Getty Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
Championship goals were not met this season for the Golden State Warriors. The team went crashing out of the playoffs in the second round at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers, leaving the door open for improvement in the offseason. As the championship core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green continues to age, Golden State is running out of time to push for one final NBA title.
The Athletic’s Anthony Slater revealed that the Dubs are indeed open to exploring ways to improve the roster this summer. He hinted that no one on the team, besides Curry is guaranteed to be back next season.
“Sources indicate that there is no plan for a salary dump trade this summer that’s purely about cutting the bill,” Slater wrote. “That doesn’t mean [Jordan] Poole is safe. That doesn’t mean anyone besides Curry is safe. The Warriors intend to explore various avenues to restructure the roster this summer, both small and large in scope. That could mean Poole is part of a trade if the return package appeals. But Poole is not actively being shopped, there is no edict to cut salary and his side has been given no current indication that his future will be elsewhere.”
Cutting salary is a concept that’s been tossed around a bit this spring, as the NBA Player’s Association and the NBA agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement. The CBA will heavily restrict high-spending teams, like the Warriors, when signing players, taking back salary in trades, and even trading future draft picks.
Jordan Poole Doesn’t See Why the Warriors Would Trade Him
Slater’s reporting about the team’s plans for Poole is aligned with what the 23-year-old told The Ringer’s Logan Murdock last month. He shared that he has no idea why the team would look to move him this summer.
“I don’t know why I wouldn’t be [back],” Poole told Murdock. “It wasn’t a bad year. I mean, career highs in two categories. I was able to make history with Klay and Steph. My first game-winner. It was a lot of good things that happened this season. It wasn’t a bad season. Yes, I’m in the fabric. Yes, I belong here in this organization, bridging the gap. And I’m a young guy who was drafted here. We won a championship last year, and we have another chance to do it again. And I don’t know why anybody else would feel otherwise. I don’t think anybody is thinking like that.”
Poole’s lucrative four-year, $120 million contract extension, which kicks in this upcoming season, is beginning to look like a bit of an overpay. The reason for that is because of the rollercoaster season he just had, which ended in a playoff meltdown this spring. Poole averaged just 10.3 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.2 rebounds per game. His efficiency was the most prominent issue, as he made just 34.1% of his attempts from the floor and 25.4% from deep.
Stephen Curry Doesn’t Want Warriors to Make Major Changes
Despite Slater’s report that the team will explore options this summer, it’s unlikely that anything major happens. That’s because it sounds like Curry wants the squad to run it back, for at least one more season.
The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami recently shared that he believes that the Dubs will probably retain it’s core this offseason.
“I think the most likely scenario is that the Warriors keep most of this together for at least one more season. That’s what Curry wants. His opinion sort of matters,” he wrote in a June 7 mailbag column.