As a Warriors fan since the 2014-2015 season, I’ve had the chance to witness the team’s growth and success firsthand. From the original “dream” season in 2015, to the back-to-back rings in ’17/’18, and most recently, the 2022 championship run; the Golden State Warriors of the past decade are nothing less than a dynasty.
Dynasties don’t happen very often – while subjective, only some teams can really argue the case for being one. The Michael Jordan-era Chicago Bulls, for example. Or the early 2000’s Lakers. The Warriors check all the boxes for being a dynasty: four championships, multiple future-HOFs, and always a contender to win the next season.
Some critics believe that the dynasty “ended,” after a disappointing end to the last season. But didn’t they say the same thing after 2019? Here’s why I believe the Warriors can win another ring in 2024. They don’t have anything left to prove – but they still can, anyways.
The Offseason
The offseason started with general manager Bob Myers stepping down. This was a pretty big blow to the organization, as he’s helped orchestrate some of the biggest trades in the past couple of years. Mike Dunleavy Jr. was quickly announced as the new Warriors GM, putting a lot of pressure on him.
The Chris Paul-Jordan Poole Trade
Jordan Poole has had a rough time this past year. After a excellent performance in the 2021-2022 title run (including signing a 4 year, $128 million deal in the summer), he didn’t have that same spark last season. In the playoffs, he costed the Warriors game one against the Lakers after taking this questionably deep, and extremely unnecessary three:
See, it’s times like these that make me question whether he’s still a good fit on this team. He’s a great guard who can shoot the ball well and drive to the basket. But he hasn’t yet learned the level of humble that’s needed to be on this squad. When you’re behind future hall-of-famers Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, not to mention being coached by Steve Kerr, you have to learn how to be unselfish. Unfortunately, Poole can sometimes try to play the “hero” (which is fine to do once in a while, but not every time the Warriors are in need of a basket), and he can often lose his handles in clutch moments. And I’m not even mentioning the infamous Green-Poole incident that threw off the team’s chemistry.
At the same time, it was one season. Poole could grow in the summer (behind coaching from Warriors vets) and learn how to be a better player next year. He’s helped the team immensely in other times, such as winning a game against against the Grizzlies with a last-second layup.
Heading into the offseason, though, the Warriors didn’t hesitate to ship him off the team. Early on in June, they traded Poole for veteran guard Chris Paul, who had recently been traded to the Washington Wizards. Two future first-round picks were also included sent to the Wizards, as well as 2022 draft pick Ryan Rollins.
I was ready to move on from Poole (and hope he had a brighter future in Washington), but I was confused at the result of the trade. Paul is an 18 time all-star veteran who’s still searching for his first ring. He’s carried the Suns all the way to the finals in 2021, where they fell short to the Bucks. There’s no questioning his talent. But would he really work well with this team?
Golden State already has one of the greatest (if not the greatest) backcourts of all time in Steph and Klay. Would Paul come off the bench, or replace Looney (in a move that would decrease the size of our starting lineup even further)? Green is a capable player, but would he be able to play Center as his primary role?
Paul may not fit in with Golden State’s play style at first. He’s used to throwing lobs to a high-flying center like Deandre Ayton – a type of player the Warriors haven’t had for several years. On the contrast, I have a good feeling that he’ll be able to play an important sixth man role. The Warriors have always had a problem with the non-Steph minutes, but CP3 should be able to help bridge that gap.
There’ll be no shortage of assisting with both Paul and Green on the floor. And, when in need of a shot in crunch time, there’s three experienced shooters on the floor to count on. After a summer of training and a couple games spent adjusting, I’m confident that we’ll have another consistent finisher and assister in Chris Paul.
Draft Picks
Golden State also traded Patrick Baldwin Jr. to the Wizards (as a part of the Chris Paul trade) for the 57th pick in the 2023 draft, proving once again that they have a “win-now” mentality. I was frustrated to see another rookie head out the door (after trading Poole, Wiseman, and Rollins already), but hopefully more young players like Kuminga and Moody can step up and contribute to the team.
Speaking of the draft, the Warriors selected two promising young players. With the 19th pick, they chose guard Brandin Podziemski, which critics claim will be a “perfect” fit with the Warriors. Additionally, with the pick gained from the trade with the Wizards, we drafted power forward Trayce Jackson-Davis. I’m personally excited about this choice as we finally acquire a much-needed big man, be it one that will take some time to shape into a role player.
Free Agency Signings & Extensions
In Free Agency, Golden State signed guard Cory Joseph on a one-year contract. Joseph has plenty of experience in the league, and will fill in the PG slot behind Paul and Curry. Draymond Green, who previously declined his $27.5 M player option, signed a new four-year, $100 M contract, securing his future on the team.
The Warriors offered both Jackson-Davis and Podziemski rookie contracts, adding to the bench’s depth. In one of my favorite moves, they were able to acquire veteran power forward Dario Šarić from the Suns (who many had speculated to be a top trade target). This trade comes with huge benefits: 1) Golden State finally has a reliable big man who can take some of the load off of Looney, 2) they add to our three-point shooter list, as Šarić shot 39% from three last year, and 3) the chemistry that Šarić and Paul had back in Phoenix will (hopefully) carry over to this team.
Unfortunately, free agency came with its losses as well. Donte DiVincenzo (Knicks) and Ty Jerome (Cavaliers) both made their exits. DiVincenzo played a big part in helping the Warriors win the 2022 Championship, and Jerome was a player I was hoping would have a future in the bay.
Potential Starting Lineup & Bench
With all these roster changes and moves, here’s how the starting lineup and bench will probably look like:
Starting Five: Curry (PG), Thompson (SG), Wiggins (SF), Green (PF), Looney (C)
Bench: Paul (PG), Payton II (SG), Šarić (PF), Moody (SF), Joseph (PG), Kuminga (PF), Quiñones (SG), Podziemski (PG), Jackson-Davis (PF/C)
Of course, there’s still a couple spots to fill in. Whether that comes from some of the promising summer league stars (like Gui Santos), free agents, or both, we don’t know yet.
My first impression of this squad is pretty positive. The starting lineup from last season is here to stay; Steph and Klay are a dominant backcourt, with Wiggins, Green, and Looney adding to the impressive group. Chris Paul will most likely be the sixth man, subbing in for Steph or playing a possible three guard lineup (Curry, Klay, Paul, Wiggins, Green). New additions Joseph and Šarić will be crucial rotation players off the bench. Kuminga and Moody have significantly improved their game last year. I have no doubt they’ll be able to play a bigger role this season. And the Warriors can always rely on GP2 to elevate their game.
By the time free agency comes to a close, Golden State will have a pretty solid championship team.
Why They Can Win It
But all these additions and moves all boil down to one question: will it work? There’s been plenty of teams (like the Harden–Irving–Durant Nets) that have superstars who are unable to make it that far because they lack depth, suffer injuries, or don’t have good chemistry.
I think Golden State will be able to work on some of the things that held them back last postseason. For the first time since the 2013-2014 season, the Warriors entered the playoffs and were eliminated before reaching the finals. The series against the Lakers was thrilling, but it boiled down to a couple of key problems.
First, defense. Let’s face it: the Warriors could not defend Anthony Davis consistently. He averaged a double-double nearly every game, including a 23 rebound-25 point G1 and 17 rebound-20 point G6. Golden State didn’t have a player they could matchup against Davis, leading to him making easy buckets from close range.
Defending the paint wasn’t the only issue. Driving into the paint was also something that haunted the team. As this article puts it, “He was intimidating… How many times did a Warrior drive the lane, see Davis, then kick the ball back out … to a player who missed the shot?” This is a pretty vivid description of the glaring problem that the Warriors desperately need to fix in the offseason.
And fix it they did. They erased any worry of Draymond Green departing the team any time soon, and signed a reliable power-forward/center in Dario Šarić. Drafting a center late into the draft added to the size of the roster. Sure, they’ll still have some of the same problems as last year. But defending big men and grabbing boards shouldn’t be as tough as it was earlier.
Next, there’s always the problem that arises when Steph and Klay can’t seem to make a single bucket. There wasn’t anyone there to help add points last year. Poole used to be reliable at least every couple of games, but that stopped last season. And while role players like DiVincenzo tried to help, it wasn’t enough. With the addition of Chris Paul, that problem should be fixed. I’m confident in his ability to score, as well as set up other perimeter shooters (which is almost everyone on the team) to drain the three-ball. There won’t be many games where the trio goes silent.
While I mentioned the “win-now” mindset earlier, I’ll re-iterate it again. The franchise realizes that the Splash Bros. won’t be able to play at this caliber for too long. While it may be detrimental in the future, trading young assets for experienced vets will be extremely helpful in the playoffs. These guys have worked on their game for countless years, and won’t need as much guidance as the rookies.
So, for all these reasons, Golden State’s a true contender for next year. Who knows how the season will play out? Will the new signings get comfortable with the Warriors’ playing style? That’s something we’ll have to see for ourselves; and I’m excited to see this new, older, and experienced squad take the floor. Maybe, when June rolls around next year, we’ll see familiar faces on top of the basketball world: cementing the dynasty with the fifth ring in nine years.
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