NBA Swing: End of an Era?

Read Time:6 Minute, 8 Second

The 2025 NBA playoffs have ushered in a new era for the NBA. Names including Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Jalen Brunson, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have established themselves as some of the next faces of the league. For LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry, three players who have defined the last 20 years of the NBA, they are showing why they are still some of the best players in the league, despite their time at the top reaching or nearing its end.

For LeBron James, he has done everything he can in his 22-year career, solidifying himself as one of, if not the greatest, NBA players of all time. Four championships, four MVPs, 21 All-Star selections, 20 All-NBA selections, the all-time leader in scoring, and more. James has nothing left to do. Next season, James could become the all-time leader in regular-season games played. In his 22nd season at the age of 40, James would average 24.4 PPG, 7.8 RPG, and 8.2 APG, the lowest number of points scored per game since his rookie campaign in the 2003-04 season.

Since winning his fourth championship in 2020, James has struggled to reach those heights again. The Lakers would make the Western Conference Finals in 2023 but would be eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in 2021, 2024, and 2025, and would not even make the playoffs in 2022. Despite having superstar teammates in players like Anthony Davis and Luka Doncic, it has not been enough over the last handful of seasons.

Set to enter his age 41 and record-breaking 23rd season, it can be argued that father time is slowly creeping up on James. Injuries have played a significant role in his last few playoff runs, and James’ slowing down is inevitable. He would have numerous lower-body injuries, including a groin injury and an MCL sprain in the Lakers’ first-round matchup against the Wolves, something that played a significant role in his play alongside years and years of extended play.

With James having a player option for the 2025-26 season, it’s likely that he will either play the season out or sign one more short-term deal and call it a career. With the Lakers having their next franchise player in Luka Doncic, James could call it a career at any point, knowing he’s had a career so few could equal.

For Kevin Durant he has not seen a lot of success since leaving the Golden State Warriors in the Summer of 2019. During his time in Brooklyn, the Nets would make the second round once but would succumb to injuries to the other stars on the team. A shoe half a size too big would ultimately prevent the Nets from reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in a year they truly could’ve won the championship. In 2022, the Nets would be swept in the first round by the Boston Celtics.

In the 2023 playoffs with the Phoenix Suns, the team would lose in the second round to the eventual champion Denver Nuggets, while they would be swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round in 2024. The Suns wouldn’t even make the 2025 playoffs, finishing outside of the play-in tournament. With Durant almost guaranteed to be on a new team next season, Durant is about to write the final chapter of his NBA career.

Despite all the movement in recent years, Durant is still one of the best players in the league. Before his Achilles injury in the 2019 NBA Finals, Durant averaged 27.0 PPG, 7.1 RPG, and 4.1 APG. Since returning from that injury, he has averaged 27.9 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and 5.2 APG. Entering his age 37 season and his year 19 season, Durant has shifted towards a 1b. player on a team. With rumblings linking him to multiple teams, including Miami, Dallas, Houston, and Minnesota, Durant is hoping to find one last chance at a championship run. With KD likely playing for another handful of seasons, his career is not over, but his time as a pillar of the league is nearing its end.

Like LeBron, Stephen Curry has done nearly everything over his 16-season career. Four championships, two MVPs (with one being the only unanimous MVP in league history), 10 All-Star selections, nine All-NBA selections, all to go with being known as the greatest three-point shooter in league history. Curry has nothing left to prove, but still has a chance to add more to his legacy.

Of these three legends, Curry is the most recent to win a championship, winning the 2022 championship. Since then, the Warriors dynasty has fallen apart, with Curry being the most important piece remaining. The Warriors would lose in the second round of the playoffs in 2023 and 2025 and would miss the playoffs in 2024. Klay Thompson would begin to decline before leaving for Dallas, while age is beginning to catch up with Draymond Green. The Jimmy Butler trade would give Steph and the Warriors hope as they headed into the 2025 playoffs, but an injury to Curry himself would be the downfall of the team this postseason, and they may have lost their last real chance at a championship.

Heading into what will be his age 38 season, there are questions about whether the Warriors can still compete in the West. While rumblings suggest the Warriors could make a play for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo if he requests a trade this summer, Curry’s biggest priority is returning from his hamstring injury at 100%. If the Warriors return next season with a team similar to this season, they could have a rough time. Having to compete in a stacked Western Conference with an aging Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, the Warriors may not have what it takes to be a true championship contender going forward.

For the Warriors, they owe everything they can to the superstar who has brought them six finals appearances and four NBA championships in the last 11 seasons. A rare player who has spent his entire career with one team (and very well may retire with them as well), Curry has given everything to the Warriors. For that, they owe him championship contention until he leaves or retires.

Signed through the 2026-27 season, Curry may be playing his last years in the league. Revolutionizing the game with his three-point shooting, Curry will go down as one of the most influential players in NBA history. Even though he is still one of the best guards in the game, Curry is starting to slow down with other guards starting to outshine him and attempt to dethrone him as a pillar of the league.

For the three biggest legends of the modern era of the NBA, the league is shifting away from them. New faces have dominated the league while these three have started to take a step back. All three legends will inevitably hang up their jerseys in the coming years, but there is no telling how soon or how far away it could be. When LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant retire, the league will be in good hands, but it will be forever changed by their absence.