Determined to retain its championship title, Golden State could still be active in terms of transfers. On the other hand, the leaders will not be able to afford everything… Stephen Curry would have notably affixed a big veto on a particular file.
Their resting stars, the Warriors had no chance against the Pelicans last night and suffered a hell of a knockdown (128-83, summary here). Another away defeat for them, the ninth already in ten games. More generally, the Californians’ record since the start of the season has been very disappointing (8-10, 11th in the West), the team playing yo-yo too often. Not really what we expect from a defending champion looking for back-to-back…
In these kinds of conditions, it is not uncommon for a trade to take place in order to remobilize the troops and bring an electric shock. Except that in the case of the Dubs, their options are limited by none other than Stephen Curry. Eager to obtain his fifth ring, the Chief however put his veto concerning the young shoots of the franchise. The website Heavy cited the example of Jonathan Kuminga, after speaking with some front office members:
Stephen Curry refuses to trade youngsters to Warriors
When asked whether or not Kuminga would stay at Golden State after his rookie contract, the executives said: “Probably, because the owners have to make the decision at the end of the day, and they sold on the idea that their young guys are going to be Steph and Klay and Draymond again,” a Western Conference executive told Deveney.
“It is going to be difficult to break their bubble on this. Now, if this season goes into a tailspin, and Steph goes to the owners and says ‘we have to do something’, maybe that will change. But the commitment to these young guys is there.”
Clearly, the Kuminga, Moses Moody & co. departed to stay for a while longer in the Bay. The competition may be interested in them, Golden State will not let go.
It must be said that when we consider the current context, it would be rather ill-advised to let the new generation of players slip away in the Bay. The local Big Three are already well over 30, while Klay Thompson has been very irregular since the start of the season. A renewal at the level of the hierarchy should therefore take place in the years to come and being able to count on athletes experienced in the systems of Steve Kerr would be a big plus to ensure continuity.
The problem is that for everything to work out like this, we will have to make very clear-cut choices by the end of the season. We think particularly of the case of Draymond Green, who wants his contract max. However, it is hard to see GS giving it to him, since it would amount to paying a huge luxury tax in the future. Despite his recent extension, the case of Andrew Wiggins could also be reviewed given his good rating on the market.
The youth at the Warriors is not only promising, it is already showing some results and Stephen Curry wants to capitalize on that. Beware, however, that could well change if the Dubs do not take off quickly after a mediocre start.
