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The Golden State Warriors as we know them could be on their last legs.
They missed the postseason for the first time in three seasons and the third time in the last five seasons. The on-court product has also resembled little from the groups that rattled off seven consecutive playoff appearances and three titles.
The good news is they are just two seasons removed from their championship form and Stephen Curry proved effective last season as ever in his 15-year career.
It would make sense then to make one last push.
“The Warriors made the mistake of sitting on their current roster at that trade deadline and not making any additions,” Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz wrote on April 30. “Golden State owes it to Stephen Curry to pursue more win-now talent this offseason while trying to get off the remainder of Andrew Wiggins‘ contract.”
Swartz suggests this hypothetical trade package to correct that “mistake” and “revive the dynasty,” landing Brooklyn Nets starters Mikal Bridges and Dennis Schroder.
Warriors get:
– Mikal Bridges
– Dennis Schroder
Nets get:
– Jonathan Kuminga
– Andrew Wiggins
– 2025 first-round pick
– 2026 second-round pick
– 2028 second-round pick (via CHI)
“Bridges is among the most reliable players in the NBA, which would be an important factor for a Warriors team planning to keep Draymond Green,” Swartz wrote. “Bridges would be an upgrade over both Wiggins and Kuminga on both sides of the ball.
“Meanwhile, Schröder … would become the new backup point guard behind Curry, since Chris Paul will almost certainly not return for financial reasons.”
Warriors Could Add Versatile Veteran Duo in Trade With Nets
GettyBrooklyn Nets player Mikal Bridges.
Bridges burst onto the scene with the Nets after the trade deadline last season. A trade from the Phoenix Suns thrust him into a new role as a featured scorer that unlocked new heights to his offensive game.
He faded during the postseason last year, though, and was not as effective in a larger sample size this season. Former Nets first-round pick Cam Thomas also earned a larger role.
Still, Bridges represents tremendous value in Year 3 of a four-year, $90.9 million contract.
Schroder is on his seventh team since entering the league as a first-round pick with the Atlanta Hawks in the 2013 draft. He is going into the final year of a two-year, $25.4 million contract – making it $116.3 million between him and Wiggins – and is eight years younger than Paul.
This would shave roughly $2.4 million off the Warriors’ books, a significant amount concerning their luxury tax bill amid more punitive legislation under the CBA that kicks in next season.
It’s more than just the money, though.
Warriors Worked Through Struggles With Jonathan Kuminga-Andrew Wiggins Combo
GettyAndrew Wiggins #22, Stephen Curry #30, Draymond Green #23 and Jonathan Kuminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors struggled to make the combination of Kuminga and Wiggins work on the floor early in the season.
They figured it out, finishing with a plus-1.1 net efficiency differential when Kuminga and Wiggins shared the floor, per Cleaning The Glass. But the hurdle brought about trade speculation while Kuminga also had issues with Head Coach Steve Kerr.
Still, it could be an overcorrection for the Warriors to trade both for Bridges, who is 27 years old.
Wiggins is just 29 years old while Kuminga is still scratching the surface of his potential at 21 years old.
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Proposed Warriors Trade Would ‘Revive The Dynasty’ With $116 Million Duo