Stephen Curry enters his 17th season in the NBA with his Golden State Warriors under a dark cloud of uncertainty.
With training camp set to get underway this week, the Warriors only have 11 players under contract. Although they recently announced commitments to sign veteran big man Al Horford and versatile guards De'Anthony Melton and Gary Payton II , those deals cannot be made official until they resolve Jonathan Kuminga 's contract situation.
This means the Warriors' first official activity of the 2025-26 season — training camp — will be both uneven and unsteady, to the point where some have even joked that head coach Steve Kerr may need to suit up so that they can hold scrimmages.
However, ESPN's Kendrick Perkins is unwilling to throw shade on the Warriors, knowing full well the prolific capabilities of their longtime megastar.
For a moment last season, it looked as if the Warriors were going to waste another of Curry's remaining years in the NBA. The team hovered around the .500 mark, which wasn't going to cut it in the stacked Western Conference. However, the team's temperature changed when they acquired All-Star wingman Jimmy Butler .
While some initially questioned Butler's fit on the Warriors, the proof was in the pudding as Curry and Butler formed a dynamic duo that elevated the team's play. In fact, they finished the regular season on a 23-8 tear to earn the seventh seed in the postseason. They then toppled the second-seeded Houston Rockets before a hamstring injury to Curry severely hampered them in their second-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves .
Still, Perkins saw enough to know that the Warriors were headed in the right direction, especially with Curry still leading the way.
"I would never go against the light-skinned brother with the green eyes, especially with him having Jimmy Butler alongside him," Perkins said on "NBA Today."
Despite being 36, Curry still put up stellar numbers, averaging 24.5 points on 44.8 percent shooting, 4.4 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game.
Perkins, though, had some misgivings about the Warriors not having a complete roster in training camp.
A former NBA champion with the Boston Celtics knows how crucial training camp is in setting the tone for the rest of the season. In fact, the Celtics' first practice was a slambang affair that let everyone know the second unit wasn't going to take any flak from the starters.
With Horford, Melton and Payton II unable to participate since they aren't officially signed yet, the Warriors are going to be short on players in the early part of training camp.
"We know how vital that is when you're trying to compete for a title and win a championship, especially coming out of a tough Western Conference. It's crucial to get off to a great start," Perkins stated. "Training camp is about more than what you do on the floor — it's about the camaraderie and the chemistry you build off the floor."
"They really have to get this Jonathan Kuminga situation done quickly. Whether it's coming to an agreement, signing him, or whatever the case may be, they need to get this behind them," he added.
Not having a complete roster in training camp isn't ideal. However, it's what the Warriors are facing right now, and they must hold the fort a little longer until the others, and hopefully Kuminga, are fully on board.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 30, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
