Golden State Warriors need a new outlook on free agency

This Summer is going to be a pivotal one for the Golden State Warriors.

The history of the NBA does not bode well for dynasty teams. Once the run is over, the run is over. Every dynasty has seen their reign come to an end quickly and more often than not in ugly fashion. The Golden State Warriors got a brief glimpse of their future this season as injuries derailed an otherwise easy path to a third consecutive NBA title.

See, one thing that has set the Warriors apart from the rest of NBA history throughout the years is their ability to constantly improve. When Michael Jordan and the Bulls won six championships in the 1990s, they didn’t go out and sign any major star throughout the run (aside from Dennis Rodman). The same can be said for the early 2000s Los Angeles Lakers and most recently this decades Miami Heat.

Each dynasty is carried on the backs of that franchises best players and as time goes on they slowly pass the torch to the next generation. In contrast, the Dubs have looked to improve their team each season, sometimes in drastic ways. After two trips to the NBA Finals and a championship from 2014-16, the Warriors didn’t simply “run it back”. No, they went out and signed one of the best players in the world, Kevin Durant.

Sticking with this theme, the Dubs once again looked to make a splash after a few years of success by adding DeMarcus Cousins. Despite being fresh off an Achilles injury, there were hopes that Cousins would return to his elite status.

Of course, as we have now seen, Cousins never reached his former potential and the Dubs fell apart by the end of the season. Their mission to stack the most loaded team of all-time quickly took a turn for the worst when a few injuries to their star players left the rest of their rotation looking thin. The team’s slogan is “Strength in numbers” yet the Dubs failed to find more than six players capable of staying on the floor during the NBA Finals.

As a result of all of this, the Warriors will need to change their approach to how they view free agency. It’s no longer about signing the biggest stars (though they should look to retain Durant and Klay Thompson. Now, the Dubs need to focus on filling out the rest of their lineup with talented role players once again.

Luckily, there are plenty of good options available in free agency this season. We have covered a number of potential signings already and will continue to do so on our site. These signings will prove to be vital in helping the Dubs stray away from history and sustain success for longer than any other dynasty in history.