A lot of Golden State Warriors fans are understandably trying to reckon with the fact that the team is probably not going to make any huge moves this offseason.
There were dreams about a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo which always seemed to be a long shot and then, after LeBron James announced he wouldn’t be returning to the Los Angeles Lakers, fans really believed he might take his talents to the Bay Area.
He still could, but based on the tea leaves that all feels like wishful thinking and fans may be left to eat their vegetables which include a hearty serving of Kristaps Porzingis, De’Anthony Melton, Al Horford, and Charles Bassey. Digest it all and it probably results in another Play-In appearance.
Warriors seem to be trying to replicate an unsustainable model
It’s only natural for fans to feel frustrated about this reality, but general manager Mike Dunleavy told everyone exactly how he felt about last year’s roster months ago. “I don’t think we came up short because of the talent on the roster,” is what he told reporters with a straight face back in May.
Many Warriors fans laughed at that statement at the time or hoped maybe he was setting up some kind of smoke screen to mask what Golden State’s true intentions were. But no, Dunleavy really did feel fine about the idea of running it back with the same team and that’s basically what he’s done.
It’s important to try to put ourselves in his head because it really doesn’t matter what fans or analysts think at the end of the day, rather it matters what Dunleavy, head coach Steve Kerr, and owner Joe Lacob think.
There’s a chance they’ve all talked themselves into the idea that the Warriors can be a .500 team until they get Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody back from injury, and then once they get them back in the fold they can make a bit of a run, gain some momentum, and either get one of the first six seeds in the Western Conference or settle for the Play-In.
They basically seem to be thinking they can replicate the 2024-25 model for success yet again, something that seems grossly optimistic and downright delusional if one wants to be harsh on this front office.
All of the players on the team are older than they were during that run. Injuries sank the team’s chances last year and there’s no reason to think they are going to be a much healthier squad this season when they haven’t done anything to get younger, other than draft two players in Yaxel Lendeborg and Lejae Jones. It’s just not a sustainable model for success, yet the Warriors have seemingly talked themselves into the idea that it is.
Maybe they’ll be proven right and the Warriors will get luckier with injuries, and they subsequently play well with this group and end up being the No. 5 seed in the West or something like that. We can all eat crow in that scenario, but until then it just seems bizarre that the Warriors are content to trot out the same old, injury-prone roster and expect a different result.
Dunleavy warned everyone but fans hoped he wasn’t serious. Now everyone knows he very much was content with the same roster from last season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google