If you want to look at the glass of the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry as half full, you could note that one of the the last teams that was meant to be heading into a so-called “gap year” was the Boston Celtics, who were dealing with star Jayson Tatum’s recovery from an Achilles tendon injury last season and were supposed to be focused on developing from within. Instead, the team won 56 games and landed the No. 2 seed in the East.
But the half-empty view will note that the Celtics then were KO’d from the playoffs in the first round and subsequently traded star Jaylen Brown in a widely criticized deal that yielded only two first-round picks and the corpse of Paul George. Gap years don’t typically end well.
So when longtime Warriors insider Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area declared that the Dubs are heading into a gap year after a surprisingly quiet offseason that saw the bulk of last year’s roster return, well, it stands to reason there are some unhappy fans afoot.
Warriors Heading Into ‘Gap Year’
Poole is, indeed, right to suggest that the success or failure of this upcoming season is not so much about what was added from the outside (which was mostly nothing) but what might come from development of young guys already on the roster. Jimmy Butler (ACL) will miss the opening of the season, and might not play until 2027. Moses Moody (patellar tendon) is also recovering from knee surgery, but hopes to be back much earlier.
Here’s how Poole put it: “The Warriors anticipate evaluating the first half of the season while awaiting the midseason returns of Butler and Moody. … Dub Nation had been warned that 2026-27 was lining up as a “gap year.” The offseason focus would be on internal development rather than external additions. Do not expect gifts in July. None came.”
‘Gap Year When Stephen Curry Is 38’
The problem with a gap year here in 2026-27 is that Stephen Curry is 38 years old and won’t be playing that much longer. He is also in need of a contract extension (he is eligible on August 29) with the Warriors, and can’t be very much inspired to sign if the plan is to employ gap years while the clock ticks on his career.
As one Twitter/X user wrote, with an exploding head emoji, “Gap year when Curry 38 years old.”
Another noted, “A gap year with the greatest player in franchise history at age 38 This organization is going to be poverty when Steph retires. Go all in now.”
And still another: “They basically want Steph Curry to ask for a Trade?”
Warriors Have Struggled as Stephen Curry Ages
So it goes. Now, the anger of fans is understandable–they want to see the Warriors playing relevant spring basketball while Stephen Curry is still active. But the reality is that the Warriors did not have a lot of options this offseason, despite reports of trade pursuits for Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis.
Leonard and Antetokounmpo did not want to go to the Warriors, and the Wizards did not want to trade Davis.
The notion that the Warriors simply did not want to make a trade is overstated–there just were no sensible deals to be had. So, onto the gap year.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Warriors Taking Backlash for ‘Gap Year’ as Stephen Curry Contract Looms appeared first on HEAVY.