Golden State Warriors should trade all expendable veterans, no matter the return

The Golden State Warriors should trade the bulk of their expendable veterans. Expendable for Golden State means those in the last year of their contract.

This season has been tough for the Golden State Warriors.

They’ve gone from the best team in the Western Conference for five straight seasons to easily the worst. While their roster, at full strength, is still arguably the best in the conference, the injury bug has caught up with them.

This offseason, the Warriors were projected to be among the best teams in the West. Stephen Curry’s broken left hand and multiple injuries to D’Angelo Russell has created havoc for the Warriors.

In the midst of the mayhem, several Warriors have stepped up, boosting their trade value. Sadly, many of the Warriors that have shown an aptitude were players that signed a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract this past offseason.

Both Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III are posting career-highs in the bulk of tracked categories. What’s important in the modern-day NBA is that both have become consistent threats from downtown.

Those two and Willie Cauley-Stein came in with high expectations yet will likely be dealt because they’ve actually surpassed the expectations set on them. All three had little market this offseason, signing low-value contracts with Golden State.

Now, it’s easy to understand why Golden State would deal the three veterans as they’ll likely be off the team next year regardless. With no playoffs in sight, the business side of basketball may soon show its ugly face.

But, for now, it’s just a theory, but one that makes sense. Why keep the veterans if you can secure draft capital? The Warriors have already seemingly left an impression on at least Burks that would justify him coming back to Golden State this offseason.

Players want to play in Golden State, and even if they’re dealt, it doesn’t seem unlikely that the bridge will be broken between the player and the organization, opening up a chance for them to return to a true championship contender this coming offseason.

That said, expect some movement from Golden State as the trade deadline eventually nears.