Coming into the season, the Golden State Warriors were looking to retool after its second-round defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Playoffs last season. The major contributor to that retool was the Chris Paul trade. On July 7th, the Warriors kind of set the NBA world on fire when they acquired Paul from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Jordan Poole, Patrick Baldwin Jr, Ryan Rollins, few picks and cash.
The trade looked like it came at the right time. Poole’s feud with Draymond Green was an obvious reason to look to move the young sniper. Knowing Green, it may not have fully been Poole’s fault, but given what Green has given to this Warriors team, you could not move him. So far, the Paul trade has not been all that one thought it could be. The 38-year-old guard is averaging nine points and seven assists per game on 42% shooting. The high expectations and inconsistent play from CP3 have kind of been an encapsulation of the Warriors as a whole this season.
The End of the Golden State Warriors Era?
I understand the hate for the Golden State Warriors. Draymond Green is one of the dirtiest players in the NBA, Steve Kerr is one of the most unlikeable coaches in NBA history and Steph Curry has turned from a March Madness darling into one of the most annoying players in the game. With all that aside, from a pure basketball standpoint, I have been somewhat of a fan since their rise to stardom in 2015. Even before they got Kevin Durant, watching Warriors basketball was like watching poetry on the hardwood. The unselfish play with constant movement, followed by incredible shooting, was quite a sight to behold. That has all seemed to change though.
Just two years ago, the Golden State Warriors came away with their fourth championship in the Kerr/Curry/Thompson/Green era. Without Kevin Durant, it was Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole and Otto Porter who were the side cast of characters. Since then, Porter and Poole have moved on and Wiggins has looked like a shell of the former All-Star from a couple of seasons back. Wiggins’ poor play this season, 11.7 points per game on 41% shooting, partnered with Klay Thompson’s 17.1 points on 42.8% shooting from the field and 38.5% shooting from three (both the lowest of his career) has really put a damper on this Warriors offense.
Steph Curry is still incredible, averaging 26.7 points on 44/40/92 shooting splits is exceptional for a 35-year-old point guard who shoots 19 times a game. That secondary scoring option is what Golden State’s offense is so severely missing. Like I said before, Curry is still incredible, but he needs help, and from what the team has looked like so far this year, it is hard to imagine that anyone can make the stride needed to make a push to the top of the Western Conference.
The whole Draymond Green situation is tough too for Golden State. There is no doubt that Green has been the biggest leader of the team for the past 10 years. He is the ultimate “I would rather have him than play him” guy. The little things he does for this team, like screen setting, making life difficult for the opposing team’s best player and player-coaching, are invaluable. But as with everyone in life, Green seems to have some demons. And those demons come in the form of physically abusing opposing players. In fact, Green has been suspended twice this season for such abuse. While his slapping Jusuf Nurkic is objectively funny, there is no doubt it has taken a toll on the team. His suspension (second this season), has hurt Golden State on the defensive side of the ball for sure. They have given up 141 and 133 points in back-to-back games to the New Orleans Pelicans and Toronto Raptors. Getting him back on the court will certainly help the Warriors to some degree, but how much?
How Do the Golden State Warriors Get Back on Track?
It is easy to say this, but it is obvious that the Warriors need to make a move before the Feb. 8 NBA Trade Deadline. Jonathan Kuminga has started to come on and show that he can really play in the NBA. With how limited Curry is in terms of the rest of his career, it seems likely that in order to make any kind of splash to make a run at a championship, Kuminga has to be involved. Getting paid just over six million dollars a year, the Warriors can pair his contract with that of Chris Paul’s 30 million dollar contract (along with a few picks) to trade for someone like Lauri Markkanen from Utah or Zach LaVine/DeMar DeRozan from Chicago.
As long as Curry is running the point for this team, it needs to go all in to contend for a title. I understand the need to move on from Green is in the cards and probably should be explored. Once again, Green is the one who injects life into this team. He is the one who makes his teammates play inspired basketball. Green is the one who gives this team an identity. If Golden State were to move on from Green at the deadline and not bring in one of those big-named guys that I mentioned, then Kuminga has to stay on the team. I cannot imagine that there is much trade value in Green given his history, so at best, I think Golden State brings back a bench piece for Green. That would mean Kuminga moves to the starting lineup, which may not be a bad thing. He brings solid defense and athleticism that should partner well with Kevon Looney when guarding big guys. Kuminga’s slashing ability should also somewhat open shooting lanes for both Curry and Thompson.
Outside of Kuminga, there is some intriguing young talent on this team. Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody and Trayce Jackson-Davis have all played well in the limited time that they have had this season. I am not so certain this is a corps that can be built around, but it certainly should be able to assist the vets on this team.
How Far Can This Warriors Team Realistically Go?
As of this writing, the Warriors are the 12-seed in the Western Conference with a 17-20 record. The good news for them is that there is still over half of the season to go. With that being said, things need to turn around sooner than later, before the season gets too far out of hand. On top of that, the Warriors don’t own any picks in the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft. With the play-in games in place, it certainly is realistic that the Warriors at least get a shot to make the postseason.
The number one thing in my mind is that Green needs to stay on the court. When you have someone like him on the team, you need him on the court more often than not. The next thing is you need more production out of Andrew Wiggins. Back when they won the championship in 2022, Wiggins was averaging 17.2 points per game on 47% shooting. If the Warriors can get those numbers back, it will take pressure off of Curry and Thompson. Klay Thompson is another player who has been called “washed” recently, but with him being the second-greatest shooter of all time, I am confident that he will figure it out. Finally, like I stated before, I think Golden State needs to go all in and make a run at another star. Chris Paul, Jonathan Kuminga and Dario Saric should be thought of as expendable pieces.
All in all, I am not counting this Warriors team out by any means, because I think one of the last teams that you want to see in the playoffs is a Steph Curry-led team. With that being said, I will admit that this certainly looks like the start of a downfall to one of the best cores in NBA history.
