Warriors season review & outlook: Kuba needs to match a space-type center, and Hield may be packaged for trade

The Golden State Warriors started this offseason better than the last offseason as they won the playoff spot and won the first round of the series -- despite Stephen Curry's left hamstring strain.

These are the rewards for the team getting Jimmy Butler and letting him play side by side with Curry and Draymond Green.

"We have performed this year and have those results, and now I think next season will go even better because we have players like Jimmy in our roster. We will build the team with him, Stephen, Draymond and some of the other players we have."

The Warriors relied on their veteran star to make it to the Western Conference semifinals, and then Curry's left hamstring strain in Game 1 of the series accelerated the end of their showdown with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Warriors’ season started with an atmosphere of “What if…what would happen?”, with Curry, Butler and Green all have two years left in contracts, keeping consistent in terms of years.

The cooperation between the three of them has inspired the Warriors' optimism about competing for the championship.

head coach Steve Cole said Butler "will be back next year. We want to keep Stephen healthy. We feel we can move forward from where we stop. Of course we have to make some improvements internally and how our coaching staff works, and can we find a little more balance in terms of the lineup? I'm really excited about next season." The cap limit on the

will ultimately determine how the Warriors adjust their team this summer, as they already have a $170.5 million guarantee contract in their roster next season, while the luxury tax line is $187.9 million, and the two restrictive (for roster construction) tycoon lines are $195.9 million and $207.8 million respectively.

The following is the current situation of veteran players in the Warriors lineup.

Hall of Fame Core: Curry, Butler, Green

Review: After Butler made his debut on February 9, the trio helped the Warriors achieve a 23-8 record. His skill, intelligence, strength, precision and calmness can strengthen their performance on both sides of the offense and defense. Curry's left hamstring strain shortened the Warriors' playoff journey, but the trio sparked optimism and they will start their first offseason together.

37-year-old Curry played another NBA All-Squad performance in his 16th season, averaging 24.5 points per game, shooting 44.8% from the field and 39.7% from three-pointers. Curry once again became the focus of his opponent's active defensive strategy, which aims to limit his shots and touches while putting him in a state of fatigue. As the core of the offensive and organization, Curry averaged 4.4 rebounds and 6 assists in his 70 games.

Butler played 30 of 31 games for the Warriors, averaging 17.9 points (47.6% shooting from the field and 27.9% from the three-point shooting), 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.7 steals. A strong playmaker and tough defender, the 35-year-old winger in his 14th season played with injuries for most of the playoffs. Butler suffered a deep pelvic and hip contusion in his second game against the Houston Rockets in his first round of the playoffs.

As the Warriors' defensive core, Green, 35, averaged 9 points per game (42.4% shooting percentage and 32.5% from three points), 6.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists in his 13th season. Green played power forward at the beginning of the season and ended with the center of the small ball starting lineup - this lineup beat his opponent 16.4 points per 100 rounds in 211 minutes of playing time.

Contract status after the end of the 2024-25 season: Curry $59.6 million; Butler $54.1 million; Green $25.9 million.

Outlook: Injuries - first Butler, then Curry - limited the trio's playoff time to 140 minutes, and the Warriors beat their opponent 6 points per 100 rounds during this period. Curry kept resisting the decline in form and once again performed unprecedentedly. As Curry's deputy, Butler perfectly integrated into the Warriors; Green is the key to the Warriors' seventh-ranked defensive system in the league.

Collection of another season of losses is the most obvious challenge for the Warriors.

Another challenge is: If Green did not serve as center at the beginning of the season - Cole said last week that he hoped this would be the case in the 2025-26 season - how should the Warriors maximize space on the field? Neither Green nor Butler are three-point shooters who make a lot of shots, nor will they attract the opponent's focus on precautions.

Let Green play power forwards - and Butler play small forwards - seem to need a center that can open up space, such as Quenten Post, a rookie insider who hits 40.8% of three-point shooting percentage this season.

Experienced auxiliary lineup: Buddy Hilder, Kevin Looney, Gary Payton II

Review: Hilder's relaxed and pleasant personality has activated the atmosphere in the locker room during his first year for the Warriors. Hilder relies on his three-pointer to tear the opponent's defense and perfectly integrates into the Warriors' defense and then reacting offensive system.

The 32-year-old guard, who is in his ninth season of his career, has shot 37% from three-pointers in 82 regular season games and can average 11.1 points per game. In the next 12 playoff games, Hilder scored 42.9% of his three-point shooting percentage, averaging 12.5 points per game. Hilder is one of the most effective teams in the Warriors' playoffs: The lineup consists of Curry, Hilder, Butler, Green and Brandin Podjemsky, which beats the opponent by 13.2 points per 100 possessions in 65 minutes of playing time. In his 10th season with the Warriors, as a hard-working rebounder, defender and screener, Looney averaged 4.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 76 games. Looney is highly respected in the team for his selfless character and professionalism. The 6-foot-9 (about 2.06 meters) 29-year-old center player averages 10 minutes in the playoffs, which is his least playing time since entering the playoff rotation in the 2017-18 season.

Payton played 62 games in his ninth season, the highest number of appearances since he became the Warriors' rotation guard for the first time in the 2021-22 season. The 32-year-old defensive troublemaker, able to cover, down and cut, is an excellent penalty area finisher, who averages 6.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.8 steals per game.

Contract status after the end of the 2024-25 season: Hilde $9.2 million; Looney and Payton are non-restrictive free agents.

Outlook: Hilder proved that he was very suitable for the Warriors and had a high cost-effectiveness, strengthening the team's chemistry and opening up their offensive space. Hilder is also an effective team defender, although he was not known for his defensive ability before.

Hilder's contract is three years away, and it's a contract that's good for the team, so he can strengthen the Warriors' rotation again next season, although his contract may also be packaged and sent away in potential deals along with other contracts — and draft picks — as well.

As the Warriors’ champion members and a pillar of the team’s culture, both Looney and Payton expressed interest in returning to the Warriors, and Cole and Dunleavy responded positively at their press conference at the end of the season.

They two may choose to stay and will likely get a lower-paid contract and play a less-shot role next season.

Author: Sam Gordon

Translator: GWayNe