Warriors’ ‘fading dynasty’ realization comes to forefront amid Steve Kerr-Draymond Green exchange

SAN FRANCISCO, CA– Steve Kerr and Draymond Green have always been able to move forward whenever their emotions boiled over and regrettable words were exchanged.

The proof of that is etched in the four championships they’ve won together. It’s etched in the hundreds of wins they’ve earned together, it’s etched in the love they’ve each verbalized about each other, and it’s etched in the fact that in Year 12, they are still competing together.

And in the wake of their latest tiff, a heated argument in the huddle of the Golden State Warriors’ 120-97 win over the Orlando Magic led to Green removing himself from the bench and Kerr sitting him the rest of the game, it appears, like clockwork, they are once again moving forward.

“I regret my actions in that exchange. I apologized to Dray, he apologized to me, we both apologized to the team,” Kerr said. “Like I said, not my finest hour. But I also know exactly who Draymond is, know exactly who I am: we want the exact same thing. That’s a good thing. I think we’re going to be fine, we’re going to move forward from here, and I’m excited about what’s ahead.”

Apologies, accountability, and the eye on the prize. All the expected beats from two ultra-competitors that hold each other in high regard.

But what was dredged up in the wake of Kerr and Green’s argument (which, in the grand scheme of things, will fade into a blip when all is said and done) was more pronounced than any of the trivial drama that will inevitably bleed out from this in the short term.

What the incident dredged up was an acknowledgement of their circumstances.

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

It’s not a secret that the Warriors’ dynasty is in its final chapters. They are a team fighting desperately against Father Time, in a league threatening to pass them by. And at the end of an era, it’s those old days of winning that haunt the shortcomings of the present.

“One of the things I love about Draymond is he knows where he is right now,” Kerr said. “He’s told me, I know I’m not the same player I was eight years ago, and two years from now, I’m not going to be the same guy I am now

“When I think of his words, what comes to mind for me is where the rest of the league is compared to 2017. It’s not just we’re all older, we have a different set of circumstances within our own team. The league is dramatically different. Faster, more threes, more athleticism. Young teams are more dangerous than ever because of the pace.”

In Kerr’s reflections on the exchange came reflections on the dichotomy of time. Reflections on who they were at the peak of their powers versus what they are now in the final chapters of their dynastic run.

In their heyday, when 60-win seasons were a given and Finals appearances were the bare minimum, basketball was the Warriors’ game to lose. But now, in a league “dramatically different,” Golden State is no longer setting the pace of the NBA; they are adapting to it. And that adaptation hasn’t been nearly as effortless as the basketball they showcased in the past.

In the midst of a middling 15-15 season, they’re fighting game-to-game to stay afloat in the crowded Western Conference. Age has sapped the veteran core of not only their past vigor but also their health and availability. Trade rumors swirl endlessly, and questions about the post-Curry era continue to rise. They rank 20th in offensive rating but third in defensive rating, a dichotomy that speaks to how they’re clinging to relevancy.

The Kerr and Green argument dredged up a question. One that is at the heart of this Warriors’ season and on the back of everyone’s minds– What do you do when you’re a fading dynasty? What do you control when the end is near and knocking at your door?

“So what is up to us?” Kerr pondered as he acknowledged the endgame of the Warriors’ historic run.

“How do we carry ourselves night-to-night? How connected are we? And can we give ourselves another swing at the plate? We did that last year. I was really proud of the team last year, despite the loss against Minnesota, injury to Steph. Who knows how far we would have gone, but we gave ourselves a chance, and that’s the goal here. We know where we are. We’ve got to know who we are. We got to know what’s possible. And we have to take pride in the struggle, because this is part of life.”

With the air cleared, Steve Kerr gave an honest assessment of where the Warriors are at currently:

“Most important thing for me is for guys to recognize that there’s beauty in the struggle… We are no longer the 17’ Warriors dominating the league. We are a fading dynasty.” pic.twitter.com/pTAZqio8zB

— Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) December 24, 2025

It’s possible the storybook ending came on the TD Garden parquet hardwood in Boston, 2022. And it’s more likely than not that the Warriors end this season watching the NBA crown a champion other than themselves.

But to Kerr’s point, the beauty in what the Dubs are trying to accomplish isn’t in the storybook ending. It’s the battle against the ticking clock. It’s Welsh poet Dylan Thomas’ poem, “Do not go gentle into that good night.”

And if Kerr and Green’s latest spat is any indication of where the two of them are right now, it’s that. There’s still rage, there’s still frustration, and they’re still competitive.

“We have issues just like every other team has issues,” Kerr said. “But we have to work through them. And I believe this was a major step in that happening. I feel really good about where our team is on the floor, about where we’re heading. I see the potential to do exactly what we did last year. To really go on a run and give ourselves a chance.”

Where that all that raging against the dying of the light takes them, in terms of winning, only time will tell.

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