Joe Lacob: 'I Feel Pretty Damn Good' About Warriors After Andrew Wiggins Trade

The Golden State Warriors have the worst record in the NBA (12-41) after dominating the league for so long, but owner Joe Lacob is still optimistic about the team going forward.

"It's not football—one player can make a huge difference," he said, per Tim Kawakami of The Athletic. "We've got two great ones coming back. Arguably the two greatest shooters of all time. So I feel pretty damn good, and our fanbase should feel great about our future."

Those two returning are Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, who have 11 combined All-Star appearances but have totaled just four games between them this season because of injuries. Curry has been out with a broken hand, while Thompson is still recovering from last year's torn ACL in the NBA Finals.

The Warriors also added Andrew Wiggins in a surprising deadline deal that sent D'Angelo Russell to the Minnesota Timberwolves (the Warriors also acquired first- and second-round picks in 2021).

"Anybody who can't see that this is a great deal for us, I don't know what they're thinking," Lacob said. "...They're both good players. They're different players. You can question whether this is a better fit; we think it is, as much as I liked D-Lo."

The fit is the big question going forward, because Russell's role wasn't clear when the team was at full strength. He wasn't going to take point guard duties from Curry, while putting him alongside the two-time MVP would create a weak defensive backcourt.

Wiggins gives the team a small forward who could help fill Kevin Durant's role from the past few years, or at least Harrison Barnes' from the first title run in 2015.

Golden State also used multiple trades to clear salary before the deadline, getting under the tax threshold with deals involving Willie Cauley-Stein, Alec Burks, Glenn Robinson III, Jacob Evans III and Omari Spellman. That could help set the team up for bigger opportunities in the future.

"I think getting out of the tax so we could get out of the repeater [tax with onerous penalties] next year," Lacob explained. "...It's not about the money. It's more about the opportunity this summer to flush out our roster that's the best possible roster for next year."

With their stars coming back next season, a likely top-five draft pick and expectations to add more talent in the offseason, Golden State's future looks bright once again.