The Golden State Warriors offseason has arrived earlier than we’re accustomed to.
The Warriors being in big playoff games during April, May, and June have become what feels like tradition. That’s not the case this year. The Warriors had a bumpy regular season and got a 10 seed. They then lost in the play-in tournament to the Sacramento Kings, ending their 2023-24 season.
Golden State has failed to make the playoffs twice since the 2012-13 season, but this was the first time while having a healthy Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green for a majority of the year.
Times are changing for this franchise. They aren’t the dominant team on the block that won 4 championships and went to 6 NBA finals under head coach Steve Kerr.
Now the big question is how the front office is going to address this. Is the answer moving off some of the veterans for youth? Mortgaging the future for aging “win now” player? Or a combination of both?
This is one of the biggest off-seasons in Warriors franchise history. Buckle up.
Warriors Biggest Offseason Decision
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The biggest decision the Golden State Warriors are facing this offseason is if they are going to bring back Klay Thompson. Thompson, a career long Warrior, 5 time all star, and 4 time NBA champion, is a free agent this summer.
Thompson isn’t quite the same player he was before his ACL and achilles injuries a few years ago, but he can still be a lethal shooter and is beloved by Warriors fans. Since his return, there have been flashes of the pre-injury Klay for stretches of time, just not consistently. I’m hoping he can have a big bounce back season where he can be that guy again night in and night out.
The dilemma for the Warriors front office is that there is likely going to be another team willing to pay upwards of 30 million per year for Thompson. How much will the Warriors be willing to pay?
The Warriors had the highest payroll in the NBA this season and signing Thompson for this number would have them paying an even larger luxury tax. Additionally, Golden State would be limited to improving the team from a year ago, which missed the playoffs.
There’s a possibly that Klay would be willing to take a hometown discount since he’s been a Warrior his whole career and loves the San Francisco Bay Area. Would he then be willing to accept a smaller role on the team if the roster construction called for it?
Klay has meant so much to this organization over the years and is one of the all time greats, so it would be very difficult to watch him leave and play for another team.
On the flip side, the Warriors core as constructed has not been close to contending for a championship the last 2 years. If they want to get back into that mode with the limited years left for Steph Curry, every avenue should be explored.
The Warriors Win Now Approach
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The Golden State Warriors are still lead by one of the top players in the NBA, Steph Curry. Curry can still be the best player on a championship roster, you just have to get the right pieces around him.
Curry will be turning 37 years old next season so you have to assume there are only a few years left in the Curry window.
Golden State has some promising young talent on the team with Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Brandin Podziemski. All four of these players have shown potential to be very good players in the near future.
The big question here is if the Warriors will take the bumps in the road and let them develop. It’s that, or they look into trading them away for more polished veteran players because of the accelerated timeline with the aging Curry.
The Warriors did the ladder last season when they traded 24 year old Jordan Poole for 38 year old Chris Paul.
Currently having a roster on the older side, it will be interesting to see if the Warriors further mortgage their future to gamble with some different pieces around Curry.
Maybe a trade with the Suns for Kevin Durant. Or potentially prying Brandon Ingram away from the Pelicans. Paul George opting out of his deal in LA and signing in Golden State as an unrestricted free agent. We’ll see if the Warriors can make one of these a reality.
Bottom Line For the Golden State Warriors
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The bottom line for the Warriors is that if they want to compete for a championship, drastic changes will have to be made.
Everyone not named Steph Curry should be on the table this offseason. If they can keep the big 3 of Curry, Thompson, and Green together while being a legit threat to win, then great. But they have been together the last 2 years and the team has been getting worse, not better.
Maybe some of this has been due to the regression of Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney, and the loss of Jordan Poole. But the Warriors can’t blindly go into the season just thinking the Big 3 are can lead this team to a championship.
There must be big changes this off-season for the Warriors if they want to get back to the NBA mountain top anytime soon.
About the Author
Cory is an Oregon Duck alumni and has been following basketball closely for years; whether it be playing, watching, or attending live. Follow Cory on X @cory_pappas1 for more breaking stories and game previews.
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