Throughout the mid-to-late 2010s, the Golden State Warriors were one of the most dominant dynasties in NBA history. They won three championships in four seasons from 2014-15 to 2017-18 and added another in 2022.
However, they missed the playoffs last season and have not won 50 games since the 2021-22 campaign. One former Warriors center has now shared his take on why the team cannot return to its dominance from a few years ago.
DeMarcus Cousins Explains Why Warriors Have “Gone Downhill”
DeMarcus Cousins had an 11-season NBA career from 2010 to 2022. He spent most of his playing days with the Sacramento Kings, where he earned two All-NBA selections. The four-time All-Star signed with Golden State before the 2018-19 campaign but only spent one year there before moving on to other franchises.
Cousins recently appeared on Gilbert Arenas’ “Gil’s Arena” podcast and gave his thoughts on the Warriors’ current situation.
“Do I believe Golden State can put [Stephen Curry] in a position to win more? As of now, no. I think that’s mainly on [Mike Dunleavy Jr.]. I think a lot of things have gone downhill since they lost Bob Myers,” said Cousins.
Myers served as the Warriors’ general manager from 2012 to 2023, architecting four championship rosters. The Warriors then promoted Mike Dunleavy Jr. to take Myers’ spot. Dunleavy had been with the organization since 2018 and had held multiple high-level positions, including assistant general manager and vice president of basketball operations.
The Warriors have acquired several star players under his tenure, such as Jimmy Butler and Kristaps Porziņģis. However, Butler tore his right ACL earlier this year and will likely miss the start of the upcoming campaign. Porziņģis’ injury history and battle with illness last season make his availability shaky at best.
Dunleavy also failed to bring LeBron James to Golden State in free agency this summer, even though the future Hall of Famer was interested in teaming up with Curry.
Cousins does not fault Curry for Golden State’s recent struggles. In fact, he said the future Hall of Famer deserves “the world and more.” This contrasts with his opinion on head coach Steve Kerr over the last few seasons.
“When it comes to Steve Kerr, his ability to coach young talent. Steph is about to be 39 years old. We’ve seen time and time again how much talent has gone through Golden State and nothing has developed… If that wasn’t an issue, I’d be confident enough to say I think Steph has another chance at winning another ring,” Cousins explained.
The now 36-year-old thinks the Warriors need to surround Curry with more young talent to go for another championship. However, high draft picks such as James Wiseman at No. 2 in 2020 and Jonathan Kuminga at No. 7 in 2021 have not panned out.
Kerr left Kuminga outside the rotation for most of the 2025-26 campaign. Dunleavy then flipped him and Buddy Hield for Porziņģis in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks before last season’s trade deadline. Wiseman signed a training camp deal this summer with the New York Knicks to compete for a roster spot.
The Warriors seem like they are on their last legs to return to glory in the Curry era.
