Barkley warns the Warriors: Stephen Curry risks a bitter ending
The handling of Jonathan Kuminga and Jimmy Butler’s injury have left Stephen Curry alone at the helm. According to Charles Barkley, he is the real loser of a season that started badly – and could end even worse.
The situation inside the Golden State Warriors organization has become a grinding puzzle that goes far beyond the court. The Jonathan Kuminga–Steve Kerr saga, dragged out for more than a year through inconsistent rotations, locker-room frustration, and trade rumors, has ultimately hurt the person who deserves it least: Stephen Curry.
With Jimmy Butler ruled out for the entire season due to a torn ACL, the Warriors’ already fragile title hopes have all but vanished. But according to Charles Barkley, the biggest damage isn’t about the standings or the franchise’s future – it’s about the present and the closing chapter of their historic leader’s career.
Kuminga, Kerr, and a management approach that weighs on Curry
Jonathan Kuminga asked for continuity and trust. Steve Kerr, instead, continued to limit his role, fueling a rift that now appears irreversible. The result? A team unprepared to absorb an emergency precisely when depth and athleticism were most needed.
Had Kuminga been involved with greater conviction from the start, Golden State might have had more room to withstand Butler’s absence. Instead, the trade market now looks like the only exit strategy, with the real possibility that neither Kuminga nor Kerr will still be with the Warriors next season.
And Curry? He’ll stay. And that’s where the problem lies.
Charles Barkley: “The real loser is Steph”
Without mincing words, Charles Barkley summed up the situation with his trademark blunt analysis:
The biggest loser in all of this is Steph. The Warriors weren’t a contender, and now Steph risks finishing the last part of his career on a mediocre team.
Charles Barkley
A harsh judgment, but one that’s difficult to refute. Curry, now 37, is still one of the league’s elite scorers, yet he finds himself trapped in a confused transition, without clear direction and without immediate reinforcements.
A foregone conclusion?
Jonathan Kuminga is sidelined with knee and ankle issues, and even once he returns, his future in a Warriors jersey remains a massive question mark. With Butler out of the picture, the only real hope of salvaging meaning from the spring once again runs through Curry.
It would take drastic decisions – or an extraordinary dose of luck. Otherwise, as Barkley suggests, the ending may already be written: Stephen Curry forced to play the hero on a team no longer worthy of his talent.