The Golden State Warriors have been heavily tipped to make an offseason trade for Los Clippers superstar Paul Georg. But one former Warriors executive isn’t convinced that the nine-time All-Star can instantly make the Warriors champions again in the current climate.
Appearing on ESPN’s First Take, former Warriors general manager Bob Myers said that while George may make the Warriors a better team, they might still need embattled star Klay Thompson to really compete with “a loaded West.”
“So you add Paul George to the Warriors and you say, ‘OK, that’s a really good team. [But] you almost need Klay Thompson as well,” Myers said.
Myers explained that between the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers and a retooling Clippers, the West is too loaded for any one player to make the Warriors champions.
“I do think we’re sometimes missing things and trying to oversimplify [by saying], ‘Oh, you add Paul George, you add Klay Thompson.’ It’s still not enough, guys. You need a build a team to compete with what is a loaded West.
“The thing that’s different about the West is the depth of the West. You could be a very good team in the West and be the ninth seed. We talked just about Houston recently — Houston’s trying to make the playoffs. We talked about Phoenix, we talk about the Clippers still wanting to be good, we talk about the Lakers still with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.,” the former Warriors GM added. “It’s a deep conference, so just getting through it all you need depth, and Klay and PG may give you a better shot. But at the same time, I don’t think either of them just solves all the issues for any team.”
The Warriors went 46-36 in the regular season this past year, securing a spot in the play-in round but losing to the Sacramento Kings to see their season come to an end.
Are there any moves the Warriors can make to cover the ground between them and the top teams in the Western Conference?