Ranking 5 Biggest What Ifs of Warriors Dynasty

The Golden State Warriors' run of four titles in eight years had plenty of what ifs.

Some might have killed the dynasty before it started.

Others would have led to a butterfly effect that will always have us guessing what would have happened.

Each of these what ifs is ranked on how many titles it either led to or cost the team.

Other What Ifs Considered

Draymond Green punching Jordan Poole

This moment might have prematurely ended the dynasty.

Curry MCL injury from wet spot in 2016 playoffs

Below, I go over all the things that happened that led to the Warriors a) losing in the 2016 playoffs and b) signing Kevin Durant soon after. Stephen Curry's injury was one of those things, but as what ifs go, it's not as big as the ones in the top five because he was able to play through it and help the Dubs build a 3-1 Finals lead.

David Lee losing starting spot to Draymond via injury

Perhaps it was inevitable that Green would become a star for the Warriors, but the catalyst was an opportunity to start due to Lee getting hurt.

Draft hits and misses

Of course three of the most important moments in Warriors history are drafting Curry, Klay Thompson and Green, and two of the dynasty killers are the drafting and asset management of James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga.

5. Chris Paul Injury

We begin with an injury that helped the Warriors win a title. In the waning moments of a Game 5 victory that put the Rockets up 3-2 in the 2018 Western Conference Finals, Chris Paul suffered a hamstring injury that knocked him out for the rest of the series.

The Rockets had big early leads in Games 6 and 7, but they couldn't prevent Warriors comebacks without one of their two superstar guards.

Of all the accusations that the Warriors only won "INSERT TITLE X" because of "INSERT INJURY Y," this one holds the most weight.

If Paul is healthy, the Rockets have a much better chance of closing out the Dubs, meaning they likely never win the 2018 title.

Perhaps nothing else changes and the Dubs end up with three titles in this era, so in that sense this injury doesn't have the impact of the other what ifs below. But the immediate impact on so many players' legacies is huge nonetheless.

James Harden and Paul likely become champions, and if not, LeBron James wins another title in Cleveland. Perhaps the Rockets become a long-term Western Conference contender.

Instead, Harden and Paul are title-less, this Rockets' era fizzled out a year later, and Curry and Kevin Durant have the "never lost a series together when healthy" checkmark on their resumes.

4. Thompson's Two Major Injuries

Thompson's first major injury might have cost the Warriors a title. Perhaps playing the best basketball of his career, Thompson suffered a torn ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 Finals against the Raptors. The Warriors would go on to lost that game, eliminating them.

Thompson's second injury was even more devastating.

He suffered a torn Achilles in the lead-up to the 2020-21 season after having missed the entire 2019-20 season.

Phenomenally, Thompson returned from both injuries to help the Warriors win the 2022 title.

But if anything, that title makes me think this is a bigger what if than it looks like.

If Thompson had never suffered these injuries that sapped his defensive ability and some of his offensive ability, the Warriors likely would have been major contenders every year after losing Durant.

They could have fix or six titles now.

Instead, Thompson and the Dubs had a divorce in 2024, ending a 13-year partnership.

3. Draymond Suspension/KD Signing with Warriors

These are related to each other, so I chose to group them together.

First, the Warriors came back from a 3-1 Western Conference Finals deficit to beat the Thunder due in large part to Thompson's Game 6 performance. If that never happens, the Warriors probably never have a chance to get Durant in free agency. Thompson's game could have been included in the subhead, but what ifs are typically reserved for things outside of game performances.

In the 2016 Finals, Green was suspended for Game 5 for accumulation of flagrant foul points after swiping at LeBron James. The Warriors would lose that game and the next two, becoming the first team in NBA history to blow a 3-1 lead in the Finals.

Had the Dubs won it all, Durant probably doesn't sign with them—perhaps the Warriors don't pursue him as aggressively and perhaps Durant feels signing with the back-to-back champs is a non-starter for his legacy.

Instead, Durant signed with the Warriors, who won the next two titles. In summary, Green's suspension directly led to a Warriors Finals loss and indirectly contributed to the next two NBA championships.

2. Thompson Traded for Kevin Love

The last two what ifs would have essentially killed the dynasty before it started.

Before the 2014 draft, the Warriors were considering trading Thompson as the centerpiece of a package for Kevin Love.

At the time, it made sense. The Warriors didn't know Green was about to become a star power forward, so they were looking to bolster the frontcourt to have a starting lineup of Curry, Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes, Love and Andrew Bogut.

But Jerry West was vehemently against trading Thompson, and the immediate result was a 67-win season and a championship.

It's possible that Curry, Thompson and Green never reach the heights they do as players if this trade is made.

1. Curry Included in Andrew Bogut Trade

It's common knowledge that the Warriors nearly traded Curry instead of Monta Ellis for Bogut in 2012. How close they were is what's up for debate.

Former Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry said that the Dubs actually offered Curry first, but the Bucks declined the offer because of Curry's injury history.

The butterfly effect of this is massive.

The Warriors are likely still in a title drought since 1975. If the Bucks go on to draft Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2013, they likely have Curry and Giannis in their primes for a decade.

Perhaps the Dubs still win a title or two if they trade Thompson for Love. But trading Curry for Bogut was something they couldn't have salvaged.