The powerful Pistons escaped Chase Center with a win; how will Curry's Warriors keep up in a younger league?

As Curry limped off the court, it's clear that the Warriors are in dire need of a spark that can fill the void of Jimmy Butler's absence.

Well damn, Pistons. I see why they keep calling you the dark horse contender in the Eastern Conference.

Friday night in San Francisco, the young and hungry Detroit Pistons hung 45 first-quarter points on the Golden State Warriors. Ladies and gentlemen, that’s the most the Dubs have surrendered in a single frame all season. By halftime, Detroit led 77-64. Even a spirited Warriors comeback couldn’t overcome the deficit once Steph Curry exited in the third quarter with a knee injury and never returned.

Final score: 131-124, Pistons.

Cade Cunningham went for 29 points and 11 assists, looking every bit the franchise cornerstone. I met the 24-year old Cade during All-Star weekend in San Francisco last year. I have his autograph sitting somewhere on my bookshelf. I lnew he was a really good young player, but I hadn’t really followed his story or seen much of his play because the Pistons were decidedly not on the top of my NBA League Pass wishlist. In meeting him and hearing him and his family talk about his journey, I was struck by the beauty and humility of his roots and his quiet competitive edge.

Where’s Hardee? All Star Edition

There was no humility and all edge to the way he was whupping Golden State last night. At one point, he chased down Steph Curry for a block like he was prime LeBron, and I had to sit back and think: Do these young guys have no respect for their elders?

The answer is no. And they shouldn’t.

This is what the new NBA looks like. Cade and the Pistons aren’t asking for acceptance; they’re taking what’s theirs. Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs aren’t waiting to be anointed. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Thunder aren’t satisfied with just one title parade. LaMelo Ball’s Hornets aren’t content being exciting. Even the young Rockets and Raptors are building something fresh and hungry.

These teams are kicking the door down. Fresh energy. New blood. The future is here, and it’s not polite about it. And seeing the Warriors get systematically overcome by Detroit’s youth and athleticism while watching Steph limp to the locker room and with Jimmy Butler already done for the season with a torn ACL—one thought crystallized:

The Warriors were supposed to be having their youth movement’s rise too.

THE TWO TIMELINES: WHAT HAPPENED

The “Two Timelines” wasn’t a bad idea. It was actually brilliant in concept: blend lottery picks with the dynastic core of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green to compete for championships while simultaneously building for the future. Buck the trend that’s killed every dynasty since forever.

Joe Lacob called it being “Light Years” ahead. And honestly? It wasn’t arrogance when they said it. After Kevin Durant left in 2019, this franchise had just won three championships in five years. They’d revolutionized basketball. They’d built a juggernaut through shrewd trades like Monta-for-Bogut, attracted free agents like Andre Iguodala and KD, resurrected reclamation projects like Shaun Livingston, JaVale McGee, and Nick Young, and nailed the draft with Steph at 7, Klay at 11, Draymond in the second round. They’d proven they could develop talent better than anyone.

So when they got high lottery picks again—Wiseman at #2, Kuminga at #7, Moody at #14—the logic was sound: we’ve done this before, we can do it again.
Except.

James Wiseman (#2 pick, 2020): Never found his footing. Injuries, inconsistency, never quite fit. Traded to Detroit in 2023. Waived by the Pacers in December 2025. Out of the league at 25.

Jonathan Kuminga (#7 pick, 2021): Four years of yo-yoing between the rotation and DNPs. Flashes of brilliance mixed with stretches of invisibility. Now he’s the centerpiece in Giannis trade talks.

Moses Moody (#14 pick, 2021): Solid 3-and-D guy. Reliable. Just not proving himself to be a consistent game-changer yet.

Honorary Mention to Jordan Poole ($140M extension, 2022): Not a lottery pick but the team’s initial first round pick for the post-KD era. Electric scorer, defensive liability, victim of workplace violence, chemistry question mark. Shipped to Washington in 2023. Traded to New Orleans in 2025. Already benched and being shopped after half a season.

The result of all this? One championship since 2018. They won that 2022 ring when Steph was 34, Klay returned from hell, and Draymond held everything together with spit and fury. The young guys played roles. Poole was genuinely good that year. Kuminga and Moody contributed in spots. Wiseman was there for moral support.

But one ring since KD left? I’m betting that every member of Dub Nation reading right now is unsatisfied with that.

Here’s the thing though!: that’s still more than most teams get. The Spurs haven’t won since 2014. The Rockets since 1995. The Thunder finally got theirs last year. And the Hornets have never won, despite the best efforts of Grandmama and Dell Curry.

One championship is more than the vast majority of franchises will ever see. But when you’ve won four championships in eight years like the Warriors did from 2015-2022, one more feels like both a triumph and a letdown. It worked enough to get one more banner. It didn’t work enough to extend the dynasty indefinitely. Life’s a gamble. The Warriors made their bet. They put their chips on developing lottery talent while Steph’s window remained open. Some of it hit. Most of it didn’t.

Now it feels like we’re all ready for them to make a different bet.

THE GIANNIS GAMBIT

According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, the Warriors are willing to trade everything for Giannis Antetokounmpo:

• Unprotected first-round picks in 2026, 2028, and 2032

• A top-20 protected pick in 2030

• A 2031 pick swap

• Jonathan Kuminga

• Potentially Brandin Podziemski

All in. Every chip pushed to the center of the table.

This is what you do when you have Stephen Curry. Because here’s the thing wrapped in irony that makes this whole story beautiful: There are no guarantees for anyone.

Cade Cunningham is balling out, but Detroit hasn’t won anything yet. Wemby is generational, but San Antonio hasn’t won a game against Golden State this year. SGA is phenomenal, but the young and dominant Oklahoma City champs couldn’t even win 73 games in their repeat effort #cantrelate. LaMelo is electric, but is Charlotte gonna win a playoff game? Houston’s fun. Toronto’s rebuilding. None of them are anything close to a dynasty right now.

Youth doesn’t guarantee championships. Development doesn’t guarantee success. High draft picks don’t guarantee anything. You know what has a proven track record? Stephen Wardell Curry II.

Four rings and two MVPs folks. A player so elite that the very true title of “the greatest shooter in basketball history” now comes off as disrespectfully limiting his impact. A player who, even at 37 with a banged-up knee, can still drop 40 on any given night and make you believe in magic.

The Warriors spent six years trying to extend the dynasty through the draft. They got one championship out of it. Now they’re trying a different approach: pair Unanimous with one of the most dominant forces in the game and see if that combination can steal one more title.

It’s a gamble. Just like the Two Timelines was a gamble. Just like drafting Steph at #7 was a gamble when he had ankle problems. Just like signing Kevin Durant was a gamble. Just like trading for Jimmy Butler was a gamble before his ACL exploded.

Everything in basketball—in life—is a gamble.That’s basketball. Sometimes it hits. Sometimes it doesn’t. But you keep playing. You keep betting. You keep pushing chips to the table when you have a hand worth playing. And Stephen Curry at 37? That’s still a hand worth playing. Giannis Antetokounmpo paired with Steph Curry? That’s the kind of hand that could win everything.

P.S. I adore writing for the HQ, and I really appreciate your time, energy, responses. It’s a privilege to be in this community discussing the exciting drama that is GSW hoops. In the spirit of that, please enjoy today’s poll: