Steph Curry is not getting younger, and with every passing season, the Golden State Warriors are facing the inevitable end to the franchise’s greatest player, who has defined the modern game.

At 38, the four-time champion, two-time MVP, and all-time 3-point leader remains the main man for Golden State even this late in his career.

The long marriage between Curry and the Warriors is the longest active single-team tenure in the league. But priority one for the front office is to have him stay as long as possible, maybe for one last title ride.

Everyone from the front office to fans hasn’t really thought much about life without Curry. But everything eventually comes to an end, even if Golden State dreads the day they start life without their star point guard.

One thing they hope is that it won’t come much sooner, because judging from the current status, the Warriors don’t look like they will provide Curry with one last dance.

This season, Golden State is 36-38, clinging to the play-in tournament. Injuries have plagued the roster and exposed their biggest flaw, which is a lack of depth. If they can’t provide a championship environment for Curry, they might as well start thinking about an era without him.

Despite the loyalty, ignoring what the future will look like will be reckless. The Los Angeles Lakers learned the hard way after moving on from Kobe Bryant. The San Antonio Spurs became a lottery team post-Tim Duncan.

The Golden State Warriors’ post-Curry blueprint

Golden State went all-in on the February trade deadline. It traded promising young forward Jonathan Kuminga and shooting guard Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks for veteran big man Kristaps Porzingis. Trayce Jackson-Davis was also traded for a second-round pick. That was the best they could do to lock down their “win-now” window and maximise the other veteran trio of Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green.

Butler was ruled out for the season after suffering an ACL injury in January, which justifies the added veteran presence. But honestly, what it looked like was a franchise that mortgaged its youth. Trading a 22-year-old Kuminga, who had promising upside, for a 30-year-old Porzingis, who is injury-prone, was the exact wrong trade-off.

The Warriors may also look in the direction of a new coach for the first time since 2014, as current head coach Steve Kerr is entering the final year of his contract extension.

But franchise executive Mike Dunleavy Jr. has expressed optimism that the coach will return for at least next season. The strive for continuity is pleasing to hear, but having Kerr means that they have to repeat the same offense that has revolved around Curry’s gravitational pull for more than a decade. As such, Curry has to stay for Kerr to remain; otherwise, the system looks ordinary.

The Warriors’ offense has been Curry-dependent for so long that transitioning to a new identity will take a lot of adjusting, and no one knows if Kerr will be willing to handle that adjustment period if the Curry era ends soon.

Of course, it is highly unlikely that the 38-year-old would force a move away from the Bay Area. He may play a season or two, or even three, if his body holds up. What happens after that is what the Warriors should be ready to face.

The first thing they’d need is a new focal point. Guards Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody have demonstrated their ability to play, but they are not players who force defences to think hard. They have a first-round pick in 2026, which they could trade for an established player to become the new main man. Alternatively, they could take the San Antonio route and see if they can land a No. One pick in the future draft. But they’d be hoping for luck; the Warriors haven’t drafted a true foundational player since Podziemski, and their recent trades don’t indicate a future intent.

If they double down on veterans, they will essentially be repeating the Lakers’ mistake post-Bryant.

The clock is ticking fast for Golden State, and they have just a few years to get it right or find themselves slipping when the Curry era eventually comes to an end.