While the Golden State Warriors are yet to make the big trade splash they're ultimately looking for, there's an argument to be made that their roster is better placed than it was heading into the offseason.
Klay Thompson's departure brings an emotional toll even beyond his on-court production, but the losses of he, Chris Paul and Dario Saric may be alleviated by the valuable additions of De'Anthony Melton, Kyle Anderson and Buddy Hield.
An ESPN expert believes the Golden State Warriors could be a top team in the West next season, labelling another forecast as "crazy"
Golden State are a highly debated team right now given their raft of offseason changes and the potential of a Lauri Markkanen trade in the coming weeks. The deep and competitive Western Conference is also another major factor, with many believing the Warriors could be anywhere between sixth and 12th in the standings next season.
But ESPN's Tim Bontemps is higher on Golden State's chances than most. On a recent appearance on The Hoop Collective podcast, Bontemps slammed ESPN Bet's forecast that's set the Warriors over/under win line at 42.5.
"I will bet just about any amount of money on that. They won 46 games last year. I think they got clearly better this summer. I'd argue possibly significantly better this summer...I think they're going to have a better record than last year and they won 46 last year. I'm very high on the Warriors. I think that's crazy."Tim Bontemps
Bontemps' comments come after another appearance on The Hoop Collective earlier in the week in which he viewed the Warriors as an offseason "winner" before stating, "there's a real chance they're a top four team in the West." That's a bold call given many are viewing Thompson's departure as further signalling the end of Golden State's dynasty.
Yet even those most pessimistic on the Warriors would find it hard to argue against the 42.5 line being incredibly low. Their roster is arguably better than last season where they went 46-36, with Draymond Green's pair of suspensions ruining what could have otherwise been a 50-win team.
The Warriors biggest roster issue surrounds their lack of second star next to Stephen Curry, but that could be erased by a Markkanen trade that may see their over/under line jump instantly by four or five wins.