Getty Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers, left, and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr stand on stage during a news conference at the Warriors headquarters.
The Golden State Warriors are front-running early this year, with a move or two up their sleeve to be executed at some point during the long months of the NBA season.
While the Dubs won’t be “desperate” to trade for a fourth star or add another high-level, ring-seeking contributor via the buyout market, they’d be smart to consider it if no other reason than the team’s superstar point guard Steph Curry expects them to do so.
Tim Kawakami, of Bleacher Report, published an article on Tuesday, November 9 outlining the league-wide driver’s seat position in which the Warriors find themselves after an NBA-best 10-1 start, despite still being absent perennial All-Star Klay Thompson and last year’s starting center James Wiseman.
“The Warriors won’t be desperate about this. They don’t have to be. Yes, things were building up a bit after messing around with a Curry prime year last season; they’re not wasting anything currently,” Kawakami wrote. “They have a lot of very good players. They have Wiseman and Klay coming. They can wait a season or more for (2021 first-round picks) (Jonathan) Kuminga and (Moses) Moody, or they can see if a three-for-one deal including one or two of their prospects might land Beal or any other prime-time veteran.”
“Going 9-1 means the Warriors have more trade ammunition than ever,” Kawakami continued. “It also means that anything they consider can be done on their own terms, or not at all.”
Curry ‘Expects’ Team to Spend Money on Improvements
GettyGolden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry during the team’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers on October 21, 2021.
There has been the mildest sort of internal friction between the Warriors and their top star as to the team’s philosophy on its young players vs. the notion of playing to win now.
Essentially, owner Joe Lacob and President of Basketball Operations Bob Myers are riding the fence trying to do both — improving the roster despite already paying the largest luxury tax bill in NBA history, while also holding onto the young talent they’ve drafted over the previous two seasons in Wiseman, Kuminga and Moody.
Curry wants the team to trade for a fourth star. However, he may have to settle for a player one rung below star-level talent who would be willing to play for less in trade for a chance at a title.
“The Warriors still have the $5.9 million taxpayer midlevel exception available, which Curry has said he expects them to try to use, probably in the buy-out market,” Kawakami continued, referencing a separate piece he published in late September as the preseason was ramping up.
“So they have options. They have good players. They’re feeling damn good,” Kawakami continued.
Dubs’ Situation Largely Unchanged From Preseason Due to Success
GettyGolden State Warriors President of Basketball Operations Bob Myers.
Myers laid out the roster situation in Golden State as he saw it back in late September. Much of what he said then likely remains true for the general manager now, specifically because he was more than right about how good his team would be to start the season.
“As far as trades now, tomorrow, today, next week, those conversations are always happening,” Myers said at the end of September. “That’s my job. That’s the league. That’s the league we live in. But I would say to you, if you’re looking for some clarity, I expect this roster to be our roster. Certainly in the near-term and probably heading into the season, and we’ll see how everything goes.”
“But that’s what we would do, anyway, separate from rumors, separate from thoughts. I think when our team looks like it needs a change, that’s when we start to be a little more urgent. But at this point, I like the team,” Myers continued. “I want to see what the team looks like as constructed. I’ve been waiting for that for a long time, mostly because of injuries. And then as far as conversations, those are happening quite a bit all the time, and we’ll continue to have conversations. But nothing imminent at all right now.”
It appears that the “nothing imminent” status Myers referenced remains the situation in Golden State, particularly since the team is likely only to get deeper and better with the return of Thompson and Wiseman, as well as the development of Kuminga and Moody.
The Warriors are in the driver’s seat, and they are in no rush. That said, there is more than one move to be made, and the Dubs will have to consider making them — both to keep their superstar core happy and to ensure they keep pace in front of a deep NBA in 2021-22, which is filled with good teams looking to make moves and get even better.