The Golden State Warriors have one of the most storied histories in the league. Legends such as Wilt Chamberlain have graced the uniform.Soon-to-be legends such as Steph Curry continue to build that legacy of the franchise.
However, there have been many players over the years that the franchise has given up on way too soon. Players that would go on to, at a minimum, have long successful careers. Others went on to have Hall of Fame careers, leaving the Warriors picking up the pieces of their bad decisions.
Most Golden State fans wouldn’t change a thing. After all, the team has won multiple championships in recent years. But there can still be some regret that Warriors fans didn’t get to see some of these players reach their full potential in the blue and yellow.
So in this piece we look at seven players that the Warriors should either regret, or might soon regret, giving up on too soon. And to start the list off is a familiar face to even the newest of Golden State Warriors faithful.
7. James Wiseman
This one might be an unpopular opinion, and one that is divisive, but there is a good chance that the Warriors just gave up on James Wiseman too soon. Was he working well with the current roster? No. But just look at his numbers since the trade to Detroit:
14 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1 block on 56% FG
That’s nearly a double-double and a solid role player. And while those numbers still will not justify the second-overall pick in the draft, they are good NBA numbers that could contribute to a championship level team.
While only time will truly tell whether the Warriors gave up on Wiseman too soon, the early results indicate that Wiseman could have become a very useful player in Golden State.
However, there is another face in the Western Conference currently that the Warriors may also have given up on too soon.
6. Harrison Barnes
While Harrison Barnes wasn’t traded in the same way many on this list were, the decision to leave Golden State was really made for him. When the Warriors signed Kevin Durant, the rights to Barnes were waived in order to make space for the perennial MVP candidate. And while many fans would make the transaction again in a heartbeat, it doesn’t mean it can’t also be true that the Warriors gave up on Harrison Barnes too soon as well.
Since being traded from the Golden State Warriors, Barnes has seen a sharp increase in numbers across the board, including efficiency in shooting in the midrange and from deep. The most he ever averaged in a season in Golden State was 11.7 points per game, whereas he has never dipped below 14 points per game since and usually is averaging in the 15-20 points per game range every season since leaving Golden State. Some of this is playing time, but some of it is truly becoming a more efficient player.
However, letting Barnes walk is hardly the biggest mistake that Warriors have made, as you will see in the coming selections.
5. Bernard King
Our first Hall of Fame player that the Warriors gave up on too soon, Bernard King. Let’s list King’s career accomplishments: Hall of Fame, 4x NBA All-Star, 4x All-NBA, and 1x Scoring Champion. And the tragedy for the Warriors? Nearly all of that happened with the New York Knicks.
The Warriors traded Bernard King after his first All-Star level season for an All-Star point guard named Michael Ray Richardson. However, one of those players went on to have a successful all-time level career in Bernard King, while the other fizzled out shortly after the trade.
During his time with the Knicks, King averaged 26.5 points, 5 rebounds, and 54% FG. And as we look back on King’s career, most think of him as a Knicks legend forgetting the number of teams he played for besides the Warriors. The other teams that gave up on him too quickly? The Nets and the Jazz, so don’t worry too much — others gave up on him quickly as well.
4. Larry Costello
Another Hall of Fame player with considerable accomplishments, Larry Costello might be a name you don’t hear often, but you should have. Costello is a Hall of Fame inductee, 6x NBA All-Star, an NBA Champion, and a 1x All-NBA player. The right-handed point guard was originally drafted by the (then Philadelphia) Warriors. He played two seasons for the Warriors before being traded to rival Syracuse Nationals (eventually would become the Philadelphia 76ers).
For the Warriors, Costello averaged 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.
The following season for the Nationals? Costello averaged 15 points, five rebounds, and five assists (keep in mind this was before the 3-point line, so there was less scoring). He would go on to make six All-Star teams with Syracuse/Philadelphia before having a successful run as a coach both in the NBA as well as at the collegiate level.
3. Mitch Richmond
I’m sure you’ve heard of Run TMC, and if you have, you’ll know the name Mitch Richmond. As the third leg of Run TMC along with Tim Hardaway and Chris Mullin, and he was great for the Warriors. In three seasons, he averaged 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists on 49% FG and 36% FG3. Those are great numbers for any player on any team. However, after his third season with the Warriors, the Warriors decided to get slightly bigger by trading Richmond to the Kings for forward Billy Owens.
What did Richmond accomplish after leaving the Warriors? Well he is currently in the Hall of Fame, a 6x NBA All-Star, 5x All-NBA, 1x All-Star MVP, and 1x NBA Champion. Much of that happened in his next stop Sacramento where he averaged 23 points, four rebounds, and four assists on 45% FG and 40% FG3. He made the all-star team in 6 consecutive seasons and is widely considered one of the best players the Kings have ever had.
I’m sure there were decent reasons to trade him at the time, but in retrospect, this was an absolutely terrible move.
2. Robert Parish
We are starting to get into all-time level players that the Warriors gave up on too soon, and our next stop is a Celtics legend in Robert Parish. The Warriors drafted Parish and he played for them for four seasons before being traded to the Celtics for the No. 1 pick in the draft.
Parish in a Warriors uniform: 13.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 50% FG
Parish in a Celtics uniform: 16.5 points (high of 19.9), 10 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 55% FG, 9x All-Star, 2x All-NBA, 4x NBA Champion, 75th Anniversary NBA team, Hall of Fame.
Who did the number one pick turn into that was obtained for Parish? Joe Barry Carroll (not a scrub by any means), but the Warriors only managed a handful of winning seasons before Carroll was sent to the Rockets.
1.Chris Webber
NBA teams need always remember that it’s easier to get a new coach than it is to get a new star player. And this cautionary tale with Chris Webber is evidence of exactly that.
Webber was drafted by the Warriors but ultimately had play-style conflicts with then coach of the Warriors, Don Nelson. Rather than stick with their eventual hall-of-fame player and eventual league-wide star, they decided to trade him to the Washington Bullets for a handful of 1st-round picks.
Weber’s accomplishments across his career? 5x All-star, 5x All-NBA, and 1x rebounding champion. He would go on to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
During that same span? The Warriors would have two winning seasons throughout the rest of Webber’s career. And while it’s hard to say for sure what would have happened had Webber remained in Golden State for his career, it is likely that it would have been better than two total winning seasons.
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