The Golden State Warriors have been without Stephen Curry since the end of January — a grueling 19-game stretch that has been nothing short of brutal. The team’s young talent has had its moments of brilliance, delivering occasional inspired performances that have kept fans hopeful. Yet the cold reality is a dismal 6-13 record that, in any normal season, would have sunk the Dubs without a trace.
But this is the Western Conference in 2026, where tanking teams litter the standings like roadkill. That chaos has kept the Warriors mathematically alive for the play-in tournament — and, beyond that, a miracle playoff run.
The front office’s current mindset is clear: get Curry back, sneak into the postseason, and pray for a miracle. Even if that means facing juggernauts like the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs, the belief is that adding a healthy Al Horford, Moses Moody, new arrival Kristaps Porzingis, and a fully recovered Curry could let them “do some damage,” as coach Steve Kerr put it.
That optimism is highly debatable. What isn’t debatable is that the 2026 NBA Draft is absolutely stacked — one of the deepest and most talented in recent memory. And a growing chorus of voices, including longtime NBA insider Marc Spears, is now urging the Warriors to do the unthinkable: shut Stephen Curry down immediately and embrace the lottery.
Speaking on 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, Spears dropped a bombshell take that is already sending shockwaves across the Bay Area: the Warriors should bench their franchise icon for the rest of the regular season. Scrapping and clawing for a play-in spot — or worse, winning one or two play-in games only to get demolished in the first round — simply isn’t worth it.
“If they miss the playoffs,” Spears explained, “they stay in the lottery. Right now they’re projected at the 11th pick before the lottery even happens. That gives them far better odds than Dallas had when they landed Cooper Flagg. You don’t know what’s going to happen in that lottery room — that’s the beauty of it. To me, that upside is way more valuable than Steph playing a road game in Portland.”
The potential reward? A chance to draft one of the blue-chip prospects headlining this historic class: AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer, or Caleb Wilson (currently sidelined with a broken thumb). Even if they hold at No. 11, stars could still slide — players like Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr., a consensus Top-5 talent whose back issues might scare other teams away.
The Warriors have repeatedly insisted they are playoff-bound and have no interest in tanking. But Spears says that stubbornness is dangerously short-sighted.
“The reward is the youth that’s about to flood this league in one of the most special drafts in NBA history,” he said. “Somebody special is going to drop to 11. Somebody special is going to fall right into their lap.”
For the first time in years, the Warriors face a genuine crossroads. Play it safe and chase an early playoff exit — or take the drastic, unpopular step of shutting down Stephen Curry and rolling the dice on a future superstar.
The shockwaves are just beginning.