Golden State Warriors: Team Was Right to Not Make a Trade at Deadline
Feels different to write a headline that says that the Golden State Warriors did something right, but they did just that Thursday by not taking on any salary in the NBA trade deadline.
It seemed like more teams traded players than didn't, and hey, the Warriors had the assets to acquire a difference maker, well a different player at least, but they made no moves. They did swap Brandan Wright and Dan Gadzuric for Troy Murphy and a second rounder. However, a deal has been reached for Murphy to be bought out and in a draft where teams are trading away first round picks like they're diseased, a second round pick is most likely someone who will be a cheerleader.
Fans, owners, coaches and players were all disappointed that nothing was done at the deadline. You can tell from their performance thus far after the break that the Warriors needed something to energize them for the second half, but let's face it, if they were to make any deal last week it would have been just for the sake of making a deal. Not the kind of decisions that make winners.
So by staying pat, they've decided to take things slow and if they believe they can build this team into a long time contender they made the right decision. Here are the three main reasons I think they didn't make any big trades and why it was the right move.
The Right Player Wasn't There for Them
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As soon as I heard that Deron Williams was traded to the New Jersey Nets, I thought why didn't the Warriors get involved. Then, I remembered that they couldn't trade any future first round picks because of the masterful Marcus Williams deal that basically prevents them from trading any first round picks until 2013. That pick actually went to the Utah Jazz in that deal, to add a little salt to this losing wound that is the Warriors trading habits.
With that deal going through it looks like Utah was throwing in the playoff towel this year, same with the Houston Rockets, so it made sense to make a move, but the right deal wasn't out there for them.
With that draft pick hanging in the balance, they couldn't be flexible enough to get an elite player, and rather than settle for Antawn Jamison (prayed that a deal for him didn't go through) thankfully they didn't take on any horrible contracts that would be a future burden.
With Andre Iguodala, Luol Deng, Elton Brand seemingly off the market, there was no one player out there that made me say: "Yep, if the Warriors get him, they're going to the playoffs." I would have loved to see Josh Smith in a Warriors uniform, but not if it meant giving up Ellis or Curry.
This looked like the worst trading season to have expiring deals as trade bait. Gone are the days you can get Pau Gasol for nothing, plus no one wants to make any deals like that again; it’s been three years and the Memphis Grizzles are still taking a verbal beating for that deal.
Look at all the deals that were made, there was not one deal that was a straight up salary dump, and Charlotte even got a couple first round picks by freeing Gerald Wallace. The reality is that the Warriors expiring deals were as valuable as the players they were attached to, and that was low.
With the Lakers not looking as dominate, the Heat vulnerable and the Boston Celtics giving up size in Perkins, teams have to believe that they are serious contenders to win it all this year. There are about nine teams right now that have the ability to go the Finals this year.
The Bulls were not just going to trade Luol Deng for expiring contracts, same goes for Hawks and Josh Smith if they thought they had the potential to go deep into the postseason, there was really no right deal for the Warriors to make without foolishly taking on a bad contract and an even worse player.
Really thankful a Jamison deal didn't get done.
They Are Going to Build Through the Draft
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Given their track record this may be a questionable move, but the new guys haven't screwed anything up yet so might as well give them a shot at it. They may look at what the Oklahoma City Thunder have been doing and try to emulate a similar strategy, which would be a wise choice. Build through the draft, and make the right trades when they come along and be patient.
They also face a similar dilemma in the back-court; Russell Westbrook is not a traditional point guard, but he is definitely making it work in Oklahoma and the Warriors are hoping that the same thing will happen with Stephen Curry at the point.
The Warriors have three high salary guys in Ellis, David Lee and Andris Biedrins who are going to be here for a while, as some are franchise guys and the other no team would take him off their hands.
I'll let you figure out who is who.
The Warriors are going to focus on finding the best pieces to compliment those players, as well as Stephen Curry, through the draft because it's the most cost effective way to do that. Let the young players grow up in the NBA playing with those guys rather than just add an expensive talent at the deadline who may not fit with the team and who they would be stuck paying a large amount of money.
It's going to take some time for the Warriors to build a team this way, but maybe they will find the right guy(s), and if they wait patiently maybe the right deal will come along too. Warriors fan are so used to losing, so what's two or three more years of it if they end up turning the team into a winner.
To See What They Really Have
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I’m not going to lie; it would be great if the Warriors made the playoffs. If they traded for Jamison it would have helped them make the playoffs (maybe), but would it have been worth it to add his salary? Let’s say they did make it to the postseason, they would most likely (definitely) lose in the first round, meaning they would also lose their first round pick this year (Marcus Williams deal) and are now they are stuck with Jamison for another year.
It would be fun to watch them in the playoffs, but I'd rather see them take a direction rather than just add talent altogether. Take the rest of this season to play Ellis and Curry together and really evaluate if they can play together, and if Curry can play point guard in this league. I would love to see them in the same back-court for years to come, but only if it works, take this time to figure that out and if you make the playoffs great, but they should take this time to develop a game plan for the future.
Take this time and play Ekpe Udoh 35 minutes a night, what do you have to lose? Playoffs are a long shot so might as well get the rookie some valuable experience and play him as much as you can. Tell Andris Biedrins I don’t care if you miss 15 free throws a game, go to the hoop aggressively and start playing with confidence.
Get ready for the future and let this team mesh together, and get ready for next year. After watching them play these last few days, I don’t think Carmelo Anthony could have even helped them make the playoffs, so be patient and build the team the right way. Just be patient as fast as you can!
