Golden State Warriors desperately need that secondary scorer

The Golden State Warriors have two-time MVP Stephen Curry and five-time All-Star Klay Thompson on the roster, but there’s no denying that there’s skepticism as to what level Thompson will return at.

Thompson tore his ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals and then ruptured his Achilles during his rehab just months before last season. It’s been a brutal stretch of play for one of the greatest Warriors of all time.

Despite the Golden State Warriors hoping Klay Thompson will return, they are still in need of a second scoring option behind Stephen Curry.

He should still be a lethal sharpshooter, but can he be that consistent second option? This offseason, the team really needed to go out and get a second scorer, to either man the second unit or to help elevate the starters.

Players like then-free agent Patty Mills and Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal made sense for Golden State, but the former signed elsewhere and the latter hasn’t been truly tied to many trade rumors.

There are still some players on the market that could help, but at this point, the Warriors would likely have to wait until the buyout market starts to heat up. That said, the need was commented on by The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor and The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson on The Ringer NBA Show.

“Do they have that guy?” O’Connor asked. “I don’t think they have it…. All the parties know they couldn’t get it,” Thompson said.

That guy they’re mentioning is whoever could be a scoring threat for when Curry goes to the bench, and Thompson clearly notes how tough those few minutes when Curry is sidelined have been. As mentioned, they don’t have that.

It’s a scary few minutes as Curry can no longer go to the bench and have a former scoring champion stay in the game. However, it’s a reality they’ll have to deal with if Thompson isn’t fully the player he was.

After all, look at the league’s top teams. The Suns have Chris Paul. The Nets have James Harden. The Lakers have Anthony Davis. The Clippers have Paul George. All the top teams have that second elite scorer. Thompson can be that, and fingers are crossed that he is.

But, it’s certainly not easy to put your faith in a player that’s had two season-ending injuries, despite how capable they were before those happened. For now, it’s unlikely the Warriors add that secondary scoring threat.

A trade is possible, but I remain skeptical they actually get one done with how teams gauge the value of their stars.