While the Warriors might have missed out on potential trades for Lauri Markkanen and Paul George, the franchise still is in a good position to upgrade its roster.
Per NBA insider Marc Stein on his latest Substack, Golden State still can acquire another standout player via trade.
“Golden State is plotting its next moves in the wake of unsuccessful trade pursuits of Paul George and Lauri Markkanen in the offseason,” Stein said. “Team officials believe they remain well-positioned for a trade upgrade at some point in the next year or so after responding to the free agent departure of Curry's longtime backcourt mate Klay Thompson by acquiring Kyle Anderson, Buddy Hield and De'Anthony Melton on short-term deals and retaining all of their draft picks.
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“The distinct sense at Chase Center is that the Clippers and Jazz, despite no shortage of conversation with both teams, did not really want to do business with the Warriors.”
Golden State faces an uncertain future after Klay Thompson’s departure, though it’s clear that Mike Dunleavy and Joe Lacob intend to pursue another superstar via trade, as evidenced by the reported pursuit of LeBron James last season.
With Steph Curry continuing to play at an extremely high level, the Warriors will need to fill the void left by Thompson and figure out another legitimate scoring threat.
Stein noted this uncertainty will hang over the franchise as the 2024-25 NBA season begins.
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“There are certainly challenges ahead. Curry, Draymond Green and Warriors coach Steve Kerr have not yet been truly faced with the reality that Thompson is no longer part of the organization they all hoped he would never leave,” Stein wrote. “The hope now is that the golden summer Curry and Kerr have enjoyed together provides some lasting insulation into what could be a complicated winter (and maybe even spring) as Golden State continues to truly reshape itself.”
With the likes of Curry and Green still on the roster, Golden State still has the potential to make the playoffs, but unless one of the team’s younger players begins to mature into an All-Star caliber talent, it will be difficult to make any progress in the loaded Western Conference.