NBA Rumors: Warriors' 2022 Title 'Derailed Plans to Develop Potential Successors' | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

The Golden State Warriors have been one of the best teams in the NBA over the last decade, but the franchise's success over the last several years appears to have hindered their plans for development in the post-Stephen Curry era.

Golden State's 2022 NBA title, which was its fourth since 2015, "derailed" the franchise's plans to develop potential successors, according to ESPN's Baxter Holmes.

After the Warriors reached five NBA Finals between 2015 and 2019, the franchise put together back-to-back losing seasons in 2019-20 and 2020-21—mainly due to injuries to the likes of Curry and Klay Thompson—leading to the thought that the dynasty might be over.

But with both players having returned to full health in 2021-22, the Warriors went on to win another title, and the belief that the dynasty could remain alive propelled the team to continue with its roster highlighted by Curry, Thompson, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins.

Golden State finished sixth in the Western Conference last season and reached the conference semifinals before falling to the Lakers, and the 2023-24 campaign has been nothing but a disappointment to this point.

The Warriors sit 10th in the Western Conference with a 27-26 record and are far from being considered a true contender.

The acquisition of Chris Paul from the Washington Wizards hasn't worked out like the franchise had hoped, and Thompson and Wiggins have also not lived up to expectations as the team continues to struggle.

Despite the difficulties, the Warriors have seemingly continued to avoid planning for the future, too, as they aim to win at least one more title while Curry, Thompson and Green are still on the roster.

Golden State inquired about trading for Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who is 39, ahead of the Feb. 8 deadline before the Purple and Gold shut them down, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne reported.

"While the blockbuster acquisition never came to pass, the inquiry, team sources said, represents [Joe] Lacob's desire to keep the team competitive at this critical phase, teetering between its dominant past, aging present and uncertain future," Holmes wrote.

James is still one of the best players in the NBA at his age but had the Warriors acquired him, it likely would have set the team back even further in terms of planning for the future.

That said, the Dubs at least have a solid foundation for the post-Curry era with players like Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski, but this summer could prove to be a pivotal point for the organization, especially if it misses out on the playoffs.