Stephen Curry is out, likely until at least early December, and that’s a brutal hit for the Golden State Warriors. But the injury situation in Golden State is even worse than you might think, with the team now missing over $154 million in salary from their rotation, a near-impossible formula to win games.
Gui Santos’ Rhythm Is Gone When They Need Him Most
Remember Gui Santos? The 24-year-old was a late-season breakout player in 2025-26, earning a three-year, $15 million extension in February. Coach Steve Kerr even called him “one of our most important players” back in September. He was supposed to be the Energizer Bunny, the guy who could step up. Now? Not so much.
Santos aggravated a tendon in his knee back on October 24 in Phoenix, and he’s been out of sync ever since. Even though the knee itself is back to where it was at the start of the year, his rhythm is just gone. He’s averaging a painful 2.5 points in 13.5 minutes across four November games, shooting a dismal 25% from the floor. On Wednesday, he looked straight-up uncomfortable, coughing up four turnovers in just 12 minutes. “It’s just like, weird,” Santos told the Chronicle, adding, “I was feeling weird out there.” He even recalled thinking, “S—. C’mon. Who is that? That’s not me. That’s not what I do.” He knows he’s in a slump and has to figure out how to get out of it quickly.
The Warriors’ Injury Report Is a Nightmare
It’s not just Steph Curry and Gui Santos struggling, even if Santos’s issues are about form more than injury now. The Warriors are a Rube Goldberg machine right now, chugging along with an eight-game win streak but clunky and missing key pieces. Curry’s out until December, and backup sparkplug Brandon Williams is also sidelined. Add in Jimmy Butler, Kristaps Porzingis, and Moses Moody, and you’re looking at over $154 million in salary sitting on the bench. That’s roughly 94% of the baseline NBA salary cap gone.
On top of that, veteran Gary Payton II, at 33, has missed two straight games with knee inflammation. And 40-year-old big man Al Horford, while offering impactful minutes, simply can’t be relied on for back-to-backs. They’ve got only 10 players on standard contracts plus three two-way guys who aren’t facing some kind of indefinite absence. Santos, who would be a key starter in small-ball lineups with Draymond Green at center, needs to find his form, and fast.
The urgency Santos feels? It’s real. Golden State needs him, and frankly, they need a lot of things to go right for them to stay afloat until Curry’s return.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply