Warriors Players with Most at Stake During 2023-24 NBA Season

The Golden State Warriors are hoping they'll have another crack at adding to their championship collection during the upcoming 2023-24 season.

A lot of factors—many of which are outside of their control—will play into that, but none will decrease the significance of this season or relieve any of the pressure attached to it.

While the Warriors will collectively carry this burden, the following three players will have even more at stake this season than their teammates.

Jonathan Kuminga

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SACRAMENTO, CA - APRIL 7: Jonathan Kuminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on April 7, 2023 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

Golden State's (largely abandoned now) two-timeline strategy has impacted Kuminga as much as anyone on the roster. Despite being selected seventh overall and flashing some high-end abilities on both ends, his career minutes-per-game average has been stuck short of 20.

He needs floor time and touches to develop, but Golden State can only live with so many growing pains while trying to squeeze everything it can out of the remainder of Stephen Curry's prime. The Warriors' win-now intentions have largely won out, to the point that Kuminga hardly played more than you and I in the team's most recent playoff run (61 minutes).

Rival teams—presumably those with more developmental minutes available—have been eyeballing Kuminga, and Golden State is nearing a point at which it either needs to let him spread his wings or flip him for someone who can fill a more significant role in the rotation. The Warriors can't slow-play him too long like they did with James Wiseman, the No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft who was effectively moved at the 2023 deadline to bring back defensive specialist Gary Payton II.

Kuminga can control this issue to some degree by doing whatever it is the Dubs have deemed necessary for him to see a sizable role expansion. If he can't make that happen sooner than later, though, he might wind up being traded for pennies on the dollar and become a developmental project for a team that will have invested far less in him than Golden State did.

Chris Paul

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LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 9: Stephen Curry #30 and Chris Paul #3 of the Golden State Warriors pose for a photo during the 2023 NBA Las Vegas Summer League on July 9, 2023 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Jim Poorten/NBAE via Getty Images)

With Paul's 38th birthday behind him and no guaranteed money owed to him beyond this season, it's possible this is his last real shot at capturing that elusive championship ring. And depending on one's assessment of these Dubs, it isn't necessarily even a great one.

His own play could quietly have a sizable say in this team's title hopes. Simply shoring up Golden State's perennially problematic non-Stephen Curry minutes could be key, but Paul has a chance to factor into this group's starting and closing lineups.

Then again, there's also a universe in which he's donning a different uniform once the trade deadline arrives. It's possible his methodical play simply doesn't mesh with Golden State's freewheeling system. It's also possible the Warriors wind up needing a big upgrade somewhere else on the roster, and his $30.8 million salary is needed to make the money work in a trade to address that void.

While he has posted career-low scoring averages each of the past two seasons, he hasn't lost anything as a decision-maker and enjoyed a bounce-back effort with his outside shot in 2022-23 (37.5 percent, up from 31.7 the season prior). If he can fill a vital role on a win-now roster, that could be a two-tiered success, first delivering that long-awaited championship and perhaps next rewarding him with a hefty payday next summer.

Klay Thompson

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LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 12: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors warms up before the game against the Los Angeles Lakers during the Western Conference Semi-Finals of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on May 12, 2023 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)

Given the financial constraints placed upon big-spenders by the new collective bargaining agreement, the Warriors might be monitoring their expenditures more closely than they had in the past.

That sets the stage for a fascinating free-agency venture for Thompson next summer, provided he doesn't ink an extension before then.

He is clearly looking at a paycut from his $43.2 million salary, but how low will he go as a five-time All-Star and four-time champion with one of the most potent perimeter shots this league has ever seen? Conversely, how high will Golden State go for a 33-year-old (34 by season's end) with some devastating injuries in his past and presumably permanent damage done to his once-elite defensive impact?

He can still shoot the heck out of the ball, but can he still be one of the top scoring options for a championship contender? If he'll never get back the lateral quickness needed to keep in front of speedy guards, is he still the best backcourt partner for Curry? These are some uncomfortable questions facing the franchise, and Thompson must do what he can to answer them this season.