After winning the 2022 NBA Championship, the Golden State Warriors had a very disappointing 2023 season. They may need to make some wild changes this offseason.
The Golden State Warriors Warriors went into the 2023 NBA season with the second-best odds to win the Finals at +600 and their over/under wins set at 52.5. They finished the season 44-38 and went 11-30 on the road, the worst road record for a defending champ in NBA history.
The Warriors' struggles for this season started and ended with an incident between two teammates before the season started. The Heart of the Warriors, Draymond Green, and up-in-coming guard Jordan Poole got into a fight during a team practice. This resulted in Green punching Poole in the face. The Warriors would seemingly never fully recover from this incident and this would result in them being bounced in the second round of the playoffs by the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Warriors have a lot of decisions to make in the offseason to contend for a title in 2024 here are the wildest ways it could shake out.
Warriors bold offseason predictions: 3. Trading Jordan Poole
Jordan Poole looked like he would be one of the future stars for the Warriors after his 2022 campaign. He averaged 18.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4 assists on 45 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3, and a league-best 92.5 percent from the free throw line. In the playoffs, Poole averaged 17 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists on 51/39/92 splits.
This would result in Poole receiving a four-year, $140 million extension for the Warriors that will kick at the start of this season. With Poole receiving a very hefty contract, the expectations for him to perform had risen tremendously.
Poole in the 2023 season averaged 20.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists on 43/34/87 splits. He did take a minor step back in his efficiency but he really took a step back in the playoffs averaging, 10.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists on 34/25/77 splits.
His underperformance this season could be a result of the altercation between him and Green but, the Warriors should move on from him. Poole needs to be able to run the show and he can't do that with the Warriors playing behind Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. There will be some team out there that will be willing to give the Warriors a hefty trade package for Poole.
Warriors bold offseason predictions: 2. Extending Draymond Green
One of the key pieces for the Warriors during their championship era is Draymond Green. He is a player that won't fill up the scoring column but his impact will be felt every time he steps out on the court. The 2017 Defensive Player of the Year plays the role of a vocal leader and glue piece for the Warriors. That being said, there are many people who believe that Green is more trouble than he is worth.
Green has a history of being dirty, kicking players in their private areas multiple times in the 2016 playoffs, constantly arguing with the refs, stepping on Domantas Sabonis's chest in this year's playoffs, and the incident involving him and Jordan Poole.
All of that has convinced a lot of people that the Warriors will let Green go this offseason but that could not be further from the truth. The Warriors have no shot at winning a championship with Green. He is the facilitator for the team as he led the team in assists in both the regular season and postseason.
If the Warriors don't add another big on their team, they will need Green as he is also the defensive anchor for this team too. The Warriors cannot succeed with Green's presence on the court.
Warriors bold offseason predictions: 1. Trading Klay Thompson
The second-biggest star for the Warriors during their amazing run has been none other than Klay Thompson. Klay is a six-time All-Star and one of the greatest shooters of all time.
In Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, Klay suffered a left ACL tear. This would keep him sidelined for the entire 2020 NBA season. Then as he was recovering and getting ready to start the 2021 NBA season, Klay would tear his right Achilles in a pick-up basketball game. This would keep him sidelined for the entire 2021 NBA season and 50 games for the 2022 season.
Klay would get off to a slow start in the 2022 season, shooting 43 percent from the field, 39 percent from 3, but still averaged 20 points per game. The inefficiencies from Klay were expected coming off of those injuries. This season he did become offensive Klay again averaging 21.9 points, on 44/41/87 splits, but he struggled in the postseason averaging 18.5 points on 39/37/89 splits.
The one area that those injuries really affected Klay the most was his defense. He was an All-NBA defender in 2019 which made him the perfect side piece for Stephen Curry. After suffering those two major leg injuries, he hasn't been the same defender since.
One thing that was realized this season is that Klay isn't as consistent as he is anymore on both sides of the ball. There are moments where he gets hotter than Curry and moments where he is chucking brick after brick.
The Warriors trading Klay is highly unlikely as he is a part of their culture but he is going to be paid $43 million next year and is due for a contract extension. The Warriors should be very cautious in extending an aging star like Klay. If it comes down to it, trading Klay for a younger player should be in the back of the Warriors' minds.
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