There you have it. For all the smoke screens and potential trades that have been discussed over the last few months — Joe Lacob has openly stated it’s very unlikely the Golden State Warriors make a blockbuster deal this summer.
Don’t bet on the Golden State Warriors making any notable trades. Joe Lacob has shut down the notion of making a blockbuster deal.
It wasn’t too much of a surprise seeing the Warriors leave the 2021 NBA Draft with the rights to both of their selections. The well dried up fairly quickly and the cost of losing two lottery picks quickly outweighed the benefit of trading for a shakey fit like Bradley Beal or Zach LaVine.
Yet, it’s a bit of a startle to see Lacob completely shut down the idea of making a trade to win it all. When asked by Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Subscription required) about the likelihood of a trade and if he thinks this roster is capable of winning next season, Lacob had this to say:
Stephen Curry won the scoring title. Draymond was 3rd in DPOY. Still, the Warriors missed the playoffs. Now read this quote: https://t.co/iMFJRsNL21 pic.twitter.com/ntmwbJs96F
— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) July 31, 2021
While I agree that the Warriors secured two promising young players in Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody, the way Lacob is talking about his expectations for the upcoming season is troubling. Placing the blame on Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson for not being able to win with a cast of inexperienced prospects is not a great look.
There is only so much the big three will be able to do as they enter the back half of their careers. Even with Curry playing at an MVP level and Draymond finishing as a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year they were unable to win the Play-In Tournament. It feels like an unfair amount of pressure is now being placed on Thompson who has missed consecutive seasons with injuries.
Other teams across the league have shown no hesitation to help their stars compete for titles. The Los Angeles Lakers went all-out for Anthony Davis, the LA Clippers sacrificed everything for Kawhi Leonard and Paul Goerge while even the Houston Rockets attempted to surround James Harden with names like Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul throughout the years. It feels like the Warriors have become one of the only elite squads in the NBA to avoid making blockbuster trades when all of their chips are on the table.
This decision can be seen in one of two ways. Either the Warriors are going to emerge victoriously and look like geniuses for sticking to their guns — or they will pay the price for straddling between two timelines in building for the future and attempting to compete in the present at the same time.