This offseason for the NBA’s most decorated team of the last decade in that of the Golden State Warriors will be… interesting to say the very least.
With the most expensive payroll in the NBA at nearly $400 million, you would expect a team like that to at least be in the NBA Playoffs, right?
That did not happen for the Golden State Warriors this season for a variety of reasons: a poorly constructed roster with no back up bigs, Draymond Green getting suspended, and the lack of availability from Andrew Wiggins.
Last week, they lost in the NBA Play-In Tournament, 118-94, to the very same Sacramento Kings team they eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last year. It was a microcosm of how the Warriors’ season went: consistently inconsistent.
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Klay Thompson’s disappearing act on offense
It was nothing short of an embarrassing performance to say the least from the entire team. The leading scorer, to no one’s surprise was Stephen Curry. But he only scored 22. More shocking and inexcusable was the no-show performances of Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins.
For only the third time in his career, Thompson did not score a single point. That’s right: Klay Thompson was scoreless. He went 0-of-10 from the field and 0-of-6 from three point range. This season he had shot a career low 38% from downtown.
Andrew Wiggins was not that much better either. He scored 12 points in 25 minutes of playing time. He averaged a career low in points per game at 13 and was not consistently available during most of the season due to personal reasons. This leads to an interesting conversation this off-season about the future of both Thompson and Wiggins in San Francisco.
Who stays and who goes for the Golden State Warriors?
Thompson is a free agent this off-season. He made $43 million this past season but as I stated earlier, the Warriors payroll is nearly $400 million as a team, including the luxury tax. General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. has some difficult decisions to make.
Draymond Green has three years and $75 million remaining on his contract. Andrew Wiggins has two years remaining on his four year, $109 million contract that he signed in October 2022.
I personally believe a lot of things will happen as far as this roster is concerned. For starters, as difficult as it might be to hear for most Warriors fans, my prediction is that we have seen the last days of Klay Thompson in a Golden State Warriors uniform. He is not the same player he once was after his two knee injuries (torn ACL in 2019, torn Achilles in 2020), and the type of game he just had shooting 0-10 in a win or go home game is the nail in the proverbial coffin.
Let me make one thing clear: Klay Thompson is not owed anything from the Warriors organization as far as being loyal and having him finish his career in the same uniform as Steph Curry. Bring him back and honor him for his jersey retirement but it is time to let him go. It’s best for both sides.
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It’s time for the Golden State Warriors to let go of Draymond Green
The longer the organization chooses feelings over business, the worse it will become. This is why I think Draymond Green will be traded this off-season despite his heavy contract. His antics and constant ejections from games can no longer be tolerated. When he’s available, he’s one of the most impactful defensive players that every team would love to have.
We’ll see how this specific situation plays out. It might take more than two teams tip complete a trade for Draymond Green, but I do think something happens one way or another.
Final thoughts on the Golden State Warriors
There’s no doubt that the Golden State Warriors had one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history. But all great things come to an end. It is time for them to turn the page.