An insider gives the Dubs a big lump of coal for Christmas amid a mediocre season

Going into their Christmas showdown against the Dallas Mavericks with a record of .500 (15-15) 30 games into the 2025-26 season is not the kind of start Golden State Warriors had in mind. Add in the public confrontation between the head coach and Draymond Green and you’ll understand why Steve Kerr called the Warriors a fading dynasty.

To complicate matters, the Warriors’ youth is unpromising, as All-Star Stephen Curry, who is still playing at a high level, can’t do everything, and Kerr still isn’t to establish player rotation, as the Athletic’s Nick Friedel noted.

“The Warriors are almost halfway through the season and still can’t settle on a rotation. Golden State’s emotional leader, Draymond Green, left the bench during Monday’s win over the Orlando Magic after a heated exchange with coach Steve Kerr,” Friedel wrote. “The Warriors have struggled to win games or even find baseline consistency. They’ve struggled to develop younger players to complement Curry’s size.”

“At the start of the season, the Warriors thought Curry, Green, Jimmy Butler and Al Horford were all lined up under contract to take two more swings at another title before Curry retires. As this season has played out, that notion seems far-fetched at best.”

The Warriors are coming off a pair of wins against the Phoenix Suns and will look to match that with a three-game winning streak against the Dallas Mavericks on Christmas Day.

Steve Kerr’s “Fading Dynasty” on the 2025-26 Warriors

Head coach of the Warriors Steve Kerr reflected on his confrontation with Draymond Greenand expressed regret for getting so upset. Kerr also added that he apologized to Greene, and both passed on that apology to the rest of the team, he said, per Nick Friedel of the Athletics.

“I regret my actions in that exchange. I apologized to Drai, he apologized to me, we both apologized to the team,” Kerr said. “Like I said, not my best hour. But I also know exactly who Draymond is, I know exactly who I am: we want the exact same thing. That’s a good thing. I think we’ll be fine, we’ll go further, and I’m excited for what’s ahead.”

Still, Kerr says there is beauty in the struggle.

“Where we are as a team, as an organization,” Kerr said. “The most important thing to me is for guys to recognize that there is beauty in struggle. There is beauty in what we’re trying to accomplish right now. We’re no longer the 17′ Warriors dominating the league. We’re a fading dynasty; we know it. Everybody knows it.”

The Warriors will host the Mavericks on Thursday.