The Warriors have a cupboard full of young talent, adding Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody to James Wiseman and Jordan Poole this offseason, and the franchise is positioned for a major trade should a star become available. However, with the current landscape of the league (short of Damian Lillard full-on requesting a trade soon), it doesn’t appear that Golden State will be able to pull off that kind of deal before the season begins.
While there should be some caution with regard to expecting the Warriors to catapult back into title contention immediately, Zach Lowe of ESPN.com is optimistic about the team’s chances—even without making another move.
Lowe points out that Steve Kerr’s small-ball lineups with Draymond Green at center were as deadly as ever last season when the Michigan State product shared the floor with Stephen Curry. Having Klay Thompson back in the lineup and Andre Iguodala back on the team should only add to the Warriors’ competitive advantage with these kinds of looks. Still, the front office has its eyes on top-level talent and should have the ability to be patient as situations around the league play themselves out.
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- The Warriors are among the teams that have interest in Ben Simmons, Lowe writes, confirming previous reports. How would the Simmons-Green pairing work in the frontcourt? Lowe admits that it would be an awkward fit but with the proper shooting around them (Golden State has that), the duo could be elite in the open court.
- An interesting tidbit in Lowe’s piece was who he mentioned as a near-perfect fit for the Warriors’ given their core and trade assets: Karl-Anthony Towns. While Golden State is eyeing the Simmons/Lillard/Bradley Beal situations, trading for Towns (who is not available in trade talks and won’t likely be anytime soon) is arguably the kind of move that would extend Curry’s timeline and create a Tim Duncan-like-Spurs transition to a new, winning era in the Bay Area.
- Lowe isn’t worried about the backend of Curry’s four-year, $215 million extension becoming a liability, citing Curry’s current level of play as well as his status within the franchise. Curry continues to play like an MVP candidate and given all the success the point guard has brought to the franchise, even if he trails off later in the contract, it’ll be a worth investment.
- Nico Mannion, who was a restricted free agent this summer, has decided to play for Virtus Bologna in Italy, tweets Jordan Schultz of ESPN. Mannion has an NBA out clause in his contract after year one, so he could make a return next summer if he so chooses.
- Former NBA center Hilton Armstrong has joined the Warriors coaching staff, Anthony Slater of The Athletic relays. Armstrong, who will work in the video department, is currently assisting with Golden State’s Summer League team.
