NBA insider reveals when Warriors were ‘well positioned’ to make big deal originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
While the Warriors may miss out on potential trades for Lauri Markkanen and Paul George, the franchise is still in a good position to bolster its roster.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein on his latest Substack, Golden State could still acquire another top player via a trade.
“Golden State is planning its next steps following the failed midseason trade attempts for Paul George and Lauri Markkanen,” Stein said. “Team officials believe they are still well-positioned for a trade upgrade sometime in the next year or so after responding to the 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.
“The clear feeling at Chase Center is that the Clippers and Jazz, despite many conversations with both teams, didn’t really want to do business with the Warriors.”
Golden State faces an uncertain future after the departure of Klay Thompson, but it is clear that Mike Dunleavy and Joe Lacob are planning to bring in another superstar through a trade, as evidenced by reports of interest in 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 find another serious scoring opportunity.
Stein noted that this uncertainty will hang over the franchise once the 2024-25 NBA season begins.
“There are certainly challenges ahead. Curry, Draymond Green and Warriors coach Steve Kerr have not yet fully grappled with the reality that Thompson is no longer part of the organization they all hoped would never leave,” Stein wrote. “The hope now is that the golden summer Curry and Kerr enjoyed together will provide some lasting insulation in what could be a complicated winter (and perhaps even spring) as Golden State continues to truly reshape itself.”
With players like 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 develops into an All-Star prospect, it will be tough to make any headway in the loaded Western Conference.
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