The Golden State Warriors enter every single year with Steph Curry on the roster as one of the league’s few teams with a championship-or-bust mentality. Last season, the Warriors didn’t just fail to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy, the team missed the Western Conference Finals altogether for the first time during the Steve Kerr era when all of Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson were healthy.
The team now finds itself in a tricky spot, as they’re deep into the luxury tax, the two-timelines approach has not worked at all, and now, Green is on the unrestricted free agent market, all while Mike Dunleavy Jr. has replaced Bob Myers as the main decision-maker in the team’s front office. The roster is good but flawed, particularly if the disaster scenario comes to fruition and Green doesn’t come back. Will guys like Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody be able to take gigantic steps forward and become consistent, productive rotation pieces? How hard will it be to add talent via free agency?
Having the 19th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft could help, as the team could always use more young talent that fits around their older core. Ultimately, that core — and, more importantly, keeping it together — is the most important thing in San Francisco, and this summer is shaping up to be a major test of whether or not the team can do that. They made their first major move in the hours before the Draft, trading Jordan Poole to Washington for Chris Paul, indicating the focus will again be on winning now rather than trying to split the timelines.
Roster Needs: Draymond Green, rim pressure, literally anyone who can step in and play right away
Brandin Podziemski (No. 19 overall), B-: This is a better grade than any other team would’ve received in taking Podziemski, but it’s a good fit. His feel is very good and Podziemski is a dynamic shooter. As a very limited athlete, there are defensive concerns and the chance that he just can’t hold up, but Golden State was the appropriate team to take that risk.
2023 Free Agents:
Draymond Green (UFA)
Anthony Lamb (RFA)
Ty Jerome (Two-Way)
JaMychal Green (UFA)
Andre Iguodala (UFA)
Lester Quinones (Two-Way)
Roster:
Steph Curry
Klay Thompson
Chris Paul
Andrew Wiggins
Gary Payton II
Kevon Looney
Jonathan Kuminga
Donte DiVincenzo (Player Option)
Moses Moody
Patrick Baldwin Jr.
Ryan Rollins