Will they or won't they? That's the question that arises every season on whether the Golden State Warriors will prove willing to make significant changes to their roster on the fly.
Even before the regular season gets underway later in the month, there's already conjecture on what the Warriors could do over the next few months. Just one glance at the current roster suggests it's far from complete, and that a mid-season trade is almost inevitable.
Warriors fans should probably prepare to be disappointed again when it comes to the trade landscape
That's also the opinion of The Athletic's Anthony Slater who recently predicted that Golden State will make a rare mid-season trade of some note, likely involving a 2-for-1 or 3-for-1 player transaction.
"I imagine they’ll win enough games to stay in the playoff mix, tick off a couple of capable players who are buried in the rotation and then, once January or February nears, find a consolidation trade that better balances the roster and rotation," Slater wrote.
Here we have a Warriors insider predicting that the team will make a trade before the deadline, with that coming off the back of general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. saying last week that they're "as impatient as you can be as a franchise right now."
Dunleavy's comment in itself would suggest that a trade is a near certainty, and yet how far can fans go with believing that will happen? It's the hope that can often be most frustrating -- many were envisaging a Golden State team entering this season with either Paul George or Lauri Markkanen, only for those moves not to materialize for different reasons.
While Slater's prediction should bouy hope that a trade will be forthcoming, a friendly reminder that this is a franchise that's been hesitant to make mid-season trades during the last 3-4 years. All the speculation may fuel expectation, but best be prepared for a let-down if the Warriors let the deadline pass by without making a significant move.
If they do actually make a trade, Slater believes that young forward Jonathan Kuminga "remains an obvious and appealing trade piece," assuming the 21-year-old doesn't get a contract extension before the October 21 deadline.
Either way there might be a let-down -- Golden State giving up on Kuminga would be a disappointment for many who believe the former seventh overall pick still has All-Star level upside. Of course, what the Warriors get in return will dictate fan reaction.
The Warriors are in a precarious position when it comes to approval among the fanbase, meaning they must tread carefully but also decisively when it comes to making their next move.