The Warriors‘ season ended with a pair of disappointing losses in the play-in tournament, but the team believes it can become a title contender again. Part of the optimism involves the expected return of Klay Thompson, who has missed the past two seasons with a torn right Achilles tendon and a torn ACL in his left knee.
Thompson was an important part of the Golden State teams that reached five straight NBA Finals and won three rings. He absence was noticeable this year as the Warriors couldn’t find a reliable second scorer to pair with Stephen Curry.
“He’s going to do everything in his power to get back to 100 percent, knowing what he’s been through the last two years,” Curry told Janie McCauley of The Associated Press. “There’s going to be a lot of support around to help him get there, but whatever version of him comes back is definitely a boost. We’ll patiently wait for what that looks like.”
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Jordan Poole spent part of the season in the G League, but he made a strong impression on coach Steve Kerr once he returned, McCauley adds in the same story. Kerr envisions the second-year guard in a sixth-man role when Thompson is available. “A season ago, he was lost. He was lost in the woods like most rookies are, and it’s just confirmation that hard work and perseverance pays off,” Kerr said. “Jordan was in the gym more than any other player during the pandemic, and he’s earned this. So thrilled for him. I think he’s got a really bright future, and obviously will play a big role for us going forward.”
- The Warriors are likely to explore any trade possibilities that don’t involve Curry, Thompson or Draymond Green, according to Mark Medina of USA Today. Medina expects Kelly Oubre to leave in free agency, while inconsistent play from Eric Paschall and Kent Bazemore could decide their fates. “I expect to be extremely involved. It’s just the way it’s got to be,” Green said about personnel decisions.
- Curry hasn’t made a decision on whether he will try to be part of this year’s Olympic team, writes Alex Didion of NBC Sports Bay Area. Curry has never played in the Olympics, but he does have two gold medals at the FIBA World Cup.
Will have to give Kelly Oubre a valuable contract
Trade him with Wiseman or Wolves pick or Warriors own pick in a package
Kelly oubre is NOT going to be a warrior next season. Book it.
Why? They can’t afford him. He’s a restricted free agent but they’re not going to match what another team will offer. And, they can’t sign and trade because doesn’t that mean that the Warriors would have to get under the hard cap? Same thing when they did it with Durant to bring in D’Angelo Russell. They had to dump everyone and get under the hard cap. So Kelly oubre is as good as gone.
Last thought, it will be easy to let Kelly oubre walk because they only gave up Minnesota’s second-round pick to get him. The cost was nothing. They can always buy a second-round pick if they need one.
Absolutely agree Gary.
Gary, what do know about Jalen Johnson, Duke and international player Filip Petrosev?
I have no idea on those two guys. So far I’ve been only looking at the top guys. What have you heard?
6-9 and 6-11. Well over 40% from 3. Good rebounders and defenders. Tankathon big board 6 and 23 respectively. I didn’t follow them. Was hoping you did.
nba.com doesn’t rank them that high
Plus Oubre doesn’t want to be the 6th man off the bench next year. Only teams that will give Oubre a big contract will be desperate teams which there are always a few.
perfect fit for Rockets
Oubre was drafted in 2015 and had five years experience before joining the Warriors (now six), he won’t be a RFA (he’s unrestricted). And the team that sends out a player in a sign-and-trade doesn’t get hard-capped, only the team he goes to. So they actually can sign-and-trade him without getting hard-capped.
The reason the Warriors were hard-capped with the KD trade was because D’Angelo Russell was also a free agent so he was a sign-and-trade coming from Brooklyn. Oubre’s not as good as gone, keep him.
At least one of us knows the rules !!
Thanks for the corrections WallyWood.
Dang, he’s good
I’d like to see one last “Super Team” Olympic run from some of the old guys: Bron, Steph, KD
With such short off-season there is no chance big stars will play. Probably guys who missed play offs like Zion, Fox, Sexton are the best players available for the Olympics
I can see it happening after they retire from their moneymakers, if ever. No one really cares about the Olympics anymore anyway.
Oubre a sign and trade candidate
Not necessary sign and trade
Give Oubre 3 years 40 million contract with team option, then pack him with Warriors own pick for a good player in January
Trade idea
Oubre and Scottie Barnes for a good player in January
I hope someone likes Scottie Barnes
This trade is all over twitter right now, because no one can deny it works for all sides:
GSW GET
Kawhi Leonard $36M (1 yr)
Steven Adams $17M (2 yrs)
LAC GET
Bradley Beal $34.5M (2 yrs)
NOP GET
James Wiseman $9.1M (3 yrs)
WSN GET
GSW via MINN 2021 1st rd pick
Andrew Wiggins $31.5M (2 yrs)
GSW 2023 1st rd pick
Mychal Mulder $1.7M (1 yr)
GSW 2022 2nd rd pick
Now please everyone personally attack me even though I made it clear I did not make this up myself, it’s on warriors twitter, smh. I’m not mad at it though, if it happens I’ll take it easier on the GSW FO on here.
Steve Adams gets $29 million a year not $17 million. Just by that amount it doesn’t work out.
I think Adams received a 35 million-dollar two-year extension with the trade. About 17 million per year.
link to google.com
The trade makes sense but only if NOP throws two 1sts to Washington. Adams for Wiseman is nonsensical and I don’t see WAS giving up Beal for only two 1sts and Wiggins (who they have no need for on the court)
But yeah if LAC flames out and Kawhi says I’m going to San Fran then this trade would be a logical way to make it happen.
That trade would be too good to be true for the warriors. But if you look at it works out for everybody. Wizards get enough back for Beal and so do the clippers for Leonard. New Orleans gets Wiseman for Steven Adams so I think they would do that. Major major Blockbuster with many stars but maybe it’ll happen? Works on paper.
I suppose if the Clippers flame out in the first round or second they’d consider breaking it up before Kawhi Leonard walks for nothing and early termination clause?
Kawhi is a force on both ends, Beal is a liability on defense. No deal.
No way Wizards do that !! Not a chance in hell
The 23 GSW pick would be worthless so your getting basically the 6 pick this year and Wiggins for Beal….Um…. No
And Pelicans get Wiseman for Adams?
Pipedreams or also known as Tuesday on ” Twitter “
I will propose a BLOCKBUSTER trade: This is a three team trade with Indiana, Toronto, and GS. This is predicated on the Minnesota 1st round pick vesting with the Warriors. I do not see the Warriors resigning Oubre. So if they can get back a traded player exception from the team that signs him, that would increase the Warrior’s roster flexibility.
THE TRADE:
Toronto gets Wiggins and Mulder (two Canadians) and Paschall; and Warrior’s 2022 1st round pick.
Indiana gets Siakam and Jordan Poole; and Warrior’s 2021 1st round pick (#14).
Warriors get Sabonis (the needed starting Center) and TJ Warren.
Another trade needed this off-season is for the Warriors to trade Wiseman for this year’s 2nd or 3rd pick and draft Jalen Suggs. I do not see Wiseman progressing fast enough to be able to contribute to a Championship run next year and perhaps even the next two years. I think Wiseman is a better player and prospect (way higher ceiling) at this point than Evan Mobley and Wiseman already has a year in NBA, unlike Mobley. With the Minnesota pick the Warriors can draft Cory Kispert to back-up Klay Thompson. Kispert’s game is quite similar to Klay except Klay was/is a better defensive player. If the pick lands at #4, maybe Jalen Green is available there. Time will tell if Klay can play the same level of defense after two major injuries. Both Kispert and Suggs are solid players and should be playable straight out of the gate. By the end of the year they may be ready to contribute to a playoff run.
Warrior’s roster could look like this:
PG: Curry, Suggs, Nico M. or G. Payton II
SG: K. Thompson, C. Kispert, D. Lee
SF: TJ Warren, JTA, ? (perhaps K. Bazemore)
PF: D. Green, resign M. Chriss, Smiley (Smiley could be replaced by a vet)
C: Sabonis, Looney, and a free agent Big Body Vet defender/rebounder (signed with MLE)
Two-way Contracts go to J. Jessup and Center to be developed.
This would give the Warriors four starters that could average nearly 20 points or more a game. Sabonis is a great passer and rebounder. They may not be as strong a team on defense without Wiggins but they may be able to better limit the opponents offensive rebounds with Sabonis being fourth in the league (12.0) in rebounds this year. Suggs is a decent rebounder too; imagine him throwing touchdown passes on the fastbreak. Fun stuff!
I think this would be a very competitive team and right in the mix for another Championship, maybe even the favorite. It would be an expensive payroll, but Joe LightYears has not been shy about spending money to put a winner on the floor. Additionally, the Championship ‘window’ could stay open for another three years or more as the young players gain more experience to offset the ageing Big Three (Curry, Green, Thompson).
Starting: Curry, Thompson, Green
Second unit: JTA, Poole, Looney
Third string/end of bench: Jessup
Wiggins I can take or leave, he can’t play at the same time as Klay, their games don’t match up, neither does Oubre’s, so he’s gone for sure. Wiggins is really good, but needs to be a top 2 guy, on GSW he’s no better than 3.
Wiseman I’m also on the fence on, he’s a great long term prospect, but he won’t be good next season, and GSW needs high IQ vets next season to take advantage of Curry’s prime.
The way I see it: after Curry’s presser after the game, they will be trading and/or getting rid of almost everyone but those 7 mentioned above (and even Looney might get moved in a deal). I can see them getting Chriss again, but I am predicting they move almost all the roster except those 7.
Looney has a player option year so he might for go that amount. Wiggins stays because unless he is traded for somebody else with $30 million it will not happen.
Depends if GS attached a first to Wiggins, then rebuilding teams could be interested … i think warriors need to replace Oubre by a second unit scorer like a deRozan/Grant/McCollum who can play a simple pick n Roll to develop Wiseman
I thought I read on this site that the Warriors options with Oubre was sign him or let him walk and there was no option to replace his salary with another Vet. I don’t always understand the Cap rules. But, the Warriors have to decide do they want a semi all-star type person in Oubre at the high price or nothing. I may be wrong but for some reason I didn’t think a sign and trade option was available under the Warriors current Cap for Oubre.
The extension talks with Curry this offseason will be something to keep an eye on.
There are more questions than answers in GS right now, and having just turned 33 I wonder how committed Steph is to spending the rest of his career there before seeing what Klay looks like and what this roster looks like come October.
I’ve never seen teams throw more defenders at a guy than I saw thrown at Steph this season and he still killed it. But this roster is a dustpan. Light years ahead? It’s time for the FO to prove it. This summer. Otherwise I think Curry’s better off spending his twilight years elsewhere.
There is a large whole in Marty’s trade proposal. It didn’t come from the Warriors twitter feed. Washington and the Clippers are still in playoffs. Any talk from the Warriors of trading for Kawhi and Beal would be tampering. They would pay a huge fine…I don’t understand why he thinks Jessup should be at the end of the bench. The guy is a great scorer, and has a lot of toughness. He gets universally rave reviews.
The rumor came from a sports writer not from GSW. Just like all sport writers they make up trades to get people to read their BS. Don’t believe anything until it happens.
GM Myers did not make a big move last offseason despite all the talk of doing so. So I wonder if “Marty’s” trade started with Myers via a reporter; also if Myers would prefer to not make a big move at all.
Predict Oubre is gone, if only to prevent Klay from smashing his face for a hello when he returns.