The Warriors Can't Play for Now Until January. So Play for Later.
With Butler, Porzingis and Moody sidelined into winter, the first ten weeks should go to the players who will outlast Curry and Green.
Golden State's season turns on whether it spends 2026-27 on a 38-year-old's prime or on the roster that comes after him. The calendar answers first: the core pieces of a contender aren't available until January, so the minutes before then belong to the future.
The case for now
Curry is cleared and scored 23 in the opener. Last season he averaged 26.6 points and shot 39.3 percent from three, but he played only 43 games. His new deal runs two years. NBC Sports Bay Area reported that Green wants to retire a Warrior but acknowledged it might not happen when his contract expires after this season. A payroll of $219.8M, well past the $200.4M luxury tax line, is not what a team pays to develop players. Every month of Curry spent on development is a month the franchise doesn't get back.
The case for later
The players who would make a run possible aren't here. Butler, who averaged 20.0 points last season, is listed with a right knee issue and slated to return around Jan. 2. Moody, a 40.1 percent shooter from three, is slated for around Dec. 1. So is Porzingis, who is listed Out with an illness and no detail ever given. According to Hoops Rumors, the front office is exploring trade avenues for him and has contacted teams including the Bucks. Meanwhile the opener was a 127-105 loss in Los Angeles, and the Warriors fell from 20th to 26th in power rankings in a week. The future is already on the floor. Podziemski is signed for five years, and per NBC Sports Bay Area's tracking numbers, Luka Doncic scored 9 points on 1-of-5 shooting with Yaxel Lendeborg as his primary defender.
Why the order matters
These aren't rival plans. They come one after the other. The Warriors are 0-1 and zero games behind tenth place, with 81 games left. Holding a play-in spot until January doesn't require running Curry into the ground. It requires real minutes for Lendeborg, Graham Ike and, once his back allows, Podziemski, who is questionable for tonight against Memphis according to NBC Sports Bay Area. Those minutes build a deeper rotation for the night Butler returns. Golden State also owns its own firsts in 2027, 2028 and 2029, so it has no reason to sell the future for an early-season patch.
The answer
Play for later until January, so that the push for now still has something in it when it comes. If a Porzingis trade happens, judge it by one test: it has to return a player who helps in both phases. A short-term rental for October fails that test. So does salary that only clears space. The question that defines this season gets answered on Jan. 2. The job until then is to arrive with Curry fresh and the young players ready.
When is Jimmy Butler coming back for the Warriors?
Butler is listed out with a right knee issue and is slated to return around Jan. 2. Moses Moody and Kristaps Porzingis are both slated for around Dec. 1.
Are the Warriors trading Kristaps Porzingis?
According to Hoops Rumors, the Warriors are exploring trade avenues for Porzingis and have contacted teams including the Bucks. No deal has been reported.
