The Warriors Tour in 2025-26: The Game in Inheritance and Change

When the curtain of the new NBA season is about to open, the Golden State Warriors are shrouded in a special layer of fog.

This dynasty team, which once won four championships, is now standing at the intersection between Curry's peak tail and the rise of the younger generation - 36-year-old Curry is still chasing his dream of a fifth championship, and the new stars represented by Kumingga are no longer willing to do "transitional products". Every operation in the offseason is hidden in weighing, and the journey of the new season is destined to be a difficult game about inheritance and change.

1️⃣Last season review: The toughness test in the twists and turns

The Warriors in the 2024-25 season are as thrilling as a roller coaster. At the beginning of the season, the poor running-in of new players led to a fluctuation in the record. Curry struggled to support his top performance of 26.5 points and 5.8 assists per game, but the team lacked coherence on both offense and defense. The mid-term trade was a turning point. This tough guy not only brought a scoring contribution of 21.3 points per game, but also reshaped the team's defensive system. After the trade, the Warriors' defensive efficiency jumped from 15th in the league to 7th. The

The playoffs journey is even more tragic. The first round of the tiebreak victory over the Rockets showed the championship background. Curry scored 41 points in a key battle and saw the shadow of the former king. But when Curry's accidental injury became a fatal blow when the Western Conference semi-finals were against the Timberwolves, the Warriors, who lacked the core, eventually lost 1-4. It is worth noting that the young Kumingga averaged a stable data of 15.3 points per game in the playoffs, especially in the games where Curry was absent, showing his potential to be the core of the future.

2️⃣ Offseason game: The chain reaction of Kumingga's contract renewal

The Warriors' offseason operations always focus on two cores: maintaining the championship framework and solving the salary dilemma. The renewal of the role players ensured the stability of the lineup and signed veteran Horford to supplement the depth of the inside, but Kumingga's renewal negotiations became the most difficult puzzle.

The Warriors initially offered a contract of $45 million for two years and the second year as the team's option. This proposal has hidden mystery - not only maintains trading flexibility, but also firmly grasps Kumingga's future right to stay and stay in the hands of the team. But the Kumingga camp firmly demands a three-year, $82 million guarantee contract, or accepts a four-year, 90 million offer from the Sun and the King. The core of the differences between the two sides is "respect and control". The 22-year-old forward star averaged 15.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game last season, and the data reached 22.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per 36 minutes, but his 30.5% three-point shooting percentage exposed his technical shortcomings.

Salary structure further exacerbates the difficulty of negotiations. The Warriors' current contract has reached US$170.5 million. If Kuming is given an annual salary of 30 million, the total salary will break through the luxury tax line and directly limit subsequent reinforcement operations. Management's hesitation is reasonable: At the peak tail stage of core veterans such as Curry (36 years old) and Green (36 years old), should we take the risk of paying premium contracts to retain potential stocks, or sacrifice the future for immediate combat power? This contradiction makes the Warriors the most popular "pending" in the offseason.

3️⃣New Season Outlook: Destiny Choice under the triple variable

The Warriors in the 2025-26 season will face three possible development trajectories, and Kumingga's final decision will become a key variable.

If Kuminga accepts a qualification offer to stay in the team, the Warriors will retain this potential card at a low cost of $7.9 million in one year. This seems cost-effective, but it hides risks – a fluctuation in the mentality of a player in contract year may affect the locker room atmosphere, and losing him next summer will lead to asset loss. From a competitive perspective, after Butler joined, Kumingga's playing time has been compressed to 24.3 minutes, and Cole's system is difficult to provide him with the tactical status required for growth.

If the two sides reach a compromise renewal, the Warriors will need to maintain a balance in the lineup under the pressure of luxury tax. Horford's experience can temporarily make up for the shortcomings in the inside, but he is still at a disadvantage when facing teams with top inside such as the Nuggets and the Timberwolves. The schedule is not friendly to the Warriors. The "Jan-ku showdown" that challenged the Lakers away in the opener will be the first test, while the 8-game home game in January was a critical period of snatching points. Curry's 29th showdown with James may be coming to an end, but this contest is still the most box office appealing highlight of the league.

The most dramatic thing is that Kuminga left the team by signing first and then switching. The Suns and Kings quotes show that their market value is around 22.5 million per year. If the Warriors can get high-quality combat power, it may solve the problem of lineup redundancy. But losing the 201 cm forward will cause the team's future planning to be faulty - young players such as Moody and Pojemsky have not yet shown the same potential.

4️⃣Conclusion: The common dilemma of the dynasty team

The Warriors' struggle reflects the ultimate problem of all dynasty teams: How to find a balance between short-term championship pursuit and long-term lineup construction? Curry's dream of the fifth crown requires immediate combat power support, and the youthful power represented by Kumingga is unwilling to become a transitional product. The Golden State Warriors in the new season are not only a contest about basketball, but also a test of the wisdom of sports management.

No matter where Kumingga ends, the Warriors' 2025-26 season is destined to be full of storylines. Is it the legend that becomes stronger and stronger, or is the pain of the alternation of the old and the new beginning? When the lights at the Chase Center light up again, Curry, his comrades, and the young star who longs to prove himself will write a new chapter on this venue. For Warriors fans, this may be the most charming thing about basketball - always full of unknowns, but always worth looking forward to.