3 Most important moves Golden State Warriors made during rebuild

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 26: Kevon Looney #5, Andrew Wiggins #22, Draymond Green #23 and head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors react after substitutions during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks in Game Five of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Western Conference Finals at Chase Center on May 26, 2022 in San Francisco, California. The Golden State Warriors won 120-110 to advance to the NBA Finals. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 26: Kevon Looney #5, Andrew Wiggins #22, Draymond Green #23 and head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors react after substitutions during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks in Game Five of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Western Conference Finals at Chase Center on May 26, 2022 in San Francisco, California. The Golden State Warriors won 120-110 to advance to the NBA Finals. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
Golden State Warriors (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Golden State Warriors (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Golden State Warriors remained patient

Year one of the rebuild was mostly a wash. Once Stephen Curry fractured his hand to go along with Klay Thompson’s preexisting season-ending injury, no one expected anything from the Golden State Warriors in 2019-20.

The next year? Even with Thompson suffering another massive injury, the pressure was mounting for Golden State. They expected to at least be a playoff team in 2020-21. When that didn’t happen, the urge to make a panic-trade felt insurmountable.

And can you blame them?

The Warriors were fortunate enough to have one of the most valuable trade packages in the entire league. Three lottery picks and a seemingly expendable $30 million dollar asset in Andrew Wiggins gave the Dubs the ability to target just about anybody they wanted.

They chose to remain patient.

Golden State kept all of their picks, drafting James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody despite an overwhelming incentive to trade them for established talent.

Instead, the Dubs added veteran talent through free agency, bringing in Otto Porter, Nemanja Bejlica and Andre Iguodala.

They chose to bet on their developmental team and stick with the core and it paid off. Had the Warriors overhauled this roster last summer, we might be seeing a totally different outcome.