After six NBA Finals appearances and four championships, it appears as though the Golden State Warriors’ infamous Dynasty may finally be coming to a close. The question this offseason becomes.. what now?
Klay Thompson
Klay has been a force for the Warriors since being drafted in 2011 and was a key piece in nearly every Warriors achievement since then. After going 0-10 shooting against the Sacramento Kings in the play-in, there is a prominent fear that he may not be worth an extension.
Projected to sign a $20M/year deal, it is unfortunately time the Warriors move on. Klay walking to sign with a team like the Magic is not unlikely and in that event, would mean the Warriors would receive nothing in return. Klay has had his time in the sun for Golden State, its time to let him go.
Andrew Wiggins
Since his monumental performance in the 2022 NBA Finals, Andrew Wiggins has fallen off a cliff. He had trade interest at the deadline and it is time to act on it. Trading him to the Dallas Mavericks for Maxi Kleber, Tim Hardaway Jr., and picks does not seem to be a bad idea in the slightest. You get shooting and Maxi Kleber as a stretch big to help with their big depth struggles.
Chris Paul
Paul had an alright season in Golden State but his non guaranteed $30 million dollar contract has to come off the books, releasing him is the move and grants the Warriors cap flexibility.
The Young Guys…
Just keep playing them! The rooks need playing time to develop and they have clearly earned it. Kuminga has slowly transformed into a 20 points per game scorer, needing more time to improve and Brandon Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis have both proven they are worthy of a spot on the roster next season.
A new starting center…
This one may sound a little unfounded but stay with me here. Nets center Nicolas Claxton is rumored to leave Brooklyn for a new place. Signing and trading Gary Payton II, Moses Moody, and Kevon Looney for him would be the perfect fit.
Although you gut some of the Warriors depth, it is not like these guys were playing to begin with. GPII was near constantly injured and Kevon Looney has transformed into a liability. Claxton has the potential to be an All-Defensive Team center and as such would be a wonderful fit for this Golden State team.
FA Signings..
These are wishful thinking, however with the team’s losses…these players would fill the rotation out quite nicely.
Jordan Mclaughlin: A player who could use the increase in minutes, Jordan Mclaughlin is a wonderful fit for a backup point guard to Steph as he replaces CP3.
Naji Marshall: Marshall could fill in for the backup PF spot that the Warriors desperately needed last season. His three point shooting and defense could stretch the floor wonderfully and take some stress off of Draymond Green.
Yuta Watanabe: Another stretch forward who can shoot, this can make the team bigger and better overall shooting.
Javale McGee: Javale would be welcome in a return to the Bay and would provide a good third string big and veteran presence to keep the Warriors afloat.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, the Warriors won’t win the Finals next year. The focus should be to lay the building blocks so that in the next one or two years they are able to. Keeping their draft capital and focusing on increasing playing time for rookies while remaining competitive is crucial for this team, it’s moral and it’s future this season.
Below is a potential rotation for the season:
Starting lineup:
- PG: Stephen Curry
- SG: Brandin Podziemski
- SF: Jonathan Kuminga
- PF: Draymond Green
- C: Nicolas Claxton
Bench:
- 6th: Moses Moody
- 7th: Maxi Kleber
- 8th: Jordan McLaughlin
- 9th: Naji Marshall
- 10th: Trayce Jackson-Davis
