A Timeline Of The Downfall Of The Warriors’ Dynasty

After the Warriors’ embarrassing Play-In loss ended their season, it is time to look at the moves that ended the dynasty.

HIGHLIGHTS

 Injuries ended the Kevin Durant era and caused a sudden decline in Golden State’s dominance in the NBA.

Everything good must come to an end, and it appears that the Golden State Warriors’ dynasty as we know it, is over with the blowout play-in loss in Sacramento Kings. After two consecutive seasons ending in disappointment since they hoisted the Larry O’Brien trophy, questions must be asked about the future of Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and the rest of the Warriors’ roster around Stephen Curry.

At one time in spring 2019, Golden State looked completely unbeatable and many more championships seemed inevitable. The Kevin Durant-era Warriors were one of the greatest teams ever assembled, but have fallen apart through a string of roster mistakes, missed draft picks, injuries, and decline of key players.

Below is a chronological breakdown of the events that led to the end of dominance in Golden State.

Injuries Ended the Durant Era in Golden State

Losing Durant to Brooklyn changed everything

During the 2018-19 season, Golden State was attempting to complete a legendary three-peat that would place them in rarified air in NBA history, but dissent in the locker room was already festering. Green and Durant had very public disagreements throughout the year, which sparked discussion of Durant’s departure in free agency. Durant also seemed very aware of the legacy implications of winning titles on an unstoppable team, furthering speculation about his exit.

Durant then injured his calf in Game 5 of the Conference Semifinals against the Houston Rockets, only returning in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, where he tore his achilles in the second quarter. Fast-forward a game, and Thompson exited a thrilling Game 6 with a torn ACL on a fast-break dunk. The Toronto Raptors hoisted the trophy in Oracle Arena’s last game, and suddenly the Warriors were in a state of flux for the future.

Warriors w/ Durant vs. Without

Years

2015-16 (Without)
140-24
31-14

2017-2019 (With)
182-64
46-14

2020-2021 (Without)
54-83
0-0

2022-2024 (Without)
143-103
22-13

Andre Iguodala left for Miami, Shaun Livingston retired, and the only healthy members left of the original team were Curry and Green for 2019-20. Curry broke his hand and only played five games, leaving the Warriors with just 15 wins and sitting outside the playoffs for the first time in seven years.

Pair of Missed Draft Picks Would Prove Costly

Jordan Poole and James Wiseman wouldn’t last in Golden State

As the Warriors tried to transition to a differently built roster post-Durant, two of their first-round draft picks would flame out for different reasons, but both proved extremely costly to the state of the team today.

The first of these selections was guard Jordan Poole out of Michigan with the 28th pick in 2019. Missing on a 28th pick is typical for most teams, but the Warriors didn’t necessarily miss on Poole’s talent. After improving steadily through his first three seasons, he helped Golden State win their fourth championship as one of the main secondary scorers alongside Curry. Poole even appeared as the heir apparent to Curry and Thompson as the third “splash brother”.

However, things soured quickly when Green punched Poole in training camp before the season, leading to another tense locker room in 2022-23 and ultimately his departure via trade to the Washington Wizards. Jordan Poole seemed destined to help lead the next era of Warriors basketball and help Curry, Thompson, and Green continue competing in the later parts of their careers, but the drama ended his tenure in Golden State just one year later.

As for James Wiseman, this was an extremely damaging draft miss because they used the 2020 second-overall pick to select him. This one stings because taken just one spot after Wiseman was All-Star LaMelo Ball. The Warriors’ logic was to draft a big man to supplement their already crowded backcourt, and Ball has often been injured in his NBA career, but missing on a talent like that for a player like Wiseman can set a team back years.

Poole & Wiseman Warriors Stats

Player
PPG
APG
RPG
FG%

Poole
15.8
3.4
2.6
42.1%

Wiseman

Furthermore, Golden State could have used Ball as an asset to trade for the star wing they’ve so desperately needed since Durant’s departure. Wiseman played well at times as a Warrior, and even better as a Piston, but he simply didn’t fit their offense and wasn’t ready to help a team compete for a title.

Fumbling these two drafts consecutively put a hole in the Warriors roster that they couldn’t overcome in 2021, 2023, and 2024, where they won a combined six playoff games and were eliminated in the play-in tournament twice.

Warriors Failed to Make a Move to Replace Declining Players

Golden State became far too dependent on Curry to carry the franchise

Another sneaky factor that led to the demise of the Warriors after Durant left for Brooklyn is just the rapid aging of their core group. Curry and Green were in their 30s, Thompson was entering his 30s with a brutal knee injury, Iguodala and Livingston were non-factors, and they didn’t have the pieces to overcome these changes.

In 2021, Golden State sent D’Angelo Russell (who they acquired in a sign-and-trade for Durant) to Minnesota in exchange for failed number one pick Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins seemed the perfect player for a team that lacked wing athleticism, shot creation, and defense, and he showed his maximum potential as he was the second-best player in the 2022 championship run. However, Wiggins came back to earth after a family crisis in 2023, and hasn’t been the same since.

Andrew Wiggins – Season Comparison

Years
2015-2019
2020-2023
2024
2022 Playoffs

Team
Timberwolves
Warriors
Warriors
Warriors

PPG
19.7
17.8
13.2
16.7

RPG
4.3
4.7
4.5
5.6

TS%
52.1%
56.3%
54.4%
53.8%

Furthermore, outside of Wiggins, the Warriors never attempted to make a move to upgrade the talent around Curry, whether through trades or free agency. As he has started declining slightly, he has been less able to carry inferior rosters through playoff series, and the league is too talented to have only one shot creator on the entire team.

Golden State attempted to straddle the young core and the older core and do a “two timelines” approach, but failed to adequately address either core’s quality of players. They were able to snatch a fourth championship in 2022 behind all-time greatness from Curry, Wiggins’ breakout, and the last breath of prime Thompson and Green. However, their predicament now is very rough, and now Golden State must make some tough decisions.