Warriors' Blueprint to Regain Contender Status in 2024

The Golden State Warriors may be less than two calendar years removed from their last championship, but their days as an NBA dynasty are pretty obviously over.

And that shouldn't sound like a controversial take to anyone. Not when this team is trudging toward its second play-in tournament appearance in four seasons—and very much at risk of missing the playoffs for the third time in five years.

That doesn't necessarily mean this franchise's title hopes are totally diminished, though. They might be out of the current championship race—Basketball-Reference's playoff projections give them a 0.1 percent chance of capturing the crown—but perhaps if they ace the upcoming offseason things could play out differently during the 2024-25 campaign.

The Warriors would, of course, need to do a lot of heavy lifting between now and then to get their roster up to championship speed, but this three-step blueprint might do the trick.

Swing Big for a Stephen Curry Co-Star

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SACRAMENTO, CA - NOVEMBER 28: Jonathan Kuminga #00, Dario Saric #20, Cory Joseph #1, and Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors talk during the game against the Sacramento Kings during the In-Season Tournament on November 28, 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)

Stephen Curry, at age 36, continues posting the kind of numbers that, if coupled with the requisite level of team success, could conceivably make him a down-ballot MVP candidate. So, even in their relatively diminished state, the Dubs should feel confident that they still have a superstar talent capable of leading a championship charge.

What they're missing, though, is anyone who seems capable of being the second-best player on a contender. Jonathan Kuminga has made tremendous strides the past few months, but that role still feels beyond the bandwidth of the explosive 21-year-old.

And they may well concede that point. As Sam Amick, Anthony Slater and Jovan Buha relayed at The Athletic in February, the Warriors "have long understood that a star wing next to Curry is their cleanest path back to title contention before Curry's late prime fades." That's why, per The Athletic scribes, Golden State "will explore" all offseason paths to a second star, including LeBron James (a trade deadline target), Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paul George or even former Warrior Kevin Durant.

The Warriors admittedly aren't flush with trade assets, but if they cobbled together their best ones—picks, prospects and maybe even Kuminga—they may at least get a call back on one of those ambitious pursuits. It's a long shot, sure, but this organization has made a habit of dreaming big, and multiple championship banners in the Chase Center rafters bear witness to what can happen when those dreams become reality.

Upgrade at Center

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DALLAS, TEXAS - MARCH 13: Kevon Looney #5 of the Golden State Warriors dribbles the ball up court against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on March 13, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. 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. (Photo by Tim Heitman/Getty Images)

When healthy, Golden State goes into games this season with a wealth of options at the 5 spot. As good as that may sound, though, it's more a reflection of the fact there isn't a perfect candidate to man the middle.

Small-ball lineups with Draymond Green at center offer the most juice, but that's often been the proverbial ace up the sleeve that the Warriors don't go to until playoff time. Kevon Looney knows the ins and outs of this system, but he isn't as mobile or as effective as he once was. Dario Šarić felt like a clean fit on paper, but the impending free agent hasn't quite clicked and has recently seen his rotation role evaporate. Rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis has provided some above-the-rim oomph, but at 6'9", he lacks the typical size of an interior big.

The Warriors should spend this summer rethinking their interior rotation. Green and Jackson-Davis are likely going nowhere, but Šarić seems like he'll be shown the door, and Looney's days by the Bay could be numbered. Only $3 million of his $8 million salary is guaranteed, per Spotrac, making him a prime trade candidate.

In a perfect world, Golden State would snag a center who provides size and paint protection without spoiling the offensive spacing. Granted, those bigs are hard to find and might be outside of the this team's budget, but a center who checks even two of those three boxes would be a big-time upgrade.

Swap out Andrew Wiggins for a More Reliable Wing

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LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 16: Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Golden State Warriors handles the ball during the game on March 16, 2024 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 2024 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Warriors find themselves in a strange spot with Andrew Wiggins, because the two-way Curry co-star they need looks a lot like the player Wiggins became during their 2022 title run.

But Wiggins has rarely resembled that player since, and he was never viewed as that caliber of player before then, either. So, the more time that passes without him returning to that level, the more that postseason performance—critical as it was—feels like an anomaly.

Golden State can't keep pinning its hopes for better days ahead during whatever's left of Curry's peak on Wiggins returning to a form he's so seldom displayed. The swingman has simply backtracked too far to keep hoping that light bulb reignites. He's currently on course to average the fewest points of his career (12.6 entering Wednesday) with the worst shooting rates of his Warriors' tenure (45.1 from the field and 35.1 from distance).

Wiggins can't simply be swapped out for an upgrade, but package him with perhaps a future first and a prospect, and suddenly that possibility seems a lot more doable.