Warriors' biggest opponent this season will be Father Time

The Golden State Warriors are leaning on experience more than ever. They signed Al Horford to a two-year deal with a player option for 2026-27, and brought in Seth Curry on an Exhibit 9 contract — a non-guaranteed training-camp deal that will reportedly see him waived and re-signed later mid-November.

Add that to a core of Stephen Curry (37), Jimmy Butler (36), Draymond Green (35), Horford (39) and Seth himself (35), and the Warriors look less like a modern NBA team and more like a throwback to a different era, as they’ll break a record no team wants to start the 2025-26 season.

The age gap with the West

The contrast with today’s West is striking. The Oklahoma City Thunder just won the championship with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (26 at the time), Chet Holmgren (23), Jalen Williams (24) and Alex Caruso (33) as the veteran glue guy. Their title run was built on speed, length and constant defensive energy — exactly the traits that fade fastest with age.

Meanwhile, Golden State is counting on battle-tested veterans to navigate the same gauntlet. Horford remains a brilliant positional defender and floor spacer, but he’s nearly 40. Seth Curry can still shoot, but he doesn’t bring defensive value. Butler is past his physical peak and has struggled with durability. Even Steph, though still an elite shooter and playmaker, doesn’t blow past defenders the way he once did.

The Warriors believe playoff experience can still win out. But in a Western Conference where younger cores run the floor every night, surviving the regular-season grind is the first test — and that may be harder for this roster than any postseason matchup.

Can IQ beat Father Time?

Golden State’s case is that veterans know how to pace themselves. Steph doesn’t need to carry 70 games; he needs to be healthy in April. Horford has made a career out of maximizing short bursts, and Butler has always been selective about when to push. In theory, if the Warriors can just get to the postseason healthy, they have the muscle memory to compete.

But that’s a thin margin. The West is unforgiving, with the Thunder, the Minnesota Timberwolves and even Houston Rockets built around players who can push tempo for 82 games. If the Warriors drop too many games early, they’ll find themselves battling for play-in position instead of playoff seeding. And relying on four starters who are 35 or older means injuries aren’t hypothetical — they’re inevitable.

It’s a very risky gamble. The Warriors are betting that experience and IQ can still outweigh youth and energy in today’s NBA. Maybe they’re right — Steph’s shooting, Butler’s grit, Draymond’s defense and Horford’s brain are still elite traits. But they’re also trying to win in 2026 with a roster that would have looked more at home in 2016.

The Warriors have always been defined by beating the odds. This time, the opponent isn’t just the West’s young talent. It’s time itself. And no dynasty, no matter how smart or skilled, has ever fully won that battle.