While the Warriors may have passed on potential deals for Lauri Markkanen and Paul George, the team is still in a solid position to improve its squad.
According to NBA analyst Marc Stein on his current Substack, Golden State can yet acquire another quality player through trade.
“Golden State is plotting its next moves in the wake of unsuccessful trade pursuits of Paul George and Lauri Markkanen in the offseason,” Mr. Stein stated. “Team officials believe they are still well-positioned for a trade upgrade within the next year or so, having responded to Curry’s long-time backcourt mate Klay Thompson’s free agent departure by acquiring Kyle Anderson, Buddy Hield, and De’Anthony Melton on short-term contracts while keeping all of their draft picks.
“The distinct sense at Chase Centre is that the Clippers and Jazz, despite no shortage of conversation with both teams, did not really want to do business with the Warriors.”
Golden State’s future is uncertain following Klay Thompson’s departure, but it’s evident that Mike Dunleavy and Joe Lacob aim to pursue another superstar through trade, as proven by their alleged pursuit of LeBron James last season.
With Steph Curry continuing to play at an incredibly high level, the Warriors will need to replace Thompson’s gap by identifying another legitimate scoring threat.
Stein stated that this uncertainty will hang over the franchise once the 2024-25 NBA season begins.
“There are undoubtedly obstacles ahead. Curry, Draymond Green, and Warriors coach Steve Kerr have yet to completely accept the fact that Thompson is no longer a member of the organisation they all assumed he would never leave,” Stein said. “The hope now is that the golden summer Curry and Kerr have enjoyed together provides some lasting insulation into what could be a complicated winter (and maybe even spring) as Golden State continues to truly reshape itself.”
With the likes of Curry and Green remaining on the roster, Golden State still has the potential to make the playoffs, but unless one of the team’s younger players begins to evolve into an All-Star calibre talent, it will be difficult to make any progressWestern conference.
Leave a Reply