The Golden State Warriors have now been without their franchise star for the last 15 games, and a new Stephen Curry injury update signals the guard will miss at least another ten days with a knee injury that has kept him out since late January.
While this current Warriors team didn’t appear to have any major title hopes this season (barring a potential Giannis Antetokounmpo trade that never materialized at the deadline), the franchise was recently urged to make the bold decision to keep Curry out for the rest of the season to develop its young players.
“Golden State’s playoff hopes don’t look great, so rushing Curry back would be a bad idea,” Jack Simone wrote for BlueManHoop.com. “Instead, the Warriors should shut Curry down for the remainder of the season and double down on the young players they have on the roster.”
At the same time the the Warriors could keep Curry out, whether it be for the rest of the season or just longer than his expected return date, playing without the star in what appears to be a failed season could help the team land a top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, to either use on a prospect or as an asset in a superstar trade this summer.
Warriors Urged To Shut Curry Down For Rest Of The Season
While there was initial hope Curry would return shortly after the All-Star break, that hasn’t been the case, and without him, the team continues to fall in the Western Conference standings.
With no set return date or official timeline, Golden State was urged to hold off on bringing Curry back to develop young players like Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos, Quinten Post, Will Richard, Moses Moody, and others, as each has shown at least a bit of promise this season.
“They should take a look at how good their youngsters can be in order to evaluate whether or not they should be a part of the team’s future,” Simone wrote. “It’s a brutal situation to be in, but it’s the reality of the Warriors’ current situation.”
Along with the season-ending ACL injury to Jimmy Butler, seeing Al Horford and Draymond Green constantly on the injury report, the overall uncertainty of Kristaps Porzingis‘ health status, and the team’s current spot in the standings, this isn’t the first time the idea of keeping Curry out for an even longer stretch has been floated out.
According to NBA insider Brett Siegel, while shutting down Curry for the rest of the season might not be in the cards, keeping him out until he’s 100% healthy might be the best route for the Warriors.
“Given their position in the West standings, the Warriors have zero reason to rush Curry back,” he wrote. “Having Steph available for the play-in tournament will be essential.”
My latest on @ClutchPoints about where things stand with all of the Warriors’ injury situations, with some quick intel as well:
But while Golden State already has minimal playoff hopes, keeping Curry out could also mean the Warriors would have a better chance to land a top pick in the upcoming draft lottery. While getting a top-three pick would be unlikely, any selection in the lottery, whether it’s using it on a player or as a draft asset, would prove more beneficial than making the playoffs this season just to lose in the first round.
Stephen Curry Injury Update
As reported by the franchise itself, and confirmed by insiders Shams Charania and Anthony Slater, the latest Curry injury update signals he’ll be re-evaluated in another ten days. It’s the third time the team has announced a ‘ten-day re-evaluation timeline,‘ and the star is set to miss at least 20 games in a row for Golden State.
However, while the star remains out with a nagging knee injury, Slater reported that Curry both wants and expects to get back on the court as soon as possible, and that his injury recovery has been going well, despite what all the recent injury updates indicate.
“Curry has advanced to court work in recent days, which is a significant step in his attempted return,” Slater wrote for ESPN. “Team sources have continued to describe Curry as extremely motivated to return for the stretch run and try to work the wobbling Warriors into the playoffs through the play-in bracket. He will intensify court work in the coming days.”
Latest update
But while getting the star back in time for the playoffs would be good for the team in the short term, this current roster doesn’t feel like one that can win multiple postseason rounds, despite how much success Curry has led them to in the past.
As of now, Golden State is 32-33 and ninth in the West standings, looking destined for another Play-In Tournament appearance. Though it doesn’t feel like the Warriors will shut down Curry for the rest of the year, it might be a better long-term play rather than bringing him back and risking yet another knee injury in what has already been a season riddled with health concerns for him and the team overall.
Warriors Could Shut Down Steph Curry For Season After New Injury Update