No team went on quite a run as the Golden State Warriors did from 2015 to 2022. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, especially in sports. The team sits just one game above .500 and it’s clear this team will not turn it around with this current roster. News that the team was trying to trade for LeBron James who declined the move seemed like one made in an act of desperation to hold onto success. No longer the team with a guaranteed trip to the Western Conference Finals, the Warriors have a lot of tough decisions to make about their future.
Currently sitting in tenth place in the Western Conference, Golden State isn’t going to have a top-five draft nor are they guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. Look at any team that was considered a dynasty and the years after were almost unwatchable. The Warriors found themselves in a position unlike many others in that they were able to secure high draft picks during this run due to injuries to their star players.
The team has never had a dynamic big man, but they’ve always been able to outshoot teams so it wasn’t a glaring hole like it is now. Former lottery picks James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga were supposed to address this need, however, neither developed into the players the Warriors were hoping to have drafted. Something must be done to shake up one of the greatest cores in NBA history.
It’s looking like Draymond Green could be at the end of his NBA career. The team has to decide if it’s really worth keeping him on their roster. It’s unlikely they’ll be able to move him in return for draft picks. Averaging nine points and six rebounds a game, it seems like he is contributing more fouls than anything else. Already having been suspended indefinitely this season it seems like it’s time for the team to move on and find a new “enforcer”.
The only available asset to trade is Klay Thompson, but what is Klay Thompson’s value? He is definitely not the player he once was, but he could add a lot to a young team like Orlando or San Antonio. You would never think Thompson would be coming off the bench for the final game before the All-Star break, the first time since his rookie year, but it happened.
After being benched during a game against Brooklyn he admitted it wasn’t an easy thing to accept, “To go from one of the best players…It’s hard for anybody”.
To be fair, it did seem to have a positive impact on his play finishing the final game of the first half of the season with 35 points. He is trying to embrace this possible new role and model his game after one of the best off the bench, Manu Ginobili. Thompson will join Chris Paul when he returns from injury in the second unit for the foreseeable future according to head coach Steve Kerr.
It is unlikely he will sign another max contract like the one he received in 2019 for five years worth $189.9 million. The team and Thompson are both saying they want the guard to retire as a member of the Warriors, but realistically how does that make sense if they are trying to continue winning championships?
The only thing we know for sure is that the face of the franchise, Steph Curry, is the only player that should be considered untouchable. The Warriors’ roster will be built around the greatest shooter of all time as it should be. Kerr’s entire system flows through Curry and that’s unlikely to change regardless of who the team adds to their roster.
A refreshing take on a topic that’s been covered so many times. Well done.