Getty Kevon Looney, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
Things haven’t gone according to plan for the Golden State Warriors this year. After bringing home their fourth championship in eight years at the end of last season, they are now struggling to keep their heads above water and are sitting around .500.
According to David Thorpe of True Hoop, the current Warriors roster has a “zero percent” chance to win a title, and “painful decisions” are in their immediate future.
“There’s an argument, of course, for the Warriors to exercise patience through the postseason,” Thorpe wrote. “Don’t forget that their starting five from last June—[Stephen] Curry, [Klay] Thompson, [Andrew] Wiggins, [Draymond] Green, Looney—has the second-best net rating among all starting lineups this season. Maybe the young guys can figure it out. If not, take a first-round loss on the chin, and then put everyone but Curry up for grabs this summer. They could renovate quickly by cashing in on big names, even if it cost them next-stage darlings like [Jordan] Poole, Wiggins, or Kevon Looney. Not sure how Dubs Nation would feel about that, but no matter what happens, painful decisions are coming.”
Wiggins, Poole, and Looney all inked extensions with the Warriors this summer, so it seems wild that the team would move any of them. However, if they are intent on maintaining the Big 3 of Curry, Thompson, and Green, they might have to consider it.
Players like James Wiseman and Moses Moody have been the most common names brought up in trade talks, but neither has enough value to land another star. And that might be exactly what this team needs to get back on track this year and in the future.
Warriors Urged to Trade Draymond Green
However, while trading one of the younger players with who the team doesn’t have as much of a connection may make sense in that regard, trading Green makes more sense in the grand scheme of things. Sources who spoke with Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports strongly believe that Golden State should ditch Green ahead of the 2023 NBA trade deadline on February 9.
“They should [trade him this year],” a Western Conference executive told Deveney “If they made the decision that they’re not giving up any of the young kids, then that’s fine, but are you going to just keep chugging forward with what you’ve got? Obviously, the Draymond punch with [Jordan] Poole was a bigger deal than they let on, it is still dragging down that team. No doubt about it.”
Bob Myers Discusses Warriors Trade Deadline
During a recent chat with Steiny and Guru of 95.7 The Game, Warriors GM Bob Myers spoke about the team’s trade deadline plans. He indicated that they realize they need to make something happen and that they are staying active.
“That is the question. We gotta look and see if there’s something that makes sense to answer that question,” Myers said. “We gotta see, is there someone out there that fills that spot? Is there someone in a buyout? Is there someone in a trade? Is there someone who supplants that and becomes the seventh guy, the sixth guy? That’s our job in the next eight days.”