The Warriors as we know them appear to be entering the twilight of their dominance. They are off to a shocking 7-9 start to the season where they rank 12th on offense and a bottom-tier 24th in defense. Their defensive struggles aren’t exclusive to their bench as the team has already given up 125 points in six different games.
While they surely miss players from last season like Gary Payton II (who hasn’t played a game this season yet due to injury), they may also really miss former assistant coach Mike Brown, who was considered their defensive coordinator. Since he joined the Warriors in 2016, the Warriors often finished at the top of the league in defensive rating and with the exception of the 2019-20 season, they never finished below 11th.
The two timelines also appear to be clashing, which was a potential concern prior to the season. The Warriors went into 2022-23 with the expectation that their recent first-round picks would be able to replace the veterans who left in the offseason. Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody have been inconsistent while James Wiseman has struggled to stay in the rotation and has now been sent to the G-League.
Can the Warriors make any moves that could fix this roster? They could make some trades to save the season, but it’ll be difficult for them to find any deal that could solve most of their problems.
The issue with trading the youth
As long as the Warriors plan on remaining competitive over the next few years, their starters as well as Poole are here to stay. This naturally shines the spotlight on Wiseman, Kuminga, and Moody as logical trade candidates. They can also trade a maximum of two future first-round picks at the moment.
The problem with trading any of these players is that the Warriors would likely sell them low. If they were to trade just one of these players for veterans that would likely come off the bench, they’re either admitting to making a bad selection or giving up too early and risk seeing them thrive elsewhere. Or both.
Story continues
Even if the Warriors decide to move these players, they are limited in the amount of incoming salary they can…
..
