There’s no beating around it, the Golden State Warriors‘ decision to draft Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody sent a blunt message to their big three of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Essentially, the front office is saying if those three want to win another ring — they’ll have to do it with a young core.
The Golden State Warriors front office basically just told Stephen Curry to his face that he will have to win with an inexperienced core.
The franchise made it abundantly clear they won’t be sacrificing their future for the sake of capitalizing on their championship window. That is, at least for now. Don’t be surprised at all to see trade rumors continue to swirl around the Warriors for the next few months.
Nevertheless, their decision not only to keep both draft picks — but to select the prospects they did — show exactly how the front office feels about doing right with their star core. For all the sacrifices the big three made to lift the franchise to prominence, the front office continues to give the indication that they don’t owe them anything.
And, there’s an argument to be made that Bob Myers doesn’t owe it to Curry or anyone else to punt his future for the sake of trying to win another championship ASAP. At the end of the day, it’s a business and Myers plans on being here even after Curry is out of his prime.
Still, with Curry, Thompson and Green making it clear they want the Dubs to trade their picks and bolster this supporting cast — it’s a troubling sign to see the front office blatantly ignore them. What’s more, taking on such an underdeveloped prospect like Kuminga with the seventh pick doesn’t bode well for their ability to compete next season.
Taking James Wiseman and Kuminga with top picks in consecutive lotteries is backbreaking for a franchise who should be trying to win while they still have three generational talents on the roster. As great as these two could be one day — there’s no denying their presence pushes back an already tight timeline for the Warriors.
Hindsight will always be 20/20 and perhaps the Dubs will hit that perfect sweet spot with blooming young stars and aging superstars all hitting the notes at just the right time to win another championship in the future.
Furthermore, there are reasons to be optimistic about the Warriors haul this year. This is far from being a doomsday scenario. In fact, Kuminga and Moody could end up being great picks. But, for now, the 2021 NBA Draft felt like a subtle slap in the face to Curry, Klay and Dray.
The front office will have to work expeditiously to sign a veteran free agent and possibly flip Kelly Oubre for another vet in order to inject this roster with some experience. If not, it could be tough for the big three to lead this team to the top of the mountain.