Did Golden State Warriors fumble at the trade deadline?

It was not much of a surprise that the Golden State Warriors remained quiet at the trade deadline. In hindsight, was it a mistake to coast through February and not make a move to place all of your chips on the table?

The Dubs have been spiraling downwards since January and the gradual return of Klay Thompson has not been enough to slow their decline. The loss of Draymond Green plus a myriad of preexisting flaws have pushed this team to the brink as of late.

This is causing a few analysts to question, did the Warriors fumble an opportunity to get better at the deadline?

The Golden State Warriors opted to keep their roster intact during the trade deadline. Was this a costly mistake or a smart decision for the long term?

The critics have been quick to jump on Golden State’s slump. Bill Simmons recently highlighted the Warriors’ complacency on his podcast.

“If I was a warriors fan I’d be really confused why my team sat the trade deadline out. I really don’t get it,” said Simmons.

While it is fair to raise eyebrows at the Warriors’ reluctance to trade any of their many, many assets — it is important to remember the entire context.

There wasn’t much on the table for Golden State at the deadline. Sure, they could have pushed for Ben Simmons, who would be doing as good a job as anyone in replacing Draymond during the next few weeks — but the cost of acquiring Simmons was not realistic.

Gutting the roster for someone like Simmons who has yet to make his debut for Brooklyn would have been even more dangerous than simply standing idle at the deadline.

As for the rest of the market, who were the Dubs supposed to target? Myles Turner might have been able to address their lack of size and dwindling defense but is he worth losing a promising asset like Jonathan Kuminga or Moses Moody?

The criticism is understandable and the frustration is real. However, we need to keep the big picture in mind.

At the start of the season, Golden State appeared to be on track for another decade of success due to its wide array of talent. Only now, after an injury to Green and some peculiar shooting slumps, are we questioning the plan once again and rehashing old talking points.