From the outside looking in, the Warriors are stepping into Sunday’s opening of NBA free agency having already taken two steps back between their Paul-George-Klay-Thompson quandary that might become a real problem for the front office.
In either case of the Warriors trading or waiving Chris Paul, they always were going to have 11 players under contract going into free agency.
“We’ve got some spots to fill. We’ve got some needs to fill,” Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy said Thursday after the NBA draft. “We’ll turn the page here from draft to free agency and see what we can do.”
Some spots are more important than others for the Warriors to fill. Some needs are more urgent than others, too. Following the draft with work to be done, here are the Warriors’ free agency needs ranked by position and skill sets.
5. Backup Point Guard
Whatever your feelings are on Paul’s one season with the Warriors after years of being one of the organization’s greatest rivals, Steve Kerr constantly praised Paul for giving him his best non-Steph Curry minutes ever at the position. Paul is going to be gone. There is once again a hole here on the Warriors’ roster.
The only other option on the Warriors’ roster right now is someone who’s a real candidate to be their starting shooting guard: Brandin Podziemski.
The 21-year-old ranked fourth among rookies in total assists last season behind Scoot Henderson, Keyonte George and Victor Wembanyama. Henderson totaled 212 turnovers, George turned it over 188 times and Wembanyama had 260 turnovers, just 14 fewer than his 274 assists.
Podziemski turned the ball over 88 times. The All-Rookie First Team selection also tallied 273 assists. That ranked fourth on the Warriors behind Paul, Draymond Green and Curry.
Paul struggled to bring the ball up against pressure defense. Podziemski already showed he can handle that heat. But he also played as much small forward as point guard. Even if Podziemski is handling the ball more often in his second season, the Warriors have a hole to fill here.
4. Defensive stopper
The Warriors had a 113.5 defensive rating when Green played last season. Their defensive rating spiked to 121.1 in 27 games without him. To no surprise, even at 34 years old, Golden State’s defense still goes off Green’s acumen and availability.
That doesn’t discredit the fact the Warriors’ defense was consistently atrocious for stretches last season. Andrew Wiggins, the player who is supposed to lock down the other team’s top scorer, had a 116.3 defensive rating – the worst among the Warriors’ regular players. Thompson was close by at 116.1.
Gary Payton II’s 108.9 defensive rating led the Warriors. Payton also played 44 games last season and has played 66 the past two seasons.
The Warriors prioritized a defensive menace in Reece Beekman out of Virginia for a two-way contract immediately after the NBA draft. They still need more.
3. Wing Depth
It’s a wing league, and the Warriors both have a bit of a log jam there but still could use more. Wiggins is the starting small forward right now, though he could be on the move. Is Jonathan Kuminga a 3 or a 4? Moody was more a wing than a shooting guard last season.
The goal once again would be to find a wing who has size and can stretch the floor. Or better known as the “Otto Porter Jr.” model. Replicating Porter’s production from the 2022 championship season despite him being on his last leg of health has been hard for the Warriors.
One option to monitor is Tobias Harris. The veteran forward would be the Warriors’ latest reputation experiment, a la the Wiggins trade. Harris’ reputation has dropped significantly after not living up to big contracts. He’s also 6-foot-8, can play both forward positions and hit 3-pointers.
His build and what Harris theoretically does on the court are the type of players the Warriors could be looking at here.
2. Big Man
Whether it’s the backcourt, frontcourt or on the wings, the Warriors have to get bigger. They need more size. There’s no ducking that reality.
Trayce Jackson-Davis supplanted Kevon Looney as the Warriors’ starting center toward the end of the regular season. The 24-year-old had a great rookie season, and is the Warriors’ starter as currently constructed. He in the least has to be part of a center rotation.
Looney’s $8 million contract was guaranteed, which still could be part of a trade package. The veteran holds plenty of value on the court and in the locker room. Adding Quinten Post, 24, in the second round of the draft gave the Warriors their only true 7-footer, and a big man who can shoot.
The Dario Saric signing didn’t turn out as planned. Maybe Post can have some Nemanja Bjelica to his game. There still is a lot to be desired here at a spot on the roster that always feels like it has some kind of question mark.
1. Scorer
George opting out of his player option and becoming an unrestricted free agent almost assuredly prices the nine-time All-Star out of what the Warriors can afford. Thompson’s time coming to an end as a Warrior is almost inevitable at this point.
Having an 0-for-10 donut being Thompson’s final showing can’t erase the fact the Warriors will miss his scoring and shooting, or the fact the Warriors so badly need a true second scoring option. They’re not finding one on the free-agent market. A real No. 2 can only be had through a trade.
So what. Go get a bucket. The Warriors need to study how they can replicate Jordan Poole’s 2021-22 scoring ability. Thompson was the second-leading scorer and made 268 threes last season in what was considered a down year. Wiggins (91) and Podziemski (90) combined to make 181 threes. Moody (72) and Kuminga (53) made 125 between the two of them.
Mike Dunleavy traded for Lindy Waters III from Oklahoma City the morning of the second round of the draft, and the 26-year-old can shoot it from deep. For a team that revolutionized the 3-point shot, the Warriors need much more shooting.
Especially in the case of Klay’s departure.
Unless they make a big-time move, the Warriors are relying on Kuminga to make a monumental leap into being Curry’s secondary scorer. Finding one in free agency is very unlikely. A scorer, a shooter or ideally both have to be atop the priority list.
Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast