Roundtable Roundup: Warriors Snap Three-Game Skid With Win Over Suns, But Questions Linger

The Golden State Warriors were supposed to be championship contenders entering the 2025-26 season, but through the first 29 games, they've looked more like a team still searching for its identity.

Saturday night's 119-116 victory over the Phoenix Suns at Chase Center snapped a three-game losing streak and moved Golden State to 14-15 on the year, but the win only temporarily masked the issues that have plagued Steve Kerr's squad all season long.

Stephen Curry continued his remarkable stretch of play with 28 points, nine rebounds and six assists against the Suns, and the 37-year-old has been absolutely brilliant for Golden State despite the team's struggles around him.

Curry has scored 30 or more points in seven of his last nine games, including a 48-point outburst against Portland where he knocked down 12 three-pointers.

Jimmy Butler added 25 points in the victory, building on the 31 points he had scored in Thursday's heartbreaking 99-98 loss to these same Suns in Phoenix.

Devin Booker poured in 38 points for the Suns (15-13 after the loss), while Dillon Brooks added 22 points and came out hot with his first five makes from the field to help Phoenix take a 44-32 lead after an opening quarter where they shot a blistering 70.8 percent.

The Warriors rallied back though, and Butler's three-point play with just over a minute remaining proved to be the dagger that sealed the win.

It's been an unpredictable campaign for Golden State so far, and their 14-15 record puts them outside the playoff picture in a crowded Western Conference.

The Warriors opened the season looking like legitimate threats before stumbling through an inconsistent stretch that has included three separate three-game losing streaks.

Kerr has used 15 different starting lineups in 28 games, which tells you everything you need to know about the instability that has defined this group.

Draymond Green was ejected in the first half of Saturday's win after receiving consecutive technical fouls for shoving Collin Gillespie from behind, and the Warriors veteran continues to toe the line between passionate and problematic.

Meanwhile, forward Jonathan Kuminga has fallen completely out of Kerr's rotation in recent weeks despite averaging 12.4 points and 6.3 rebounds in his 17 appearances this season.

The February 5 trade deadline is approaching fast, and reports suggest the Warriors are firmly in "buyer" mode despite their underwhelming record.

NBA insider Chris Haynes reported Friday that Golden State is targeting size and athleticism in the frontcourt, with Daniel Gafford, Nic Claxton and Robert Williams III among their list of potential targets.

The team has struggled with rebounding and rim protection all season, ranking in the bottom half of the league in both categories while sitting dead last in points in the paint allowed.

Kuminga becomes eligible to be traded on January 15, and the former lottery pick could be the centerpiece of any package Golden State puts together.

Al Horford was brought in during the offseason to address the center position, but a sciatic injury has limited the 39-year-old to just a handful of recent appearances, leaving the Warriors thin in the frontcourt and desperate for reinforcements.

Golden State now turns their attention to a favorable stretch of games that includes matchups against the Magic, Mavericks, Raptors, Nets, and Hornets over the coming weeks.

If there was ever a time for the Warriors to right the ship and climb back above .500, it starts now.

They owe it to Curry while he continues to play at an elite level, and they owe it to a fanbase that has supported this dynasty for the better part of a decade.

The win over Phoenix was a good start, but nobody in the Warriors organization is fooling themselves into thinking one game solves everything.

Changes are coming before the trade deadline, and how those moves pan out could determine whether this season ends in another playoff run or an early exit.