Decisions the Warriors Should Already Regret from the Trade Deadline
The Golden State Warriors are struggling to gain traction in their attempt to defend the NBA title.
They carried an even 29-29 record into the All-Star break. They have played 2,809 minutes so far and outscored their opponents by all of five points. If not for their championship past or the presence of Stephen Curry, they might be easy to forget.
Golden State should be better than this. Actually, it had chances to become better than this at the trade deadline and instead opted for a quiet trade season, brokering only a single swap that sent out former No. 2 pick James Wiseman and brought back Gary Payton II.
The Warriors' decision not to make a bigger swing is one of several they might already regret.
Not Dealing James Wiseman Sooner
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How long did it take the Warriors to figure out that James Wiseman wasn't a fit?
His play style wasn't really right for the system. They had won with rim-runners before, but those players seldom saw even 20 minutes per night. Was filling that role really worth the No. 2 pick?
Let's not forget the 21-year-old arrived in Golden State only slightly less raw than organic granola and immediately joined a team with in-prime veterans in full championship-chase mode.
The two-timeline idea was fun in theory but wonky (at best) in practice. He needed developmental minutes they couldn't give him; they needed stability he couldn't offer. No one got what they wanted.
Wiseman never looked right for the role, but Golden State kept him around with high hopes for his future (or at least improving his trade value). At certain points, it felt like his upside might help him anchor a move for an impact player, but the Warriors weren't ready to let him go. Once they were, his market had evaporated, and they wound up settling for an injured defensive specialist. Ouch.
Hanging onto Moses Moody
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Why is Moses Moody still a Warrior?
Remember, his appeal was supposedly tied to readiness—not potential. In other words, Golden State sacrificed upside for immediate impact.
Obviously, the impact hasn't been immediate. The 20-year-old is in his second NBA season and still unable to hold down a regular rotation role (on a fairly underwhelming perimeter rotation, by the way). He isn't who the Warriors thought he was, other than that lack of high-level upside.
Whatever was supposed to happen with Moody hasn't yet, and it's getting harder to think it ever will. Even though his trade value couldn't have been great, it's surprising the Warriors weren't able to flip him for someone who can actually contribute to their playoff push.
Failing to Land O.G. Anunoby
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In a perfect world, Golden State would have used this deadline to land a big wing who plays both ends, accurately shoots from three and can create shots but doesn't dominate the basketball.
A wing like O.G. Anunoby.
The Warriors gave him chase, but they weren't willing to lose Jonathan Kuminga in that pursuit, per ESPN's Zach Lowe. That makes sense if you're a huge believer in Kuminga, but what are the chances he becomes as good as Anunoby?
Anunoby is a really good player who still has a chance to become great. He's also a much cleaner fit for the timeline with Golden State's veterans, and he's still young enough (25) to build some kind of bridge to the future after they're gone.
For a lot of teams, the potential of what Kuminga could become probably outweighs the reality what Anunoby is. I'm not sure the Warriors are one of those teams.
