The grim procession of injuries for the Golden State Warriors took another troubling turn Monday night, and this one looked especially ominous. As guard Moses Moody was stretchered off the court during a win over the Dallas Mavericks, the immediate concern wasn’t just another absence—it was how bad it might actually be.

According to NBA insider Brett Siegel, Moody has already undergone an MRI, though the Warriors have yet to comment on the injury’s severity. He is expected to travel back to San Francisco with the team, where further imaging and evaluation will take place.

Amid the uncertainty surrounding Moses Moody’s injury, veteran sports physician David J. Chao offered an early and troubling assessment. Based on the available footage, Chao suggested the injury could be a left knee patellar tendon rupture, describing it as an unfortunate overtime incident.

The most alarming part of his analysis came in his projection: potential surgery and an absence that could stretch through most of next season—a scenario that would deliver a massive blow to the Golden State Warriors.

Typically, a patellar tendon rupture carries a recovery timeline of 9 to 12 months, depending on surgical outcomes and rehabilitation progress, placing Moody’s availability for the upcoming season in serious doubt.

The incident happened late in overtime when Moody stole the ball from Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg with 1:13 left on the clock. He went up for an open dunk and, as he came down from the rim, his left knee buckled, and he sprawled on the floor. He couldn’t get back on his feet and was eventually stretchered out of the court.

Draymond Green hugged him while Stephen Curry had his hands on his head on the bench with utter disbelief. “We don’t know what it is, but it sure looked bad,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said following the win. “Just hoping for the best.”

Before the injury, Moody was enjoying one of his best outings of the season as he recorded 23 points, three steals, and drained four three-pointers. Other than scoring consistently, he applied great defensive pressure on the Mavs, especially in the second half.  “It’s brutal,” Green said on ESPN Radio. “Moses is a guy who does everything right… and he changed the game for us tonight.”

History shows just how difficult that road can be. Victor Oladipo suffered the same injury in 2023 while playing for the Miami Heat, an incident that immediately ended his postseason and required surgery.

Even before that setback, repeated knee injuries had already limited his availability and disrupted his career trajectory, proving how challenging a full return can be.

For Moody and the Golden State Warriors, that precedent adds a sobering layer to the diagnosis. This isn’t just a short-term absence, but potentially a long and uncertain climb back to form.

Golden State Warriors’ injury woes continue in a wretched 2025-26 season

Moses Moody is the latest entrant to the long list of injuries that the Golden State Warriors have suffered in the 2025-26 season. At first, it was Jimmy Butler, who got ruled out of the season with a ruptured ACL. Similarly, Curry has also missed 22 games in a row with a lingering knee issue, commonly known as runner’s knee.

In between, veteran big man Al Horford has also been sidelined with persistent calf strains. Newly traded star Kristaps Porzingis has also had issues of his own, while the likes of Will Richard, Gary Payton II, and Green have missed multiple games due to conditioning and injury-management issues.

Due to these absences, the Warriors have paid a heavy price on the court, as they are 10th in the Western Conference with a 34-38 record. They have booked a slot in the Play-In tournament as they cannot go any lower in the standings.

With no certainty around Curry’s return and now with Moody’s potential long-term injury, the Dubs are in massive trouble.

The youngster has been a vital cog in this Warriors side without Curry this season. He has averaged a career high 12.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 40% from the three-point line.

Now, with his injury, Steve Kerr will have to come up with different ideas to fill that void in the roster ahead of the most crucial juncture of the ongoing season.