The season from injury hell has come to an end for the Golden State Warriors, having failed to make the playoffs after being eliminated by the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night.
While injuries did ruin any chance the Warriors had, it's unlikely this roster had enough anyway to go all the way to another championship. With sights still set on giving Stephen Curry one more title push, there's some difficult decisions ahead and some players that will need to be shown the door if Golden State are serious about making another run.
5 Warriors who should be moved on for final Stephen Curry title push
The Warriors only have six fully contracted players for next season, meaning they'll have decisions to make on over half the roster, and some of which will be made for them with respective player options. All the below players have had an impact with Golden State, but it might be time to move on as the franchise chases more glory.
Pat Spencer
Pat Spencer has been a fantastic story, turning himself from elite lacrosse player into a nearly 19-minute per game NBA player for the Warriors this season. However, there are still limitations to Spencer's game, particularly on the defensive side of the floor and with his 3-point shooting where he's a career 33.9% from beyond the arc.
The 29-year-old should find himself with another NBA opportunity next season, but Golden State should absolutely be looking to upgrade their back up point guard spot to ease the burden on a 38-year-old Curry who now has a worrisome knee injury to manage going forward.
Quinten Post
This might seem harsh considering we're only 12 months removed from Quinten Post enjoying an impressive rookie year where he shot over 40% from 3-point range, while even earlier this season he displayed some of the improved interior defense fans desperately wanted to see.
Unfortunately the second-half of Post's season has been a disappointment, having not been aided by a foot injury that ended his campaign early. The 26-year-old shot only 33.6% from beyond the arc this season, while seeing his minutes diminish with the acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis.
If the Warriors lose one or both of Porzingis and Al Horford, they should look at keeping Post around as he prepares for restricted free agency. However, should they keep both veteran stretch bigs, having an interior big man like Charles Bassey may be more beneficial and allow Golden State to move on from Post after only two seasons.
Seth Curry
Seth Curry shot a blistering 48% from 3-point range during the regular season, but the problem is he played less than 135 total minutes after signing at the start of December and then dealing with sciatica among other injury issues.
Curry had a few games where he still looked like a bonafide and valuable NBA rotation player, yet how can Golden State possibly go back to someone whose body proved so untrustworthy this season? With Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody set to start next season on the sidelines, there's only so many older, injury-prone players the Warriors can afford to have on the roster.
De'Anthony Melton
De'Anthony Melton delivered a strong return on his way back from a torn ACL, proving one of Golden State's best and most valuable players between early December and the All-Star break.
With Curry and Butler on the sidelines, Melton took on more offensive usage and struggled through the final weeks of the season, winding up shooting only 40.7% from the floor and 29.4% from 3-point range.
Melton is certainly worth bringing back and would be immense value if he picked up his $3.5 million player option, but the Warriors might be able to find a more impactful rotation piece at the price range he's likely to command should he opt out and enter free agency.
Draymond Green
Clearly the most controversial inclusion on this list considering his stature at the franchise, but given the ongoing offensive limitations, Draymond Green clearly isn't worth the $27.6 million player option he holds this offseason.
If Green does take the money and pick up that option, it's easy to envisage the Warriors using his contract with assets to find an upgrade, just as they were seemingly willing to do in a deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo prior to February's trade deadline.
The 36-year-old is smart enough to understand this reality, meaning there's still a good chance he opts out of the option and re-signs on a much lower number to ensure his career with the Warriors continues into a 15th season.
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