While the Warriors may have missed out on potential trades for Lauri Markkanen and Paul George, the franchise is still in a good position to improve its roster.
According to an NBA insider Marc Stein on his latest Substack, Golden State can still acquire another standout player via trade.
“Golden State is plotting its next moves after failed offseason trade attempts for Paul George and Lauri Markkanen,” Stein said. “Team executives believe they remain well-positioned for a trade upgrade at some point in the coming year after responding to the free-agent departure of Curry’s longtime teammate Klay Thompson by acquiring Kyle Anderson, Buddy Hield and De’Anthony Melton on short-term deals and retaining all of their draft picks.”
“The general feeling at Chase Center was that the Clippers and Jazz, despite numerous discussions with both teams, didn’t really want to do business with the Warriors.”
Golden State faces uncertain future after Klay Thompson’s departurealthough it is clear that Mike Dunleavy and Joe Lacob intend to pursue another superstar via trade, as evidenced by the report LeBron James pursuit 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 legitimate scoring threat.
Stein noted that this uncertainty will weigh on the franchise as the 2024-25 NBA season begins.
“There are certainly challenges ahead. Curry, Draymond Green and Warriors coach Steve Kerr have yet to fully confront 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 offers them lasting protection for what could be a difficult winter (and maybe even spring) as Golden State continues to 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 begins to mature and develop into an All-Star caliber talent, it will be difficult to advance in a crowded Western Conference.
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