Tanking has been a hot topic in the NBA, particularly during the 2025-26 season, as headlined by the delivery of massive fines to the Utah Jazz and the Indiana Pacers.
The Warriors, however, have not even come close to tanking, especially with some of their championship core still intact.
“I think you know, it is not in my DNA, nor in this organization’s DNA, to do that,” Warriors owner Joe Lacob told Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard in a piece published Friday. “It’s not a good look. This is sports. We’re supposed to play to win.
“And that’s just not a way I would be comfortable, ever, trying to improve our team.”
Since taking over as one of Golden State’s principal owners in 2010, the Warriors have had only three losing seasons, and just one losing season since coach Steve Kerr was hired in 2014.
Despite losing Jimmy Butler for the rest of the season due to a torn ACL injury and even with Steph Curry missing some time, the Warriors never wavered nor went into a full rebuilding of the team.
“Some of our fans, I’m sure — I hear it all the time — would love us to, whatever you want to call it, lose for a better draft position because they assume we’re not going to win this year,” Lacob told Kawakami.
“I could never do that. And I don’t think our coach is built that way or our team. I don’t like it. It is happening, obviously, around the league. And it is a way to build a franchise, I guess, to get draft choices. But it also takes a lot of years to do that.”
With the acquisition of forward/center Kristaps Porzingis during the NBA trade deadline earlier this month and with Curry returning from his knee injury at some point later this season, the Warriors still have the firepower to make a late push to the playoffs.
“So I’m sure there will be a day where we have to build our team through the draft more,” Lacob added.
“But right now, I still think we’re formidable if we can just get healthy. Obviously, we don’t have Jimmy. We will get Steph back here, but we’re not fully healthy. In the NBA, obviously, when you lose a top-10 or top-15 player, that’s very difficult.”
Golden State currently has a 29-27 record with 26 games left in the season. With an opportunity to make the playoffs, it’s hard to imagine the Warriors calling it quits, especially with a player like Curry still on their roster.
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