Warriors 'impatient' as time with Stephen Curry dwindles

When the Warriors struck out in their pursuits of All-Stars Paul George and Lauri Markkanen this offseason, many sympathized with Stephen Curry, who turns 37 in March and is nearing the end of his storied career. 

As he enters another season without an All-Star teammate, Curry's Warriors are projected to win 43.5 games and miss the playoffs for a second consecutive year. If the sharpshooter goes another year without competing for a title, the narrative that the Warriors are "wasting" his prime will only grow louder. 

Golden State is more than aware of those concerns. 

While addressing the media on Thursday, Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. said his franchise is operating with a heightened level of "impatience" and remains determined to give Curry another shot at a title. 

"We're probably as impatient a franchise as you can be right now given our time horizon [on Curry's age] and all that," Dunleavy said. "But there's a fine line between impatience and undisciplined. I feel good about the discipline that we held this summer and the roster we built and the growth from within that we're going to have. I know everybody is always looking for big-headline breaking news and all that, but I really like this team."

Dunleavy doubled down that the Warriors will remain aggressive leading up to the 2025 NBA trade deadline, but won't make hasty moves just to add another star. 

"Making deals in this league can be tough. But the effort and the urgency will always be there," he stressed. 

To Curry's credit, he has continued to support the Warriors' front-office moves and has not expressed disappointment at their inability to recruit a co-star. In a recent interview with The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson II, Curry stressed that he has faith in Dunleavy and Co. to build a roster that can compete with the likes of the Nuggets, Mavericks, Timberwolves and Thunder in the loaded Western Conference.

One wonders if Curry will remain as patient if the Warriors endure another disappointing campaign in the 2024-25 season, which they will begin against the Trail Blazers on Oct. 23.