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Joe Lacob seemed slightly abashed to admit that he, of all people, didn’t quite see this coming, after all the stampeding optimism, all the titles, all the bold talk, all the millions spent and made, and all the time he’s spent around Stephen Curry and Draymond Green these last 15 seasons.

Who could’ve believed, even a few years ago, that Curry would still be a no-doubt top-10 player, that Draymond would still be a first-team All-NBA defender, and that those two would still be the central hubs of a team that, at least in some analysis, could challenge for an NBA title again this season?

No, nobody could’ve predicted that, not even Lacob, who famously and recklessly proclaimed that the Warriors would win a title within the first five years of his ownership and celebrated wildly when that’s exactly what happened. And kept on celebrating when they won it three more times.

Not even Lacob.

“There’s no sense trying to paint it any other way,” Lacob said on my podcast earlier this week. “If you would’ve asked me, I don’t know, five, 10 years ago, would these guys be playing and playing at this level, with this level of health at age 37 for Steph (and 35 for) Draymond?

“I definitely would not have predicted that. I would have gone with the odds and said, probably not likely.”

Over the years, some general plans and multiple timelines were drawn up. The post-Curry future was discussed. Draft picks were made to fit that picture.

But just days away from the start of the 2025-26 season, the whimsical smile on Lacob’s face was the clearest sign of the current state of the Warriors, who amazingly linger on in historical relevance but also know existentially that the end of this era is ever closer and will seem ever bleaker.

So the Warriors haven’t just doubled-down on Curry and Draymond’s marathon-prime years, they’ve quadrupled down by trading for now-36-year-old Jimmy Butler last February and just recently signing 39-year-old Al Horford.

The result: Several respected analytical models (opens in new tab) have predicted that the Warriors — if they don’t suffer major injuries — will win more than 50 games and compete near the top of the Western Conference.

No shock, Lacob isn’t arguing with the conclusions.

“Look, I think we’re very talented — I think we’re very deep, I think we have something that we haven’t had, which is two stretch fives (Horford and Quinten Post) that can really hit shots,” Lacob said. “We didn’t have any for years. So I think you add that to the mix, that’s a positive.

“Steph still looks great. You know, Jimmy and Draymond and Steph obviously had a great start last year (after Butler was acquired). I think everyone’s hoping and suggesting that maybe that continues into this year. …

“Can we win a championship with this roster? I think we can. The biggest thing clearly is going to be staying healthy. I mean, that’s the obvious thing. We are, at our core, one of the oldest teams ever assembled.”

Oh yes, they are good and they are old — the paradox they lived through in the playoffs last season when they were good enough to beat No. 2-seeded Houston in seven games and go up 1-0 on Minnesota in Round 2 but then collapsed after Curry’s hamstring injury. Now they are older, but also maybe better than they’ve been at least since their 2022 title run.

Lacob’s main big-picture fallback is that the Warriors have been able to add significant players around Curry and Draymond without selling off most of their future, unlike, say, the Clippers, Lakers, or Suns.

“I think we still have a good cadre of young players that are developing and getting better,” Lacob said. “We also have all our [first-round] draft choices going forward [except a protected 2030 pick]. So I think we’re pretty well situated compared to a bunch of teams out there that don’t have those things.”

They finally got Jonathan Kuminga signed to a very tradeable two-year, $48-million deal that is only guaranteed in the first year. They’ve got Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody in major roles. Things could go very well. Or the Warriors could pivot at midseason or in the offseason and trade Kuminga or others

Curry, Draymond, and Butler are all signed through 2026-27. Unless there’s a big drop-off by any or all of them, the Warriors should be in contention at least that long.

In the short-term, this all seems right and feels right. And is about right now.

“I think Mike (Dunleavy) said it, Steve (Kerr) said it, Steph has said it — this is kind of a two-year program for now,” Lacob said. “And hopefully, we’re still continuing to develop some players so that we’re not high-and-dry at the end of two years, or maybe it’s one year, maybe it’s three years. I don’t know.”

In contrast to past frantic Warriors offseasons, last summer they didn’t really maneuver to do much and couldn’t do much after burning up most of their movable assets and payroll space to get Butler and give him a two-year, $112-million extension

All they could do was get Kuminga signed or traded — and it was almost impossible to trade him due to restricted-free-agent limitations. It took a lot of time. His agent, Aaron Turner, made a lot of noise. It held up the Horford, De’Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, and Seth Curry signings.

So were the Warriors annoyed at all?

“No, this is all just negotiations,” Lacob said. “I mean, people have to use whatever they can use in a negotiation. And so they do.

“And you know, it’s like social media. You have to have a thick skin to deal with all this stuff. And … I was annoyed that it didn’t happen faster. … But it got pretty much done where, and kind of what we thought would happen. So I don’t really make that much of it, to be honest with you. I’m moving on.”

At points, Turner seemed to be leveraging Lacob’s own very well-known fondness for Kuminga against the Warriors’ negotiating position. And in fact, the Warriors moved their offer up several million dollars at the end, when they really didn’t have to.

So what does Lacob think about Kuminga’s future with the team?

“I like him as a person and as a player,” Lacob said. “I really like him. I think he’s a great kid. And I think he’s a very exciting player to watch.

“Obviously, it hasn’t fit entirely perfectly at times with what Steve maybe wanted or wants. But I think it also at times has worked well. … Let’s just play it out. It’s time for basketball. … I don’t really want to debate the past.”

Has Lacob talked to Kerr over the years about Kuminga’s role?

“Yes, those conversations have happened, but they’ve happened maybe differently than you think,” Lacob said. “Steve and I talk, but look, I let Steve do his job. I mean, he’s the coach, he’s in his 12th year as our coach.

“It’s not like I’m out there firing coaches every years and paying three different coaches at one time. We don’t do that. We’re believers in continuity, and we’re a believer in Steve Kerr. He’s our coach, he’s done a great job, he’s won four championships. And so, you know, we can have discussions, I can have input, but at the end of the day, he makes the decisions, it’s his job.”

Which brings us to Kerr, who is only signed through this season and has said repeatedly that he’s very comfortable waiting to see how everything goes and he appreciates that Lacob and Dunleavy aren’t pushing for anything different.

Lacob said he’s just as comfortable as Kerr is.

“Steve’s earned the right to do what he wants,” Lacob said. “And … being a head coach in the NBA is a really hard job. I mean, I don’t think any of us would want that kind of stress on a daily basis. It is hard. And he has weathered it well, but it’s also taken a toll.

“And I think there are probably times, I’m guessing, that he says, ‘You know, I need a break’ or ‘I don’t want to do this forever at this level.’ Or there are times he probably loves it and he probably wants to coach for another five years. I think that’s human nature.”

I asked Lacob if he’d sign Kerr to more years right now if Kerr was willing.

“I’m not going to commit to anything like that,” Lacob said. “The only thing I want to know is that he wants to do it and he has the energy and drive and enthusiasm for it. That is a requirement I do need from him.

“I need it from my GM. I need it from everyone in the organization and including me. I need to be motivated. I need to be enthusiastic. I need to be working my ass off every day. And if I can get that out of them, then I want them to be here.

“And if they don’t think they can deliver that, or if we don’t think they can deliver that, those are other options that we all have to explore. It’s pretty simple.”

Here are some other highlights from our conversation …

• The Warriors had an outside chance to get under the luxury-tax line for the first time in several years last summer, but Kuminga’s deal took them about $17 million back over. Lacob said they thought about the benefits of going under — to get out from the repeater penalties — but as usual, they decided they needed to spend a little more.

This season’s payroll isn’t near the staggering $400-plus million they hit two seasons ago, but the Warriors will still pay significant luxury-tax dollars unless they dump out of it during the season. Which isn’t out of the question, but given the owner’s mindset, seems unlikely.

“Look, we want to win,” Lacob said. “We want to be competitive. So we just keep making the decision to spend money and go for it. Fortunately, I’m able to do it. But there’ll be a day, I guess, someday when it will really make sense to be under the luxury tax.

“Who knows? Maybe under the cap. There probably will be a day. But it ain’t today.”

• After a quiet summer, are the Warriors lining up to get back into the major action either this winter or next offseason? They’re always a team mentioned in the potential Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes (because they want to be mentioned). They tried for Lauri Markkanen two offseasons ago, and maybe could try again.

Yes, armed with Kuminga’s movable salary, the Warriors are back in the market this season.

“You know what I’m gonna say: We’re always going to be looking at improving the team,” Lacob said. “ … We have to be planning for different things to happen. Some will, some won’t. And so I think we’re always gonna be looking.”

• Lacob confirmed that Dunleavy is two years through the four-year contract he signed initially, and Lacob indicated that he expects Dunleavy to remain as GM deep into the future.

“Normally, we do these (extensions) with a year to go if we’re going to do that,” Lacob said. “But I really like Mike. And I think he’s a tremendous fit in the organization with me, with our coaching staff, with our player development, with our business people. He’s just a terrific fit. And I think you can expect Mike to be long term in his role here with the Warriors.”

• Here’s Lacob on what it was like for an owner to experience the Valkyries’ incredible inaugural season at Chase Center:

“One of the most fun things I have ever been involved in. One of the best startups; I have done a lot of startups in venture capital, you know, that was my background. One of the best startups I have ever been involved in and helped do.

“Just such a fun thing, and I want to say first of all, before I say anything else, our thank you to our fans, because, and I am not just saying this, this is not patronage, they were incredible. The Valkyries fans were unbelievable. …

“Did it exceed my expectations? Yeah, it did. And that’s pretty hard to do.”

• Lacob had a measured response when I asked him about WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, who has been under fire from many sides, most specifically directly from major players, including All-Star Napheesa Collier, a vice president of the WNBA players union, as management and the players get set for serious bargaining on a new labor deal.

“I don’t really think I should get very much into this because we’ve only been in a team in the league for one year,” Lacob said. “But I think that objectively from the outside, you should give (Engelbert) a lot of credit for relative to previous administrations in terms of the advances the league has made. I think that that was a little unfair for Napheesa to go as far as she did.

“Having said that, you have to listen to your players. And it’s possible there’s some reality to all of these things. I don’t know the answer to all of this.

“I’m trying not to get involved in all of this. But look, negotiations get heated sometimes when you’re on different sides of something like this. And we all know that through history and whatever business it is, union and management. And so, I suspect we’ll go through a tough period and it’ll all get resolved. And we’ll have a nice big fair deal for everybody and people will be happy.”