During the recent episode of the Hoop Collective, ESPN reporter Tim Bontemps said that the Golden State Warriors shouldn’t make a trade by the deadline. He justified his opinion by saying that the team is not good enough to compete this year, and a trade cannot get them over the hump. Is he right? Let’s talk about it.
Tim Bontemps – Warriors Would Be Delusional to Make a Trade
As of January 15th, the Golden State Warriors are sitting in the 12th spot in the Western Conference, tied with the Phoenix Suns. The Suns are going through their own drama right now, but it speaks volumes about how bad the Warriors are. Here is what Bontemps said,
“The simple fact of the matter is it would be absolutely delusional for these Golden State veterans right now to be saying, hey, we got to make a move that will vault us into a championship contender. They’re in 12th place in the West, despite the fact they got off to a 12-3 start. What is making a trade for Jimmy Butler going to salvage this situation? They’ve got to get better, they’ve got to use these assets to be able to answer on what that will get them.”
Bontemps also reminded us that even Steph Curry didn’t believe the Warriors were good enough at the beginning of the season. He said,
“I think it was media day when Steph got asked about the team and said, well you know, we’ve got a chance to be a relevant team. He didn’t say we have a chance to be a championship team. He didn’t say we have a chance to win the West. I think he’s been pretty aware of the overall situation from the beginning.”
What Kind of Player Do the Warriors Need?
The Warriors tried to get LeBron James, then they tried to get Paul George or Lauri Markkanen. And they have failed to get either of them. So, what kind of player do they need? Well, Tim Bontemps has a suggestion for the Golden State Warriors. He said,
“They’re only going to have a chance to be a true championship-level team between now and whenever the end of Steph’s career is if they get a player that is better than Steph on the team. And even at this point of his career, there are only a handful of those guys and clearly none of them are available.”
The Warriors Need their Kawhi Leonard
The Warriors have tried in recent years to replicate the success of the San Antonio Spurs. But they are missing a key ingredient, a guy like Kawhi Leonard. As the guys on the Hoop Collective reminded us, the Spurs managed to stay relevant and competitive for more than 15 years by drafting Kawhi with the 15th pick.
Golden State has a selfless superstar like Tim Duncan in Curry, but they have yet to find Leonard. They drafted James Wiseman 2nd overall, but he was not that guy. They hoped Jonathan Kuminga could grow to become that guy, but he is not there yet. That leaves them looking for outside options for a guy they can pair with Steph and hope he carries the team afterward.
The Importance of the 2022 Title
The Warriors are one of the few teams that have managed to win a title seven years apart with their first title coming in 2015 and their last in 2022. That is the true testament of their dynasty. For reference, Kobe Bryant won titles 10 years apart. Three of those came with Shaquille O’Neal, from 2000 to 2002, and two with Pau Gasol in 2009 and 2010.
The San Antonio Spurs managed to win titles 15 years apart, but that speaks of the longevity of the franchise and Tim Duncan. And to be fair, they had Kawhi Leonard for the last title. With that 2022 title, Steph and the Warriors cemented their legacy as a dynasty. And because of that title, Curry can say things like the team shouldn’t risk the future right now.
Losing Gives Them Better Assets
The irony of the matter is that right now, the Warriors are better off losing than winning. The more they lose, the better draft pick they will get. They have their own first-round pick in 2025, which could have higher value in the summer.
If they do make a trade now and get in the playoffs as the 7th or 8th seed, they will lose a lottery pick. If, instead, they continue losing and miss the playoffs, a lottery pick carries more weight in a possible trade. The 2025 draft class is considered a deep one, and a lottery pick can get teams a rotational player.
Is Lauri the Guy?
The Warriors tried to get Lauri Markkanen the past summer, but he decided to stay with the Utah Jazz for one more season at least. Lauri and the Jazz signed a contract on a specific date so that he could not be traded by the deadline. Golden State may certainly regret missing out on Markkanen.
Looking at the All-Stars from the past three years, Lauri is one of the few impact players that might be available. Pascal Siakam is another player who might be available if Indiana decides that he is not part of their future. There might be other options, but they are either too old to carry the team once Steph is gone or not available.
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