Warriors Takeaways from 2023 NBA Trade Deadline
The Golden State Warriors entered the 2023 NBA trade deadline with limited assets to move and hard-to-answer questions about their roster.
On balance, they haven't been nearly as good as you'd expect for a defending champion. Still, their starting lineup has been a statistical buzz saw, so maybe marginal upgrades would have been enough to nudge this group over the proverbial hump.
They wound up making a single move, essentially flipping former No. 2 pick James Wiseman for defensive stopper Gary Payton II, a member of their title-winning team. This trade will take time to fully evaluate, since the former needs a lot of seasoning after playing sporadically in Golden State and the latter will miss at least a month with a lingering abdominal injury.
Even though we can't get a great grasp on that trade just yet, we can take away the following three things from the Dubs' deadline.
The James Wiseman Pick Was a Disaster
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When a team lands the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft, it hopes to find a foundational piece, if not a generational great.
Some of history's greatest hoopers have been pulled from that slot: Bill Russell, Jerry West, Kevin Durant, Jason Kidd, Gary Payton, Bob Pettit. The Dubs probably didn't go into the 2020 draft expecting to add someone who would force their way onto a list like that, but they surely had high hopes for Wiseman, who went second overall despite playing just three games in college.
At worst, the 21-year-old figured to give Golden State a bouncy, 7-foot rim-runner. Someone who could crush lobs on one end and protect the basket on the other.
In reality, though, he never earned the team's trust to handle even a part-time role. His development was stalled by injuries, and he needed seasoning that the win-now Warriors couldn't provide.
Granted, it wasn't a great draft class—LaMelo Ball (No. 3) and Tyrese Haliburton (No. 12) were the only lottery picks taken after Wiseman to ascend to stardom—but that only eases the sting on this brutal return on investment so much.
The Frontcourt Needed a Lift and Never Got It
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The Warriors needed more than frontcourt reinforcements; they needed reliability from those positions.
Wiseman never provided it. JaMychal Green battled injuries and inconsistency. Jonathan Kuminga's second season has been a mixed bag. Anthony Lamb has mostly been fine, but nothing more.
That's why names such as Jakob Poeltl and O.G. Anunoby popped up as potential trade targets. Unfortunately, the Warriors either couldn't afford them or didn't see them filling a big enough role to justify the cost.
Either way, Golden State's frontcourt emerged from the deadline in even worse shape than it entered it, since the 7'0" Wiseman was swapped out for the 6'3" Payton.
It's possible someone will arrive by way of the buyout market, but it's also possible that player won't be good enough to crack the playoff rotation.
Golden State's Defensive Issues Had Become Untenable
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The Dubs' dynasty might conjure up images of incredible shot-making and brilliant ball movement, but defense has always played a massive part in this squad's success.
Just last season, Golden State made a championship run despite being ranked only 16th in offensive efficiency because it sat second overall on the opposite end, per NBA.com.
The offense has shown marginal improvement this season (12th), but the defense has tanked (19th). That's not a winning formula.
Golden State couldn't continue down this path to nowhere. Even if the offense perked up, the defense threatened to drag the bottom line back down.
That's why the Warriors gave up Wiseman, a potential long-term building block, for a specialist—and an injured specialist at that. Payton's on-ball defense will help (providing he can actually play down the stretch run), but it's fair to wonder whether Golden State has enough stoppers to make this work.
