Not many teams across the sporting landscape have ever had a more horrid free fall from the top quite like the Warriors. Now, with so much luck not being on their side, what exactly is the next best move? How should the Golden State Warriors handle the rest of the 19′-20′ season?
In the matter of one year, the Warriors lost in the NBA Finals to the Toronto Raptors and saw Kevin Durant leave the team. Klay Thompson tore his ACL and now Stephen Curry is dealing with a broken hand.
The positive is they didn’t fully lose out with the Kevin Durant deal. The team pulled off an unexpected three-team sign-and-trade with the Brooklyn Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves acquiring All-Star D’Angelo Russell.
The negative? The Warriors currently sit at 1-5 through six games placing them near the bottom of the Western Conference standings. The lost identity for the team has changed how the NBA world has looked at the team and nobody can predict what could happen next.
Let’s look at three realistic scenarios that the Warriors will likely have to choose between moving forward this season.
Patience and Development
It’s going to get ugly before it gets better, but the Warriors could benefit from the youth.
The Warriors currently have nine players 23 years old or under. The youth was fully on display in their 93-87 loss against the Hornets with both Russell and Draymond Green dealing with smaller injuries.
Yes, the likes of players that have bounced around a few teams like Alec Burks or Glenn Robinson III aren’t exactly your stars. Throw in “prove you belong guys” like Omari Spellman and Ky Bowman and this version of the Warriors feels more like a G-league unit than ever before.
There is hope that a few of their young players could benefit from an opportunity due to the team’s injuries.
For starters, the Warriors draft picks in the 2019 NBA Draft have played fairly well.
Second-round pick Eric Paschall has had a solid start to the season. He has been one of the most consistent young players averaging 13.8 PPG through six games. He even scored a career-high 25 points in the loss to the Hornets giving him his second 20+ point outing. Similar to former Villanova teammates Josh Hart of the New Orleans Pelicans and Jalen Brunson of the Dallas Mavericks, Paschall could find himself as a key rotation piece on a healthy Warriors roster if his play continues.
Jordan Poole, the team’s first-round draft pick, is having a less efficient but slightly identical start to Paschall. Averaging 9.7 PPG early isn’t eye-popping but with the number of injuries to guards, Poole should get plenty of chances.
The addition over the summer of center Willie Cauley-Stein will slowly come to life. The big man will give the Warriors a modern-age paint presence, which is something they have desperately needed for years.
Russell and Green should be back sooner than later and will be key pieces with this version of the Warriors. Curry could be back at some point close to the All-Star break or earlier.
They likely will compete for one of the lower playoff seeds towards the second half of the season with a healthy roster outside of Thompson. If one or two of the young players can blossom quickly, being patient could be a solid option.
Sky-Rocket D’Lo’s Value; Deal Him This Year
It’s no secret that this summer, D’Angelo Russell was a hot commodity. Early before the free agency period, Russell was linked to interest from several teams. Some of those teams filled their slots at point guard with off-season moves but who’s to say that his value has diminished.
The number of guard injuries could be a blessing in disguise for Russell. The Warriors would be smart to fully let Russell do whatever he feels like on the court which in turn could boost his value to several teams.
In a recent interview with SLAM magazine, Russell, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Devin Booker stated that down the road, the trio would like to form a super team.
Minnesota could quickly take step one of that trio by making a deal for Russell. The Warriors could take a risk by crafting a deal involving Andrew Wiggins. Ideally, a smarter option is to deal with draft picks and contract matches such as Robert Covington and Gorgui Dieng.
Other options could include teams like the Orlando Magic or New York Knicks. Both teams could benefit from having an established point guard while giving the Warriors a mixture of youth and picks.
Regardless, a trade involving Russell can’t happen until after Dec. 15 which is more than enough time for the Warriors to boost his value. Look for them to craft deals around defense, youth, and picks.
How should the Golden State Warriors handle the rest of the 19′-20′ season?
Trade Draymond Green
The idea may not seem like a realistic option, but it wouldn’t hurt to see what they could get.
Since the rise of his career, Green has been seen as the toughness for the Warriors. He has been a primary ball-handler leading the team in assists in several years for the unit. He also won a Defensive Player of the Year back in 2017, proving his worth as one of the top defenders in the league.
But the one area that has remained more consistent than anything else is his mouth.
After a blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Green called how he saw it. He called the team out and said “We f—ing suck” in a post-game interview with media. https://youtu.be/ZFd737_F100
Just last November, following a loss to the Clippers, Green got into it with former teammate Kevin Durant causing him to ultimately get suspended a game by the team. Durant recently opened up about his decision to leave Golden State and said that the altercation was a contributing factor.
As much good that Draymond has done, the idea of him not staying quiet could hurt the Warriors even more in the long run. With a new mixture of youth, the Warriors just may not want to continue to hear the noise from Green with the team looking to find their new identity early.
Now Green is 29 years old and recently signed a four-year 100M extension. The Warriors could benefit greatly from finding a trading partner within the first two years of the deal. He will make 22.2 million and 24 million respectively starting in the 2020-2021 season.
Similar to the Russell idea, it would be smart to look for deals around picks and youth in dealing with Green. The former All-Star will forever remain a key piece to the organization. But his time there may soon come to an end.
