The Golden State Warriors are in the limbo portion of their post-dynasty run. On any given night, they are still fun to watch, mainly because of Steph Curry and Draymond Green. But the Dubs do have a fun young core of guys like Podz and Spencer on top of fiesty veterans like Porzingis. And at 33-36, they are still on the brink of a potential playoff appearance.
Yet that is the thing that is troubling some Golden State fans. Curry has been out, but is eyeing a potential return right at the tail end of the year, especially if the Warriors manage to squeak into a Play-In tournament spot. The Chef will always play tough no matter what his team’s record in.
And that appears to be the problem. Many are calling for the Warriors to just lose out to secure a better pick in the 2026 draft. That’s at least what Marc Spears is suggesting. The popular analyst shared his thoughts on the current state of the Dubs during his latest appearance on the Willard & Dibs program, where the 53-year-old broke down Curry and company’s most likely scenarios.
“I think Steph and the Warriors are very realistic about what this is. At best, it gets them a first round berth. But the worst-case scenario might be the best case scenario because right now they have the 11th pick in the draft before the draft lottery. To me, that’s better odds than what Dallas had when they got Cooper Flagg,” stated Spears.
“The beauty of sports is the unknown, so you go to the draft lottery and you just see what happens. To me, that’s more important for the Warriors than whether Steph could play against Portland on the road in a Play-In game.”
– @MarcJSpears on @WillardAndDibs. pic.twitter.com/d5m3Jch2M2
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) March 19, 2026
He’s not wrong. The 26 draft is supposed to be STACKED with talent like Kansas’s Darryn Peterson or Duke’s Cameron Boozer. The Dubs being in the running for someone of that nature could be franchise changing, especially with Curry at 100% and a returning Jimmy Butler back at full strength.
That is however, incredibly hopeful from Dubs fans as early mock drafts have them selecting at around the 12-15 pick range. If they tank, perhaps they could inch closer to the top 10 but it’s closer to impossible than reality to land a top 5 talent with their 2026 own FRP.
Tanking would also require head coach Steve Kerr to turn down the competition a bit. And if you know Kerr, much like Curry, it’s just not going to happen. “The beauty of sports is the unknown, so you go to the draft lottery and you just see what happens,” added Spears. “To me, that’s more important for the Warriors than whether Steph could play against Portland on the road in a Play-In game.”
That’s really the crossroads Golden State is at. Tanking makes sense on paper, but this team just isn’t wired that way. Not with Curry, Draymond, and Steve Kerr leading things. There’s value in chasing meaningful games, even if it’s just the Play-In, because that experience matters for the young core.
At the same time, the future could hinge on lottery luck. So they’re stuck in the middle. Compete now, but hope it still sets them up for what’s next. To be honest, it’s a much more exciting postseason when Curry is in a series, so you have my vote.
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