The Golden State Warriors looked like dark-horse championship contenders when they acquired Jimmy Butler. They finished the regular season 23-8 and won their first-round series against the Houston Rockets, but with Stephen Curry going down with a hamstring injury in the second round, they were bounced by Minnesota.
With their Western Conference counterparts making big moves this summer, Golden State had all the incentive in the world to make big moves of their own. Instead, they are the only team in the NBA to not make a move this summer, and are currently stuck in a stalemate with restricted free-agent Jonathan Kuminga.
The Warriors may rely too much on their core of Curry, Butler, and Green
Golden State has too many holes on their roster for their core to make up for. They do not have a true center after losing Kevon Looney in free agency. They have been interested in Al Horford, but have not been able to close the deal with him because of the Kuminga situation. They were also interested in Brook Lopez before he signed with the Clippers.
The Warriors also do not have consistent wings outside of Butler. Moses Moody has shown flashes but has never carved out a consistent role. Kuminga has a redundant skillset next to Butler, a fact that head coach Steve Kerr openly admitted last season.
Curry has not put a firm date on when he would retire, but he is 37-years old, not 27. Taking advantage of his high-level of play is the Warriors’ top priority, but they have not operated with that same urgency this summer.
Golden State should be going for it in Stephen Curry’s final years
Not making one free agent move is laughable for Golden State. The Kuminga negotiations have apparently held everything up, but this is a guy that has been clear that he does not see a long-term future with the organization.
He has also had disagreements with Kerr over playing time, and his fit with the team is awkward. Yes, Kuminga does have a lot of untapped potential and talent, but he likely won’t realize it with the Warriors.
The West is going to be a bloodbath next season. The Thunder are returning everyone from their championship team. The Rockets have a budding young team and added Kevin Durant. The Nuggets have more depth alongside Nikola Jokic. The Lakers, Clippers, and Timberwolves are set to be factors. The Warriors have the star power in Curry and Butler, but do they have enough as a whole to compete?
Golden State is banking on their nightmare offseason not lingering when the season starts next month. If that happens, then the days of the Warriors competing in the West could be over sooner than initially thought.
