It’s been a tough year for Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. Curry has not played since January 30. Jimmy Butler was lost to a torn ACL, and the Warriors finally parted ways with Jonathan Kuminga, trading him to the Atlanta Hawks in a deal that brought back Kristaps Porzingis. Porzingis is dealing with issues himself and will miss Monday’s matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers due to an illness.
Insider: Stephen Curry Aiming to Return By the Postseason
Despite their issues, the Warriors are still 31-29 and currently sit in the eighth spot in the Western Conference, meaning all eyes are on Curry and when he could return.
NBA Insider Matt Steinmetz of Steiny and Guru believes that, despite injuries to their current “Big Three,” nothing has changed about the Warriors or their plan.
“I don’t think anything’s changed,” said Steinmetz. “They are going to have games like that if Steph doesn’t play Butler doesn’t play and Porzingis doesn’t play. They just are. There are going to be nights when they’re not going to be able to complete.”
“[The Warriors] are gonna rest Steph Curry as long as they can. And then mid to late-March — maybe early April — he’ll come back. The goal right now is easy: It’s about making the playoffs — they will be able to live with themselves.”
– @Steinmetzsports via @SteinyGuru957 pic.twitter.com/z1LzV6Z3Jv
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) March 2, 2026
With the losses mounting, specifically ones that have come in blowout fashion like Saturday night’s 129-101 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers, many believe the injuries would force the Warriors into tanking for the remainder of the season, but Steinmetz does not believe that to be the case.
“I don’t think they’re tanking and people are saying ‘Oh Steph’s gonna get shut down,’ I don’ think Steph’s getting shut down,” Steinmetz added.
In fact, he believes the Warriors are still competing for a playoff spot.
“[The Warriors] are gonna rest Steph Curry as long as they can. And then mid to late-March — maybe early April — he’ll come back. At that point, they hope to still be at eight and they hope to win one playoff game. The goal right now is easy: It’s about making the playoffs — if they make the playoffs, they will be able to live with themselves, I think.”
To Steinmetz’s point, the Warriors have a 2.5-game lead over the Clippers, who are currently 10th in the West, making Monday’s matchup crucial, and a 2.5-game lead over the Portland Trail Blazers, who sit in the 9th spot. If that scenario holds, the Warriors would just need a victory in the first play-in game.
If the season ended today, they’d be facing the seventh-seeded Phoenix Suns, who are three games ahead of the Warriors at 34-26. The Lakers (36-24) and Denver Nuggets (37-24) could also be in danger of falling out of the top six and into the play-in, but that seems unlikely.
Curry may not be the player he once was, but he’s still putting up 27.2 points 4.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 46.8% from the field, 39.1% from three, and 93.1% from the free throw line. If Curry is able to get back on the court, there’s no team that is going to be particularly excited about seeing the Warriors in the playoffs.
