The Golden State Warriors have a small window of time to make another title run with two-time MVP Stephen Curry leading the way. Curry recently earned the NBA’s scoring title for the second time in his career. The 33-year-old is still playing at an extremely high level.
The only question that remains is how long can the superstar keep those dominant performances coming. On top of that, the Warriors must juggle both creating a win-now roster around him and preparing for the future.
Draymond Green went on TNT’s ‘Inside the NBA’ and basically explained the Warriors scenario, one that should result in them trading their lottery picks.
It’s no easy task, and it’s one other teams have certainly not mastered with their aging stars. There are a few exceptions to the rule like the Spurs who managed to thrive up until forward Tim Duncan was ready to retire.
That said, the formula isn’t easy to get right, and the Washington Wizards have not capitalized on their opportunity. They were recently taken down by the East’s top seed, the Philadelphia 76ers, in five games.
While describing their situation, three-time All-Star forward Draymond Green basically spoke on where the Warriors are at as well.
"“If that is the case and you are bringing back draft picks, that doesn’t help Bradley Beal who is going into Year 10 of his career. I think, number one, they have to decide whether they are committed to Russ long-term. And if they are, as y’all said, then it is time to go get other veterans. But getting draft picks and placing them next to two All-Stars, that don’t work,” Green said on his appearance with ‘Inside the NBA’ via KNBR."
The last sentence is what really needs to be highlighted, and whether Green meant it like that or not, the Warriors are still about to be in a position which he described.
The Warriors will more than likely have two lottery picks in the upcoming draft, and they have No. 2 overall from last year’s draft in James Wiseman who may still take a few seasons to develop into a real contributor for a championship-caliber team.
Looking at it that way, it’s clear that Green mentioned the Warriors but that narrative could easily be flipped and put on his Warriors. The Dubs are in a position in which they must capitalize on these last few seasons in which the Big 3 is playing at a world-class level.
Stephen Curry is a free agent next offseason, so it’s paramount that they figure out how to win next season. Bob Myers and Steve Kerr should have a good understanding of what type of roster they must construct to make that happen.
That said, there will undoubtedly be obstacles in the way. Can this current team win? Can they trade their picks to get a player that can get them to a championship-contending level? Both are questions that will need to be answered.
Let’s hope Myers and company can figure that out before Green’s mentioning of the Wizards comes true in the Bay Area.