Getty Anthony Davis defends Klay Thompson during a bout between the Golden State Warriors and the LA Lakers.
There has never been any love lost between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers, especially since the Dubs assumed the mantle of the NBA’s premier franchise over the last decade.
Lakers star big man Anthony Davis carried the torch of the teams’ shared and bitter tradition, when he made public some nefarious plans to dash a well-earned celebration set for the season-opener in San Francisco on Tuesday night, October 18.
“It’s always good to spoil a ring night.” – @AntDavis23 😏
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“Our first two games are against title contenders,” Davis said, per Spectrum SportsNet. “So it’s always good to spoil the ring nights. The mindset is going up and starting the season with a couple W’s.”
The Lakers follow their contest against the Warriors with another in-state battle against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.
Warriors Could Prove Own Worst Enemy Against Lakers
GettySteph Curry (left) and Jordan Poole (right) confer during a game between the Golden State Warriors and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Golden State is a seven-point favorite over the Lakers heading into Tuesday night. While Davis and LeBron James pose several challenges on the court, the potentially more dangerous pitfall to victory exists within the Warriors’ own locker room.
The physical altercation between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole earlier this month blew up into arguably the biggest NBA story of the offseason since free agency drama subsided. Just two days prior to the year’s opening tip, Poole finally spoke publicly on getting punched in the face by his own teammate.
“We plan on handling ourselves that way,” Poole said. “We’re here to play basketball and everybody in our locker room and on our team knows what it takes to win a championship. We’re gonna do that on the court. That’s really all I have to say on the matter. We’re here to win a championship and keep hanging banners.”
In a development that has the potential to make the Dubs’ dynamic even more volatile and awkward, Poole recently signed a four-year rookie extension with Golden State worth $140 million, with $123 million of that total guaranteed.
Reports from the team asserted that the tension between Poole and Green leading up to the fight was not contract-related. However, Green can opt out of his deal next summer and enter unrestricted free agency should he choose to do so. He made it clear this offseason that he wanted a max deal from Golden State, though said later that he did not expect to reach such an agreement before the season was out.
If Green doesn’t get a new contract and opts in, Poole will make more than Green in annual salary beginning in the 2023-24 campaign.
Upcoming Year Offers Best Chance For Warriors to Win Another Title
GettyGolden State Warriors stars Klay Thompson (left) and Steph Curry (right) celebrate their team’s championship victory over the Boston Celtics in 2022.
The money heading Poole’s way — along with a new $109 million deal that forward Andrew Wiggins just signed, which locks him up through the next five seasons — brings into question Green’s long-term future with the franchise.
While he has suffered through a precipitous offensive decline, Green remains one of the premier defenders in the NBA. Were the Dubs to lose him on that end of the floor, as well as his two-man game with Steph Curry on offense, Golden State would almost certainly take a step back.
Beyond that, with each passing year the core group gets older. Still, the band is all back together for at least one more season and considering the Dubs anything other than a serious contender to defend their title borders on the ludicrous.
Klay Thompson will start a regular season healthy for the first time in four years, while pundits are predicting a bounce back campaign for Curry. The point guard was spectacular last season, though he did see his shooting numbers dip by more than four percentage points year over year, both from behind the 3-point line and from the field in general.
With a healthy and balanced roster in place, Golden State stands poised for another deep run in 2022-23, so long as personal issues between teammates don’t bubble over. The Warriors’ shot at achieving that success begins against the Lakers at 7 p.m. West Standard Time on Tuesday night.