It’s now or never for the Warriors.
With Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green entering the back end of their primes, Golden State has to do whatever it can to put a championship roster around its franchise stars. Golden State owns the rights to two lottery picks — No. 7 and No. 14 — and has 2020 No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman, giving the Warriors the assets needed to pull off a blockbuster deal to improve their roster.
And the expectation, according to The Athletic’s John Hollinger, is that the Warriors try to do just that.
“There is a widespread expectation that the Warriors will use No. 7 and Wiseman, in particular, to seek more immediate upgrades to the roster. One name to watch: Pascal Siakam,” Hollinger writes.
While the Warriors have the assets needed to land another star, there currently aren’t a lot of options that will intrigue Golden State.
Bradley Beal, for the moment, appears set on riding it out and trying to win in Washington. Ben Simmons, after his playoff meltdown, isn’t a perfect fit. A Damian Lillard trade almost certainly isn’t in the cards.
Siakam, who is out for the next five months after undergoing shoulder surgery, could very well be the biggest fish the Warriors can catch.
Then, there is the Wiseman conundrum.
The Warriors drafted the young center with the No. 2 overall pick last November, believing he has all the necessary skills to become the next face of the franchise.
But Curry’s legendary season, and the Warriors’ postseason absence, showed that Golden State might not be able to operate on two timelines as efficiently as it once hoped.
The Warriors still believe in Wiseman and don’t want to trade him. But if he is the price to acquire the player or players needed to vault them back into true title contention, then they might be forced to deal him.
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It is a crucial offseason for the Warriors, one they can’t afford to whiff on.
Curry, Green and Thompson (when he returns) have to enter next season with all the necessary pieces surrounding them to win a title.
The Warriors have the assets to make a splash, and it appears most around the league are just waiting to see what sort of team they’ll have to contend with next season.
