second-seeded Rockets, and advanced to the second round to face the Timberwolves. They won the series opener despite Curry straining his hamstring in the first half. However, they subsequently lost four games in a row without their star player.

Offseason: Almost everything the Warriors do in the offseason will not take effect until October 1, as the long-term stalemate with restricted free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga has kept the team in a wait-and-see mode. Before Kuminga signed a two-year, $46.8 million contract with a team option, his agent, Aaron Turner, discussed the details of the negotiations on ESPN's "The Hoop Collective." After that, the Warriors used the luxury tax mid-level exception to sign Horford (two years, $11.7 million, player option), and signed Melton and Seth Curry to minimum-salary contracts. In addition, they also re-signed Gary Payton II with a minimum salary.

Las Vegas season win line: 45.5 wins, data from BetMGM

Confrontation of Views

Support the Warriors: If you care more about Jonathan Kuminga's contract negotiations this offseason than what Al Horford can bring to the Warriors, then the strength of this team will surprise you. The only bad thing about Horford’s signing is that it didn’t happen a few years ago. Without Otto Porter Jr. and Nemanja Bjelica, the Warriors would not be able to win the championship in 2022. But even then, they were sacrificing height for space. Imagine how much simpler lineup construction would be if the team had a big man who could both stretch the floor and be a defensive force over the past few seasons. The collective IQ of the Warriors' new starting lineup is ridiculously high, and Horford is the kind of player who can make every teammate around him better without sacrificing anything. I look forward to watching every Warriors game.

Warrior doubters: You're right about one thing: Horford could have helped the Warriors a few years ago. However, they are now betting on his body being able to hold up. Doesn't that scare you? His lateral quickness is impressive for a player his age, but it's been declining every year. My guess is that the Warriors will control his playing time, such as giving him one game off in each back-to-back game, just like the Celtics did last season. This is very smart! But this also limits his impact in the regular season. To me, this is a microcosm of a larger issue: To contend for a championship, they need to avoid wearing out their veterans in the regular season, but they also need to enter the playoffs with a high seed. These goals are in direct conflict.

Support the Warriors: Really? I think the best way to control your best players' minutes is to be absolutely dominant when they're both on the floor. Look at the Thunder's minutes distribution last season or the Warriors' minutes distribution in 2017 and 2018 -- that's what happens when you can regularly keep starters sitting out the entire fourth quarter. Also, don’t forget that the Warriors were already a top team before they signed Horford and De’Anthony Melton.. If Horford doesn't play on a back-to-back, then they can go back to a lineup with Green at the five that's been effective. I admit that the Warriors' roster is not as deep as the Thunder or Clippers, but they are not a very top-heavy team. Trayce Jackson-Davis and Quinten Post are still on the roster, and Steve Kerr has plenty of rotation-level wings to choose from.

Doubtful Warriors: The Clippers are actually an interesting comparison because they are another team that is completely betting on veterans. That team is so deep that even Chris Paul might not get a chance to play (coaching decision), and I'd be a lot less worried about Horford if he plays the same role as Brook Lopez this season. Regardless, the Warriors may look like the formidable team that people imagine them to be at times. But I don't know how often this happens. While Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green are still great, putting them all on the same team presents its own challenges. One is a simple attendance issue, and the second is the adaptation issue of role players. Horford helps, but if he rests, Kuminga's role immediately becomes more complicated. Melton could theoretically help, too, but he's coming off ACL surgery and hasn't even practiced yet.

Support the Warriors: You forget again that the Warriors already looked very strong before Curry was injured against the Timberwolves. I can't wait to see Melton perform with this new team - it was clear early last season that he was a great fit - but I also can't wait to see Brandin Podemski draw offensive fouls, Buddy Hield hit mobile 3s, Gary Payton II harass the ballhandler, and Moses Moody re-establish himself as a reliable glue guy (after a thumb injury limited his production late last season). And if you're so worried about veteran attendance, you should be excited that the Warriors can keep Kuminga on their own terms. His athleticism and ability to get to the rim will be useful off the bench and will be crucial when Curry, Butler or Green are sidelined.

Doubting Warrior: Alas. Kuminga. Going into the offseason, I honestly thought we would never see him in a Warriors uniform again. I guess you can give the Warriors' front office credit for winning the negotiation, but once again they're in an awkward position with him. Will they try to bolster his trade value by centering him on offense, or will they continue to try to develop him into a more Warriors-style role player? Unless he shows huge improvement in his shooting and decision-making, a mid-January trade seems to be the best-case scenario, but I doubt the offers received by then will be any more attractive than the ones the Warriors have recently rejected. It's a real shame because the current roster isn't good enough and they don't have much trade leverage left.

Author: James Herbert

Translator: GWayNe