Fix (noun): a position of difficulty and embarrassment.
Correction (verb): renews, restores or sets in order.
For Golden State Warriors, “correction” is more than just a word with different definitions. It’s been part of the franchise’s ethics since they brought players who are afterthoughts to other teams and turned them into players who complete the core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Right now, it is their theme, vision and mission statement that go on after an embarrassing and injured season plagued by 2019-20. To get out of the correction of this past season they have to get settled.
At the same time, the Warriors’ situation is not as serious as the results of the season indicate. If there is such a thing as the best of the worst scenario, here’s what the Dubs have.
What they most need, of course, is a healthy Curry and Thompson to pair with a refilled Green. Also available to them, the Warriors recently added that it has great potential in Andrew Wiggins and a likely pick among the top five sweepstakes this year, a pick from the Wiggins deal in the 2021 NBA Draft and a $ 17 exemption, 2 million on an average level since Andre Iguodala trades last summer. However, GM Warriors Bob Meyers must make sure that he makes the most sensible and wise decisions on how to rebuild and reload this list.
Before the pandemic hit, Golden State was already working with little wage ceiling space, and it could be even less since the NBA assesses the financial losses caused by the closure. Aside from these challenges, Warriors can still emerge from the ashes of the lost season and emerge as serious contenders for the Western Conference based on some key decisions they make during the off-season.
Draft Day dilemma
When it became clear that the Warriors would have a losing season, comparisons between Golden State and San Antonio Spurs in 1996 were prevalent. During that particular season, the Spurs broke out in an injury plagued by the 20-62 campaign. They won the 1997 NBA Draft Lottery and selected Tim Duncan with choice no. 1. Two years later, Duncan and a healthy David Robinson won the first of five Spurs titles.
While this year’s draft may not present a truly transcendent player like Duncan or a consensus selection no. 1, is considered rich in talents and their draft position will determine their action. Let’s say that the Warriors end with pick n. 1 (or even land in the top three), like most teams that will likely support based on talent rather than need. If the Warriors won the lottery, reports indicated that they would choose Georgia Anthony Edwards. Another name to look for is Saddiq Bey from Villanova. The former may have the most hype, but the latter may be the best solution.
Bey, a likely lottery pick according to the latest Complex Sports draw, is a 6’8 “forward with a 6’11” wingspan that can protect multiple positions and bring down a 3. In addition, Bey wouldn’t take long to get used to the sets that Dub perform. According to Warriors rookie Eric Paschall, the Warriors and Wildcats run fairly similar sets.
A potentially more logical approach if Warriors end up with the fourth or fifth choice is to exchange it with someone who can enter and contribute immediately and / or acquire more choices for future drafts.
Trading for Giannis?
It is no secret that Warriors are:
A) Like any team, always looking for ways to improve their list
B) It is said to be a destination for Giannis Antetokounmpo
With the way Warriors are built, the only star that makes sense to add is Antetokounmpo. Ever since Kevin Durant left for Brooklyn, the Warriors have had a huge hole to fill and the Greek Freak, who will be a free agent after next season and has not been shy about his admiration for Curry, is said to end in Golden State. But how realistic is it?
Many expect Antetokounmpo to sign a maximum extension with Milwaukee when it will be introduced to him at the end of the season. And the most realistic way it lands in Golden State, as of now, is if it requires an exchange. For reasons of discussion, let’s say that Antetokounmpo is asking for this trade. What will it take to do it? Make no mistake about it, Wiggins and an initial training of future choices is not enough. Warriors should have added Thompson or Green to the deal. Who would they hang? Who should they dangle?
The value of the Thompson agreement has been questioned by some and has been characterized as a responsibility for the Warriors. The logic is understandable Thompson is 30 years old and suffers an ACL injury. However, there are multiple reasons to believe that the contract is not a liability. First of all, Thompson’s game is not based on athleticism. Offensively, however, he never managed to create his own shot off the dribble. He does not drive often in the lane. The concern is defensive. It may lose some lateral speed. However, it may not.
Secondly, Thompson had an entire season to rest. He has been licensed for rehabilitation and the training camp will most likely begin in November. So why doubt that it will be the same player especially since it has been otherwise durable?
As for Green, he may be the most vulnerable. He also turned 30 this year, but unlike Thompson, his game may have aged a bit. Remember, Green is an underpowered four-dimensional game center in the Warriors’ ball formation. He was mistreated and injured. He has also become a passive. So it could be the most expendable in a commercial situation.
However, last season was a lost year, so spending Green on senseless games didn’t make much sense. Green is an important part of the core. It is he who sets the table most of the time and is their best defender. With a healthy Curry and Thompson, don’t bet against Green getting back in shape.
If you can trade with Antetokounmpo, you make almost every deal every day of the week. Will the warriors have to fight with who is the most expendable from the core?
What can Wiggins do?
Andrew Wiggins is the last player the Warriors will attempt to resolve and may be stuck with him as the Dubs absorbed Wiggins’ max inflated contract in D’Angelo Russell’s trade. With not much room for caps and the idea of getting unlikely Antetokounmpo, the resurrection of Wiggins will most likely determine how successful the Warriors team will be next year.
Wiggins has always had the potential. He couldn’t make it happen in an environment like Minnesota. The biggest problem with Wiggins is not whether he can score or not. The problem here is consistency on both sides of the ball. If assistant Ron Adams and the other Warrior coaches could unlock Wiggins’ potential and make it more coherent, and actually play some defense, the Warriors are definitely a playoff team.
Added in Free Agency
The Warriors have spent last season without limits and will almost certainly be light years beyond the expected wage limit for next season. However, they still have the potential to thrive in the free agency if the price is right and they get creative. Golden State not only has a $ 17.2 million commercial exemption following the Iguodala agreement with the Grizzlies, but also has a mid-level taxpayer exemption that will be determined by next year’s limit. The mid-level exemption this season was $ 5.7 million. Since the Warriors will forever seek a productive replacement for KD, they would love to use the exemption on one wing. Veterinarians like Paul Milsaps, Marc Gasol or Serge Ibaka could be targets. And there are more realistic options that will adapt to their price range.
Take Miami’s Jae Crowder as an example. For Warriors, he could add stamina and grit to the wing. Although it may be a violent shooter, Crowder’s value is in its stability, and is very vital for a young group of players. Economically, Golden State may be able to afford it from its salary, at $ 7.8 million it could drop between the veteran low and the MLE.
The Warriors could also realistically redistribute Glenn Robinson III of Philadelphia or Alec Burks to fill the bench. Robinson and Burks were victims of the harsh bondage of the Warriors who had to pay within the commercial deadline. Either of these makes sense wisely. They spent half the season in the Warrior system and produced. They also make sense regarding the adequacy of wages. Robinson’s salary is $ 1.8 million, while Burks’ salary is $ 2.3 million. At $ 5.7 million and the fact that these two know the system, signing one of these two could be the best that the Warriors could do at the moment.
