As an organization, the Golden State Warriors are in a tough spot roster wise and financially. Without Klay Thompson, this team looks completely different and they have been struggling early on in the NBA season to figure out their identity and who can step up next to Steph Curry.
With not much of an offseason to get acclimated to a new system with new players, these types of learning curves are expected for Golden State and while guys like Andrew Wiggins, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Kent Bazemore are all high-level players, it will take time for them to get used to playing with a whole new team in a completely different system.
Think of it like putting someone behind the wheel of a car when they have never driven one before and expecting them to pass their driver’s test. Sure, these guys are professional basketball players and should be able to play at a high-level no matter what, but every team does things differently, especially on defense and in transition.
In time, this Warriors team will definitely be a solid overall team and should contend for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, but they will need to figure things out quickly or else they could fall too far behind in a packed conference.
As it stands right now, the Golden State Warriors are $65.2M over the salary cap and $41.7M over the tax cutoff, meaning they have little to no room on the trade market unless they are receiving a lesser or equal contract to what they are giving up. While it seems impossible to do, there are some high-level players the Warriors could feasibly go out and acquire to give Steph Curry and Draymond Green more veteran help.
Let’s take a look at three intriguing trades that the Golden State Warriors should pursue and target before the trade deadline.