The Golden State Warriors have the best team in the entire NBA. Their personalities and talents help them recruit free agents to the Bay Area.
The Golden State Warriors can seemingly do no wrong these days. After not being able to do anything correctly for years, they can’t miss. They have become the standard in basketball.
The Dubs have enjoyed the winningest three year run in league history. They won 67 games and a championship in 2015. They followed it by winning 73 regular season games and 15 more in the postseason. After falling short in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, the Warriors re-tooled, won 67 games, and went 16-1 in the postseason.
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Golden State has done this with a transcendent core. The 2017 version of the Warriors might have been the greatest team to ever step on a court. It’s hard to find a team with more talent than them.
The Warriors’ original “Big 3” was drafted. Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson. Those are homegrown talents that the Dubs found and have developed themselves.
But no team can only have drafted players. It just doesn’t work that way. You need to acquire players through trade and, more importantly, free agency.
Golden State has been able to do so impeccably. They signed Andre Iguodala four years ago. They caught the whale by adding Kevin Durant into the mix. But you don’t need to sign a star every single time.
Complementary players are just as important. You can’t win without them. The Warriors have done a fantastic job of finding those players and convincing them to sign (often for less money than they’d fetch elsewhere) over the last few seasons.
Marreese Speights and Leandro Barbosa were important to the Warriors’ first championship run. Shaun Livingston has been vital over the last three years. JaVale McGee’s career turned around after putting on a Warriors’ uniform.
Golden State seems to have struck gold again. They added Omri Casspi and Nick Young this offseason. Both signings are really solid and will surely make the team better because, not only are they talented, but they look like they’ll fit stylistically with the Warriors.
The Dubs do this because they have the best recruiting team in the entire NBA. They’re bold. And, more importantly, they’re convincing.
Curry and Green are constantly working, but in different ways. Curry’s play and his attitude shows everyone from Ian Clark to Durant that he isn’t afraid of sharing the spotlight and that winning is his priority. He, primarily, recruits through action.
Green, on the other hand, is a talker. He’ll text players. He’ll call them. He’ll go out and do whatever is necessary to bring them to his team if he thinks they’ll help the team win a championship. At the end of the day, that’s what’s most important.
Bob Myers is a genius. He told KEVIN FREAKING DURANT that they didn’t need him. He told him that the Warriors were going to win championships without him. A little over a week later, he was introducing him as a Warrior at a press conference.
Steve Kerr is one o the most well-respected figures in all of basketball. The way he treats everyone is admired throughout the entire league. And his championship and winning reputation precede him.
The Warriors’ most important tool is their record. They win. Players like that.
Everyone wants to be a part of a championship. For many, taking a little less money on their NBA contract is worth it if they can better their chances of getting a championship ring, especially if it’s their first one. It’s an exchange that they’ll take a chance on.
The Warriors are proactive. They, unlike a team like the Los Angeles Lakers, don’t just expect free agents to come to them. Their most powerful voices make calls to the free agents instead of just editing a photo of said free agent in one of their uniforms.
They will put their pride away for the greater good of the team. Curry will sacrifice the limelight if it means he can win. They’ll all do what’s necessary to put together the best team possible.
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The Dubs’ winning ways are attractive. Their decision to get on the phone and try to seduce players makes them feel welcome. They are the best at recruiting.
On and off the court, the Golden State Warriors are truly light years ahead.