Warriors face steep battle in continued commitment to Steph originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
When the doors to NBA free agency opened on Sunday, the Warriors had already checked off the name in bold at the top of their shopping list. Nine-time All-Star Paul George, their clear priority, would not be available.
This was a serious wound for Golden State that maximized the remaining seasons of an effective Stephen Curry. If the front office can’t make a full recovery, it will be fatal.
George, 34, was the ideal complement to join the 36-year-old Curry and the 34-year-old Draymond Green in trying to squeeze out another run or two to the NBA Finals. An improved lineup would have been a dramatic improvement. This would have been a win-now core with a fighting chance to produce a fitting finale to Curry’s remarkable career.
The Warriors would be contenders again. That’s been Curry’s focus since the disastrous 2019-20 season, when a broken hand forced him to spend five months watching the Warriors — his team — finish with the worst record in the league.
Winning the 2022 NBA Finals sent a message to the world that, despite being the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, the Warriors had regained their status as a team to be feared. Curry had become the all-time 3-point king. He had won that long-awaited Finals MVP award. And now the Warriors were, once again, legitimate heavyweights.
Perhaps more than anyone, Curry wanted the Warriors to maintain that level of prestige.
They haven’t. They finished sixth in the Western in the 2022-23 season and were knocked out of the playoffs in the semifinals by the Los Angeles Lakers. They finished 10th last season before traveling 75 miles to Sacramento for a Play-In Tournament game and getting blown out by the Kings in the offseason.
George was supposed to be the centerpiece of Golden State’s reset. A 6-foot-8, 225-pound wing in a league where two-way wings are taking over. The Warriors valued George over Klay Thompson for a number of reasons, the most pertinent of which is that he’s a better player now.
It would be worth it if PG13 came to the bay, if they broke the best backcourt in the world, the legendary “Splash Brothers”.
When George opted out of the final season of his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers, he became the No. 1 pick on the unrestricted free-agent market, landing with the Philadelphia 76ers, who were so desperate for a two-way wing that they agreed to pay him $212 million over the next four years.
And the Warriors? They have this week and next week and, well, the entire summer to surround Curry with enough talent to extend their season into June.
The inability to land George—an acquisition that faced multiple obstacles—forced the Warriors to resort to contingencies, lowering their goals in order to pursue an All-Star.
It’s a short list of likely available players with that status. Three come to mind, with varying degrees of availability. Here’s a look at each, in alphabetical order:
The 2020 All-Star is available. He wasn’t a good fit with franchise player Zion Williamson and is now a worse fit with Dejounte Murray joining CJ McCollum in the backcourt. Ingram’s biggest asset is that he’s a tremendous scorer, capable of getting buckets on every play and excelling in the midrange. He’s also a solid playmaker.
Ingram’s biggest shortcomings are inconsistency, defense and availability. Like Golden State’s Andrew Wiggins, he’s a rainbow player, beautiful when visible but often not. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound wing is vulnerable because of his slight frame, and physical shortcomings are among the reasons the 26-year-old has missed at least 20 games over the past four seasons.
Ingram is a 36.2 percent career shooter from deep. He will earn $36 million in the final year of his contract and is a player who leaves his teams begging for more.
The two-time All-Star (2021, 2022) is for sale under a flashing neon sign. He entered the league as a pro athlete looking for a game and has blossomed into an excellent offensive player. His streak of seasons averaging at least 23 points per game ended last season when he finished with 19.5. The 10-year veteran is shooting 38.2 percent from deep and is a highlight-reel dunker.
LaVine’s biggest problem is that he’s never been a consistent defender. At 6-foot-1, 200 pounds and with great agility, he has the tools to be a great defender, but he only uses them sporadically.
It’s the onerous contract — three years remaining, an average of $46 million per year — that has teams circling LaVine and wondering if he’s worth it, which is why the Warriors reportedly turned down one offer.
Markkanen is a one-time All-Star (2023) who, at 7-foot-1, 240 pounds, is one of the top five stretch fours in the league. He averaged 23.2 points per game last season, shot 48 percent from the field, including 39.9 from distance, and had 8.2 rebounds. He’s a solid pick for Golden State.
Of course, there is a flip side. The Warriors would have to negotiate with Danny Ainge, Utah’s CEO of basketball operations. He’s not exactly jumping on the bandwagon of moving Markkanen, but his history suggests he never considers a player untouchable. He has multiple first-round picks in each of the next five drafts.
Markkanen is a logical choice for the Warriors, who have shown interest. The question is whether they can work out a package that will convince Ainge to move such an asset, who has one year left on a contract worth just $18 million.
George was a Hail Mary, and now the Curry clock is ticking louder every day. Now that they’ve dropped back to the NBA fold, the Warriors face a steep battle to get anywhere near the top. The front office faces perhaps its toughest challenge yet.
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