Prior to the beginning of the 2023-24 season, the Golden State Warriors had designs on making another NBA title run. However, injuries, suspensions, and slumps by some of their key players have derailed that thought, at least temporarily.
Golden Stae (18-20) is on the outside and looking in as the halfway point of the season approaches. Currently sitting at 12th point in the Western Conference, the Warriors have not been playing well of late and are incredibly shorthanded.
Still, Golden State is only one game behind the Utah Jazz, who are in 10th place in the conference and 4.5 out of the sixth spot. And the Warriors are coming off their best offensive performance of the season to start a four-game road trip with a 140-131 road victory over the Chicago Bulls last night, to improve to 4-6 over their last 10. Klay Thompson tied his season-high with 30 points, and the Warriors shot 52.1% from the field and drained 20 triples at a 42.6% clip.
Golden State will play in Milwaukee Bucks (26-12 tonight without several key players. The Warriors are 7-9 on the road, although they have a +1.9 scoring margin. While the Dubs are also 5-1 in the second of back-to-back contests, they are just 9-19 against teams with a .500 and above record.
Golden State will be without Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Chris Paul, Gary Payton II, and Moses Moody tonight.
Curry is sitting out due to rest and should be ready Monday at Memphis.
Meanwhile, Green has not played since having his indefinite suspension lifted last Saturday. Head coach Steve Kerr told ESPN’s Kendra Andrews that Green could return Monday or Wednesday.
Kerr says there’s “a chance” Draymond Green plays on either Memphis or Utah. Kerr spoke with Green this morning, and he’s “coming around and feeling good.”
— Kendra Andrews (@kendra__andrews) January 13, 2024
Moody will miss his second straight game with a calf strain and will not play the remainder of the Dubs, road trip, according to Kerr. After the injury, Moody was expected to be sidelined for 7-to-10 days.
Paul and Payton will likely be sidelined for the remainder of the month.
Golden State Warriors Rumors: Dubs Reportedly Looking For An Upgrade At Center, Injury Updates & Wiggins Could Be Traded
Despite the Warriors’ struggles, the Dubs still want to get back in contention, according to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.
“They’ve maintained an outward belief that they want to get back into contention this season. So, I could see a move to add some size. Chris Paul’s expiring salary could be used as a vehicle to bolster the rotation, and I’ve heard they’ve poked around in the center market. But the greater desire could be to move off some future salary and free up some flexibility. It’s why I believe Andrew Wiggins (with three years and $84.5 million still left on his deal) is more likely to be dealt than Jonathan Kuminga, who is extension eligible this summer, playing better than Wiggins and emerging as a more vital member of their future. “
None of what Slater said should be a surprise.
Golden State has been looking to add size for years. The Warriors did bring in some size during the offseason with the addition of Dario Saric and Trayce Jackson-Davis. Saric and Jackson-Davis have both played well but are better suited to play power forward. Kuminga and Wiggins have also had to play the four this year, with Green being out due to suspension, and they are extremely undersized.
Despite the lack of size, Golden State is an outstanding rebounding team. However, the Warriors average only 3.6 blocks a game (28th) and rank in the league’s bottom half in paint points allowed (51.3 a game).
There have been recent rumors going around about the Warriors possibly trading Paul. However, there is not expected to be much of a market for the 38-year-old point guard.
Teams who want to dump future salary are who is expected to be willing to make a move for Paul.
Golden State is the fourth oldest team, with an average age of 28.5. Furthermore, Paul, Thompson, Green, and Curry are the Warriors’ highest-paid players, all older than 33.
Will the Warriors Trade Wiggins?
Trading Wiggins is a real possibility, particularly if the Warriors decide to go in a different direction. The Warriors presumably have to do something with either Wiggins or Kuminga, as the duo has demonstrated they can’t play together.
“It’s just tough, we know this from — Steph is such a unique player that the combinations around Steph really make a big difference. We’ve been trying a lot of different things this year, but I’ve said the last week we would like to try that more and it really didn’t go well clearly, the other night,” Kerr said.
“So, it’s tough when you’re where we are in 11th place in the west, I think. It’s tough to continue to experiment with things that really aren’t proving to be very successful. So, it still could happen, but to be perfectly honest, I’m less inclined to do it now.”
"To be perfectly honest, I'm less inclined to do it now."
Kerr weighs in on how a Wiggins-Kuminga lineup could be impacted by Draymond's impending return pic.twitter.com/vBF7672Dtt
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 9, 2024
Wiggins is the better scorer and shooter than Kuminga. But Kuminga is just 21 and has tantalizing potential. Kuminga is also having a career year and a much more team-friendly contract.
Moreover, Wiggins has struggled mightily this year, getting demoted to the line second unit in the middle of December. Wiggins is compiling the worst season of his career. He is averaging 11.9 points while posting a shooting slash of .425/.294/.689 in 26 minutes.
If Golden State doesn’t make a major move with either Paul or Wiggins, they will owe approximately $186.28 million to the league in luxury taxes.
Similarly, Golden State will have 10 players under contract next season as Paul’s $30 million player option won’t be picked up. Not picking up Paul’s option will leave the Warriors $28 million below the league’s tax line. The Warriors have a little flexibility next season, with Kevon Looney having a partial guarantee and Gui Santos’ deal being nonguaranteed.
Thompson and Saric will be unrestricted free agents this summer.