The Warriors consider the addition of Jimmy Butler as a big step for next season

San Francisco (AP) -The Golden State Warriors go to the off-season after a play-off game in the second round that has already made their biggest step to raise the timetable for 2025-26. A Medseason trade for Jimmy Butler caused a boom in the late season that carried the Warriors on a successful run that came to a sudden end after the injured hamstring of star Stephen Curry led to four straight losses to Minnesota. The hope of Golden State is now that a full season with Butler with Curry and Draymond Green will give coach Steve Kerr the core he needs to compete with the ultra-touch Western conference. “I think we made a big jump to add Jimmy Butler,” general manager Mike Dunleavy said on Friday. “This time last year I was probably concerned about our ability to have liked a no. 2 guy. We went out this year, we got that, and now I feel better going into next seasoning a guy like jimmy on our roster. Shape right now than we were a year ago. They were 25-26 when he made his debut in February and the team led a record of 27-8 in the usual season, the tournament and play-off matches when Butler and Curry were in the series. It believed the Warriors that they could run another title before Curry decreased with a hamstring injury in a match 1 victory against the Timberwolves. Golden State then lost the next four games and the series could not expand long enough for Curry to return, as the team did not have enough options on offense without its best player. “He’s our sun. This is the solar system, He is our sun. You’re not going to duplicate Steph soon, ‘Kerr said. “So, every talk of us needs to change our offensive system, for me is a little laughable. … It’s like what we did was incredibly powerful. Steph is again one of the biggest players playing at the peak of his power, I think, or very close. The big questions This outdoor season fills in the timetable around the Big Three stars, with the greatest unknown the status of Jonathan Kuminga. Kuminga had a promising start of the season before being placed by an ankle injury for 31 games. The team added Butler during his absence and Kuminga struggled to fit in when he returned and only played sparingly – if at all – in the playoffs before Curry was injured. Kuminga was on average 24.3 points in the last four games, showing the ability that can make him an attractive target for other teams if he becomes a limited free agent this summer. The Warriors have the right to match any supply page he signs, but can choose to search and trade a plate and use Kuminga as a slide to fill other holes with players who better fit in with Curry, Butler and Green. Kerr described Kuminga’s situation late in the season as ‘square pen, round hole’. “In total, he is a man who has a lot of talent and a lot of ability,” Kerr said. ‘Still growing, still in many ways, but much of what we need to find out is the construction of grid and the combination. Basketball is always a five-man game, and combinations were difficult. It was just. ‘ The other great need for the Warriors adds more shooters to the floor and more size in the entire range to be better against larger perimeter players and to have a larger defensive presence that allows Green to play power forward rather than in the middle as he did late in the season. “I don’t want to with Draymond next season as we start 5,” Kerr said. “I think it’s feasible for the last 30 games like we did this year, but you see the toll it takes on him. He also talked about it. ‘ ___