According to one NBA insider, the Golden State Warriors could shake up their roster this summer with everyone available but Steph Curry.
So far, the 2022-23 season has not gone according to plan for the Golden State Warriors. The defending champions currently sit one game above .500 at 34-33, and they are 15th in the NBA in net rating (0.4).
Injuries have plagued the Warriors this season. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Andrew Wiggins have missed a combined 69 games. Subsequently, their primary starting lineup (Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, Draymond Green, Kevon Looney) has only played 27 games together.
With Curry about to turn 35 years old, the organization needs to capitalize on its title window, right now. Their rival contenders in the Western Conference have gotten significantly better. The Phoenix Suns traded for Kevin Durant, and the Dallas Mavericks traded for Kyrie Irving. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are finally healthy for the Los Angeles Clippers. If the Warriors do not perform well this postseason, the front office could look to shake up the roster.
Warriors: Everybody ‘not named Curry’ is potentially movable
A Twitter user asked The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami if the Warriors would consider trading Jordan Poole next year. “If they don’t get far in the postseason, I think everybody on the roster not named Curry will be potentially considered movable,” Kawakami replied.
The front office will face some major decisions this summer. Draymond Green is set to be an unrestricted free agent. In 2022, The Athletic’s Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson II reported that Green “wants and believes he deserves a maximum contract extension from the Warriors”. Is the franchise willing to sign the 33-year-old to a max contract? If not, he is a sign-and-trade candidate. The Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz are the only teams with enough cap space to conceivably sign him outright, and neither of those destinations make sense for Green on paper.
Poole is the other key trade candidate to watch. He is only 23 years old, and he is under contract until 2027. During the Warriors’ title run, he averaged 17.0 points on 50.8/39.1/91.5 shooting. He should command a decent return.