Warriors’ unceremonious end to two-timelines plan dates back to 2022 NBA Finals

History always has looked at the Warriors’ 2022 NBA championship wrong. The harsh reality is, the Warriors themselves celebrated their fourth championship in eight years incorrectly. It was the Surprise Championship. The Extra Championship. The Cherry-On-Top Championship. And that outlook is what allowed the Two Timelines Plan to end Wednesday with a sparkler instead of a fireworks show. The Warriors put an end to the Jonathan Kuminga era by trading him the night before the 2026 NBA trade deadline, as well as Buddy Hield, to the Atlanta Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole. In turn, their years-long pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo continued to be nothing but a tease. Trading Kuminga to the Hawks represented the response the Warriors have been receiving from the Milwaukee Bucks — their opinion of Golden State’s trade offer of draft picks, Draymond Green, Kunminga and more — and now here we are. No Giannis, but an injured Porzingis. Winning solves everything. Greed also can grow from winning, too. The Warriors went gambling when they thought the dynasty was dead and clung onto hope as they watched the value of their chips dwindle. After playing in five straight NBA Finals, the Warriors over the next two years had three NBA draft lottery picks fall into their lap. Those three picks netted an injured Gary Payton II returning to the team, an injured Porzingis who has missed 13 straight games, some second-round picks and a solid role player in Moses Moody that’s averaging 7.7 points per game in his five-year career and a career-high 11.2 this season. Draft picks have been protected by a locked treasure chest just to turn the key, trying to convince the fan base that they too can turn to gold. That’s a generational fumble for a franchise that truly once was light years ahead. These decisions all circle back to an outlook on what the 2022 championship was. Beating the highly favored Boston Celtics in six games after going down two games to one should have been Steph Curry’s crowning achievement. He already had won three championships, two NBA MVPs and cemented his legacy forever. No more questions could be asked. He won before Kevin Durant, with Kevin Durant and after Kevin Durant. With the Warriors’ backs against the wall and playing on Boston’s raucous home court, Curry gave Golden State 43 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and seven 3-pointers in Game 4 to keep the Warriors’ season alive. They never lost again, beating the Celtics in each of the next two games to again become champions. Teammates celebrated Curry’s long overdue first Finals MVP, where he averaged 31.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals, shooting 43.7 percent from three on 11.8 attempts per game. Chiseling him into the NBA’s Mount Rushmore could have begun immediately. Curry just turned 34 years old three months prior. Klay Thompson was 32 but clearly wasn’t going to be his previous self anymore and returned that season from missing the previous two to brutal leg injuries. Green also was 32. Eyes already started shifting to a 21-year-old James Wiseman and a 19-year-old Kuminga. Moody had just turned 20. Jordan Poole was turning 23 days after the Finals ended. One year later, Poole was traded as a salary dump with a protected first-round pick, and Ryan Rollins, a breakout player for the Bucks this season, was dealt for one season of a 38-year-old Chris Paul. Striking when the kettle is hot wasn’t in the Warriors’ future. The aftermath of Curry’s brilliance in the 2022 championship should have been an all-out charge to maximize his next three to five seasons. The idea of Kuminga overshadowed the ability to land Pascal Siakam, the second-best player on a Finals team last season, and Alex Caruso, a key player for last season’s NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Josh Giddey was the No. 6 pick in the 2021 draft, one pick ahead of Kuminga. He put up solid stats his first three seasons as a clear starting point guard in the NBA, and still, Thunder general manager Sam Presti pounced at the opportunity of trading him for Caruso, knowing which player was ready to complement his star best and win now. The Warriors went for it at last season’s trade deadline. A run at a Durant reunion turned to Jimmy Butler becoming Batman’s Robin. They swung for the fences again and were part of the Giannis sweepstakes. But years of whiffing on young assets have them walking back to the dugout empty handed while Butler’s out for the rest of the 2025-26 NBA season with a torn ACL. On the surface, Porzingis, when healthy, is someone the Warriors have been interested in for years. At 7-foot-2, he’s the floor-stretching, rim-protecting big man they’ve always eyed. His expiring contract can help financially and opens more of a chance to re-sign De’Anthony Melton in the offseason. None of that makes up for the needle moving maybe an inch. Porzingis in the last three years has missed 33 more games than Anthony Davis. The 2022 championship being looked at all wrong has the Two Timelines Plan closing unceremoniously as a reminder to appreciate whatever Curry can give to Golden State until the very end.Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Warriors’ unceremonious end to two-timelines plan dates back to 2022 NBA Finals

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