The Warriors Have Six Weeks to Prove They Don't Need Moody and Butler
Moody and Butler are both out until December, and the group left behind has to answer for six weeks before they're back.
The Warriors open the regular season at the Lakers on October 21 without Moses Moody, sidelined by a knee injury, and Jimmy Butler, also sidelined by a knee injury, with both projected back by December 1. That leaves the season's first six weeks to a group that finished last year 37-45 with a net rating of -0.5, 20th in the league, and a payroll that leaves no room to fix a slow start.
Two Rotation Pieces, Gone Until December
Moody and Butler won't play again until December 1 — Moody dealing with a knee injury, Butler with one on the other side — and the Warriors' October 21 game at the Lakers, their first of the season, falls squarely inside that window. Butler averaged 20.0 points last season in just 38 games; Moody shot 40.1 percent from three, the best mark on the roster, ahead of even Curry's 39.3. Golden State starts the year without its second-leading scorer and its best outside shooter.
The Case the Rest of the Roster Covers
Brandin Podziemski played all 82 games last season at 13.8 points and 5.1 rebounds, exactly the two-way guard Kerr can lean on while Moody and Butler are away. Draymond Green, 36 and in his 14th season, still runs the defense, and De'Anthony Melton and Brandon Williams give Kerr two more ball handlers who logged real minutes a year ago. Curry, at 38, scored 26.6 points a night last season in just 43 games — healthy, he is a superstar who doesn't need either of them to create offense.
The Case It Doesn't Hold
That supporting cast inherited a team that finished 37-45 last season with a net rating of -0.5, 20th in the league, an offense ranked 19th and a defense ranked 16th. Losing Moody and Butler doesn't fix either number — it removes two of the players who were propping them up. Golden State's $224.7 million payroll sits above the second apron, so there's no trade exception or open roster spot to patch a slow start; this group plays the hand it brought out of camp or it doesn't get a better one.
What the Six Weeks Actually Decide
Curry and the Warriors finalized a two-year extension on September 25, a choice for continuity rather than a reset, even as the roster around him ages and the money tightens. The six weeks without Moody and Butler won't decide the season, but they will decide how far Golden State has to climb once both are back — a buried record waiting on their return, or a rotation that proved it didn't need saving. The payroll leaves Kerr no in-season fix, which makes this stretch the only real test the front office gets before it matters.
When will Moses Moody and Jimmy Butler return for the Warriors?
Both are projected to return around December 1, 2026 — Moody and Butler are each working back from separate knee injuries.
Did the Warriors re-sign Stephen Curry?
Yes. Curry and the Warriors finalized a two-year extension on September 25, though the financial terms have not been made public.
