Warriors' Biggest Needs at 2024 NBA Trade Deadline
The Golden State Warriors' dreams of contending for another NBA title are somewhere between hanging on a thread or totally dashed.
This front office has from now until the Feb. 8 trade deadline to correct that.
Now, it's possible this group simply has more holes than it can reasonably fill on the trade market. The Dubs' dynasty may be lost to the history books.
Still, with Stephen Curry clinging to his prime, Golden State should be doing everything in its power to give its chef some championship-caliber ingredients to work with. The following three areas should be primary focuses for this front office.
Co-Star for Curry
1 of 3
It wasn't that long ago that Curry was surrounded by some of the best rosters ever assembled in this league.
It just feels like a lifetime ago given how much this group has cratered since.
This campaign isn't even halfway finished, and Draymond Green has already served two significant suspensions. Klay Thompson never got his defensive form back after his injury issues, and his offensive output can be hit-or-miss. Andrew Wiggins has had an awful year and could be on his way out. Jonathan Kuminga's lack of floor time has left the No. 7 pick of the 2021 draft still working through some growing pains.
Golden State doesn't have the deepest asset collection, but cobbling together the best of the lot and hoping it's enough to bring back a star is worth a shot. The Warriors are asking entirely too much of the 35-year-old Curry, whose 20.6 player efficiency rating is lower than it's been in a decade-plus, per Basketball-Reference.
Size and Athleticism on the Wings
2 of 3
With Moses Moody struggling to secure a rotation spot, and Gary Payton II sidelined by a hamstring strain, the Warriors basically have two plus athletes in their perimeter rotation.
Oh, and those players—Wiggins and Kuminga—can't share the floor together. They've logged 146 minutes together, and Golden State has lost them by 20.6 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com. Head coach Steve Kerr sounds as if he's seen enough of that duo.
"It's tough to continue to experiment with things that really aren't proving to be very successful," Kerr told reporters. "So, it still could happen but to be perfectly honest, I'm less inclined to do it now."
Golden State's lack of size and athleticism can be all too noticeable, and at times even appears as a fatal flaw. The Warriors should be searching for more explosion, especially if they move one or Wiggins or Kuminga. An all-purpose defender with bunnies and an outside shot would be a dream find for the Dubs.
Off-the-Dribble Scoring
3 of 3
When this egalitarian offense is at is free-flowing bounce, the ball pops around and usually finds its way to a perimeter sharpshooter or a timely cutter.
This system isn't always going to generate scoring chances, though. Sometimes, the Warriors need their players to create something out of nothing, and that's been an absolute grind for this group.
No team generates fewer points off of drives. Only seven tally fewer points off of isolations. Some of that stems from Golden State's general approach to the offensive end, but a lot of it is also due to a lack of reliable shot-creators in the rotation.
Thompson isn't scaring defenses off the bounce. Chris Paul was barely looking at the basket before breaking his hand. Wiggins has been a mess on offense. Kuminga takes some really tough shots and encounters the volatility that they bring.
They need to expand their offensive menu. Asking Curry to work his magic over and over again isn't enough, and neither is hoping this system can overcome a lack of high-end talent.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
