The Golden State Warriors dominated the Western Conference from 2015-2019, winning the conference 5 straight years, including 3 NBA Championships. The past 2 seasons Golden State has missed the playoffs, but Klay Thompson did not play a single minute, due to a torn ACL and then a torn Achilles. After missing most of the 2019-20 season, Steph Curry looked every bit like Steph Curry in 2021 and there is no reason to believe the Warriors will not be battling for the chance to win the West in 2022. There are a lot of different paths the Warriors can go, so what should the summer in the Bay Area look like?
The Warriors simply did not have enough offense in 2021 around Curry. Guys like Andrew Wiggins, Kelly Oubre Jr., and James Wiseman were simply not good enough. Oubre is a free agent and very unlikely to reup with Golden State due to luxury tax reasons. Wiseman should take a step up in 2022, as he struggled at times during his rookie season, no surprise as rookie centers do tend to struggle. However, Golden State does not have the time to wait. Curry is 33, Thompson is 31, and Draymond Green is also 31. You cannot wait on Wiseman, especially as Curry’s free agency is nearing. Trades are on the table as well, Golden State can package Wiseman, Andrew Wiggins (who is due $31.5 million in 2022), and the 7th and 14th picks in the upcoming draft. Maybe Minnesota gives you Karl Anthony-Towns, maybe Toronto gives you Pascal Siakam, and maybe Indiana gives you Domantas Sabonis and T.J. Warren. There are a lot of trade possibilities President of Basketball Operations Bob Myers can go but what do the Warriors have on their roster outside of the big 3 and Wiseman?
Andrew Wiggins was very underwhelming during his time as a Timberwolf, and that trend has continued with the Warriors as he averaged 18.6 points on shooting splits of .48/.38/.71 (FG%/3P%/FT%) in 2021. He was ok in the play-in scoring 21 and 22 points in the two games, though he missed timely shots throughout. Wiggins is also on a big contract so he would be the salary filler in any trade to acquire a star. Jordan Poole is a 35% 3 point shooter and has drastically improved over his first 2 NBA seasons. Poole is a microwave scorer off the bench as the Warriors needed a guy who can give you a quick 15 per game off of said bench. Poole averaged 12.0 points per game in his second season, a 3.2 point increase from the 8.8 he averaged in his rookie season so he looks like he can be their Lou Williams type of scorer off the bench. Juan Toscano-Anderson is a very versatile forward who was un-drafted in 2015 after playing his college ball at Marquette. He did not get an opportunity in the NBA until 2020 and has made the most of his opportunity, making really good strides over his first 2 NBA seasons. JTA looks like a 3 and D player the Warriors can rely upon, as he shot 40% from 3 point range in 2021, going into 2022 and beyond. Kevon Looney is on the books for $5 million after he opted into the final year of a 3-year contract he signed in 2019. Looney is a versatile center who is known as one of Steve Kerr’s favorite players. Looney is a good defensive player who plays with high energy so I would expect the Warriors to keep him in 2022 though they could always use him and his expiring $5 million as a trade piece. Eric Paschall is an interesting player. After a very good rookie season Pascall had good numbers as well in 2021, with his percentages of .50/33/.71 being very similar to his rookie season percentages. However, Paschall was not given a chance to play-in the play due to defensive concerns. He can be iffy on that end at times and the Warriors have always been a great defensive team, even when they had Kevin Durant on the team, so Pascall could be used as a trade chip this summer. Kent Bazemore was a very good find as a free agent in 2020 for Golden State as he was able to fill in in the starting 5 for Kelly Oubre Jr. after he suffered an injury holding in out of the end of the season and the play-in. If they can keep him at a lower number, Golden State should definitely bring Bazemore back for depth in 2022. The Warriors also own the 7th and 14th picks in the NBA Draft.
Golden State was able to acquire the number 7 pick thanks to the Minnesota Timberwolves and the trade in which they sent D’Angelo Russell to the Wolves for Andrew Wiggins and this pick. There are plenty of ways Golden State could go with this pick. They could trade the pick for a star as we have discussed, one player I would really like for the Warriors to acquire is Pascal Siakam. Siakam is a player who plays good defense and has shown he has the knack for putting the ball in the basket, something Golden State saw first hand in the 2019 NBA Finals. However, should the Warriors keep the pick, one guy I would look at is Baylor guard Davion Mitchell. Mitchell has the pure ability to score from the point guard spot and could really help Golden State’s bench in his rookie season, as he was the best player for the National Champion Baylor Bears. They could also draft UConn guard James Bouknight who does many of the same things as Mitchell. A forward could also be the direction the Warriors go as guys like Jalen Johnson, Franz Wagner, Josh Giddy and Scottie Barnes are all very talented and could give Golden State a bigger guy who can dribble, pass, and shoot. At 14 Golden State can consider players like athletic Texas big man Kai Jones, Gonzaga wing and sharpshooter Corey Kispert, and international bigs Usman Garuba and Alperen Sengun.
Now, Golden State does have a disaster situation. What if Klay Thompson comes back and shows he is not healthy and may never be healthy again? Thompson is expected to be rusty and maybe tentative early in the season as he tries to figure out what he can do on the court but what if he is a bad defensive player and struggles getting past defenders while cutting to the rim? Now, the ability to shoot is more unlikely to go away but what would the Warriors do? Honestly I have no idea and hope that we will never have to know what they will do because Klay looks great in his return season. I think Thompson is more likely than not to return to the Warriors and still be a really good player, maybe 75-80% of the player he once was.
The Golden State Warriors should be really good in 2022. They should be able to do real damage in the Western Conference with the return of MVP finalist Steph Curry’s partner in crime and splash brother, Klay Thompson, to go along with 2 lottery picks and good talent on the roster. They are deep, really good defensively, and hot 3 pointers, all 3 things that every good NBA team does. A return to the Western Conference Finals is not out of the question, a return to the NBA Finals is not out of the question, Golden State can be that good. The Golden State Warriors have a chance to turn themselves into a championship contender once again and I would not be in the least bit surprised if Bob Myers, Steve Kerr, and company were able to pull it off.
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