The Golden State Warriors and Bob Myers have their sights on maximizing its ability to compete for a title while they still can. While Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green are still playing at a championship level, owner Joe Lacob and General Manager Bob Myers seem committed to simultaneously developing the Warriors young core of James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody at the same time.
Serving two needs is almost an impossibility given their contrasting natures. Would their be disagreement between the Golden State Warriors veterans and Bob Myers/Joe Lacob ahead of the trade deadline?
With another Larry O’Brien as their objective, Bay Area Fans, armchair general managers, and talking heads have been proposing hypothetical trades sacrificing the youth movement to bring in win-now veterans.
Giving his latest take on what the Dubs may or may not do ahead of the February 9th trade deadline, Anthony Slater was strong on the desires of owner Joe Lacob to retain the team’s young talent.
"“From the looks of it, the Warriors still appear to be all-in on bridging its past and present to what remains in the future. The Warriors are protective of their future. Lacob has been explicit in his desire to thread the needle and asset-manage this franchise into a never-ending window of relevance.”"
Doing that could be going against the wishes of Stephen Curry and Golden State’s older core, with Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney revealing that the players and front office could be in disagreement.
"“They have always had a front office, a whole organization that was on the same page, start to end. They’re in a spot where there’s some difference of opinion that some of the players and coaches want them to be aggressive now, and some front office personnel want to keep being patient with the young guys.”"
The Warriors are sitting at 23-24 on the season, currently battling to just make the play-in tournament in a disappointing season for the reigning champions. Of the team’s four recent first-round picks, only Jonathan Kuminga is having a substantial impact on their current play.
Moses Moody has found himself out of the rotation after failing to solidify a role in the absence of key players. James Wiseman was finding limited minutes before an ankle injury which has sidelined him from. Patrick Baldwin Jr. has flashed his potential in some impressive minutes, but unsurprisingly, both he and Ryan Rollins haven’t been utilized much as rookies.
Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala are searching for their fifth championship in nine seasons, and it’s difficult to begrudge the older core for wanting the front office to prioritize their legacies as all-time greats.